No, not the popular music/tv/etc awards... it's an old chestnut, but I felt seriously ashamed today when sitting in a chiringuito having our nube and cortado prior to dropping OH at the airport, a couple strolled in, sat down and on the approach of the waiter the man said 'I'd like a... ... ... one large beer (hand signals accompanying) and a small beer (hand signals ditto).' Now I'm truly no snob but are there any other nationalities that visit other countries and expect the locals to be addressed in, understood, and replied to in, the visitors' tongue? Really? This is just the most recent of many such experiences and you could say well it's the CdS what do you expect but OMG.

I think it depends on whether they are tourists or residents! I´m a huge fan of learning Spanish, however I accept that not everyone is the same, and if they have just popped over for a week's holiday to CDS, is it really necessary to be able to speak the lingo? I'm guessing the camarero got the message OK. I imagine there are many thousands of visitors to UK that manage without a word of English, in fact reading Spanish forums, there are even some Spanish moving to UK to work with little or no English. However, we've all met loads of Brit expats that despite spending some years in Spain, don't speak a word of Spanish. Perhaps we should all have a proficiency test in the language of the country we intend holidaying in. ;-) I think as long as they are spending money, the Spanish won't really worry to much.

No doubt the person you speak of is one of the ones that demand any one coming to UK must speak English! Mind you know what would have happened if the waiter hadn't understood him? he would just have spoke the same but louder in a silly exagerated manner

I must agree that the Brits are worst, but closely followed by the French.

There have been a few posts like this. Frankly they make me puke. Why should you feel responsible, could have been their first time in Spain, other nationalities have problems too if you care to look around. Snob is probably the wrong word. You should really try to shake off the British trend of a feeling of superiority! I have been in many countries in the world and never actually learnt small and large in some of them. Are well travelled people supposed to study about 8 languages FFS. I figure in a tourist area they should be the ones learning those words in about 6 languages.

I worked in central London for 5 years and there are approximately zero tourists who go into an English bar and order the beer in their own language rather than in English.

There's a difference between knowing 20 words on holiday (which takes 1 hour to learn) and being fluent.

I once went to Rome with a number of colleagues from work. On the plane I read an Italian phrase book, only enough to order at bars and direct the taxi to the hotel. My colleagues looked at me gone out in the taxi "I didnt know you spoke Italian"

That they decided to go to Italy on a work trip without learning 20 words of Italian shows their ignorance.

And to answer the Q, yes I am embarrased by Brits abroad. Not just on the CDS, but everywhere. Luckily enough on the places we go, we rarely see them. There is an inverse relationship between the quality of the establishment and the number of Brits in said establishment :0

Although to be fair, when you do see a Brit in a place aimed at Spaniards, they are the ones who have normally made an effort to at least be able to order a beer and ask for the menu in Spanish

If that person lives here then it is called respect or more to the point a lack of it and it does not matter whether it is Brits in Spain, Spanish in the UK or Chinese in Russia if one has so little respect for the people of your adopted country then one never will be deserving of respect from them.
If it is a holidaymaker then that is a different matter and I agree if the waiter is in a holiday town he/she should have a few words of different languages. Saying that it is rare to find it in the UK outside of say London, Edinburgh.

Graham

Absolutely right. I have friends who live here and really can't be bothered to learn Spanish but they are all fluent in a restaurant or bar.

So they should be after some time living there, but when you say fluent, I doubt it would be regarded as fluent by any Spanish speakers. Living in a country and spending a few days on holidays is a completely different thing. If I decide to spend a week in say, Tunisia, Greece, Egypt, Turkey should I be expected to be able to order a beer, a meal in their respective languages. Don't get me wrong, I believe all expats should learn the lingo, but even as an avid learner of Spanish myself, I don't think holidaymakers should be expected to have a basic understanding of the language of the country they are visiting. If a regular visitor to the same country, that's quite different.

This is truly funny. I wonder how many posters on here speak even basic Spanish. When I went to Tunisia I picked up the basics like knowing how to say piss off...more essential than a small or large beer. What about the people who choose to take holidays in a different country each year, do they have to study each winter. Some of you are pathetic.

It is changing though. Quite a lot of UK bar staff now know Czech, Polish or Bulgarian! Well, quite a few are fluent in Spanish too.

I agree that if you live in a country you should at least attempt to learn the language, and personally, I try to speak a few words of the local tongue whenever we travel abroad as I believe it is good manners, and don't find it particularly difficult ...

HOWEVER, (and its a big however)

The English language is very important in recent popular culture (think Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Oasis, all the movies that came out of UK and USA etc before Google translate etc) and it stands to reason that the majority of Europeans over the age of say 60 have had some exposure to it in their childhood/young adulthood at least.

Compare that to the exposure the average UK citizen who has never left UK will have had to the Spanish language for example (if they weren't taught it at school) or Greek, or Italian.

I have been very embarrassed by aussies on many occasions when they have said "wog" in front of my ex-wife...her grandad is black.
Aussies take the biscuit.

Whinging poms, I can't stand.

I also can't understand those people who can't be arsed to learn just a few words. Long time ago we went to Portugal for two weeks, so I learnt the basics. Hello, please, thank you, goodbye, and 'I'm sorry, I don't speak Portuguese.'

Why would you not take just that little bit of trouble?

The OP is talking about CDs, mind, there are Brits that have lived there for years and not spoken a word of Spanish, so I'm sure someone could manage a weeks holiday there without any problems. Menu's etc are normally in several languages, waiters etc speak various languages, so is it necessary? It's not a part of the world I frequent, however inland very often when they find out you are English, they want to practice their English with you! You can't win! As for saying "I don't speak portuguese", bit pointless isn't it, they could probably work that out for themselves.