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One in ten Brits can order beer in five or more languages

17 July 2024 By James Evison

Although not known for their proficiency in foreign languages, there is one skill that Brits have mastered abroad: how to get the beers in.

According to the findings of online retail giant Amazon’s survey, which is part of its Chatterbox series of content, it revealed that there were a number of common phrases that Brits use abroad, such as “excuse me”, “I don’t understand”, and “where is the toilet?”

While a quarter of Britons are “too embarrassed” to speak another language, an impressive 10% of the population can order a beer in more than five languages.

In addition, a quarter (25%) said they had eaten the wrong dish in a restaurant due to getting their language skills mixed up. Almost 7% of Brits have “accidentally” given a large tip due to failing to calculate the exchange rate correctly as well.

It also found that some 85% desired to improve their language skills when going on holiday — but only 9% do so.

Commonly confused

According to the data, more than one-third (38%) are commonly confused by the words “fizzy” and “still”, and “thank you” is challenging for one quarter (25%) of Brits.

More than half only learn 51% half on a sentence in a foreign language in the hope they can complete the remainder in their own language.

The Daily Mail reported on one Amazon worker Ben Walmsley who said he befriended a head waiter at a hotel in Benidorm, where he “tried to mimic some Spanish phrases he’d say”.

But the technique didn’t always work.

Walmsley said: “In return, every time we went into his restaurant, he’d give us his best Yorkshire accent speaking to us in English, which was equally as comical.

‘By the end of the holiday, he was giving us the best table in the house, free drinks and bottles of Prosecco.”

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