Brits are notorious for speaking English on holiday - It's time to end the trend

While Britain isn’t a monolith and there are many committed polyglots living there, new data does suggest an element of truth.

Research conducted by the language-learning platform I work for, Babbel, found that half of Brits just hope when they go abroad that people will speak enough English to get by.

Furthermore, almost half believe that as English is spoken more widely around the world, they feel less inclined to learn a different language; instead relying on a global tourist lingua franca.

This reluctance to learn another language is further impacted by the fact that live-translation apps are growing in popularity.

These apps allow two people who don't share a common language to engage in a near simultaneous conversation and our data shows one in eight think it allows them to have a more meaningful interaction than if they had learnt the language.

To be clear, that’s far behind the over 40% who think learning a language leads to more meaningful interactions, but the figure is still significant.

Overall, the picture it paints is one in which people increasingly believe that learning a language is an exercise in pure utility; that a language is worth learning only to more seamlessly order a coffee or negotiate a tip.

In reality, learning a language is about so much more, and it’s time for Britain to overcome the stereotype and embrace a multilingual future.

For starters, language doesn't just help you understand people better, but also the country’s culture itself. Its food, its history, even how its people approach life. By learning a language you are like an anthropologist, immersing yourself in the day to day life of a culture that isn’t your own.

An AI live translation app may allow you to ask for directions, but it can’t help you understand the history and lifestyle of the country you're in better.

Beyond that, learning a language can help your wallet as well as your understanding. Many countries tend to see inflated prices in areas where most of the tourists are centred - what some uncharitably refer to as a ‘tourist trap’.

It’s my experience that knowing the local language in a country you're travelling to can act as a kind of passcode to a different, more authentic version of it. Once again, something an AI translation app can’t do.

Rather than being confined to the touristy areas, you can venture off the beaten path with more confidence, and see how the locals live, usually at a considerably discounted rate. As Anthony Bourdain says: ‘you’re going to eat somewhere, look around you. Who’s eating there? If it’s full of locals, that’s a good sign.’

It’s also worth noting the potential for a soft power win: It would be no bad thing if England was no longer known as such a doggedly monolingual nation, but instead a country of proud polyglots.

There is hope for this tide turning on this. Our research found that Gen Z is the most sympathetic to still learning languages, and the most likely to prepare for a trip by learning the local dialect.

While live-translation services and AI apps have their uses in a pinch, it can never replace the power of connecting with someone in their own language. Something you’ll also never get muddling through in pidgin English.

So this summer, if you’re travelling abroad, think about how much more you can get out of your trip - financially, culinarily, culturally - if you learn the language, and banish the tired stereotype of the monolingual Brit.

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Sophie Vignoles, linguist and Head of Learning Content for Babbel.

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