Should I Learn Spanish Before Moving to Ecuador?
We recently stopped by the post office in Cuenca to take care of some business and were amused to see a foreign woman loudly inquiring in English about the status of a package. Apparently the woman felt that if she just spoke English loud enough that she would be understood. She made no attempt what so ever to speak Spanish. The patient postal worker was doing his best to communicate with this woman, but he was clearly uncomfortable trying to answer her questions using his limited English. The loud English-speaking lady was finally able to ascertain the status of her package and left the post office with a slight smile on her face. She gave me the impression that she was satisfied with herself because she was able to accomplish a task without having to put forth the effort to speak Spanish.
This and other similar “language standoffs” between English and Spanish speakers raises the question: Is it really necessary to learn Spanish before moving to Ecuador? Can one get by with just speaking English?
Although some expats may argue that is in not necessary to invest time in learning a foreign language before moving abroad, there are some valid reasons for learning the local language.
Reason #1 To Learn Spanish
Emergency situations. Imagine that you wake up in the middle of the night and find yourself in need of emergency medical care. If you do not speak the language of the emergency personnel who answer your call for help, how will you communicate to them your exact location or explain the nature of your emergency? We recently found ourselves in just such an emergency situation and were thankful that we were able to communicate in Spanish with the emergency room personnel. If you are faced with an unexpected emergency situation, do you want to just assume that the operator who answers your call for help speaks and understands English? Common sense dictates that you would need to learn at least some Spanish in order to get help in the case of emergency. You might even say that it could be a matter of life and death.
Reason #2 To Learn Spanish
Self Esteem: Recently we received a distress call from a friend who has been in Ecuador for a few months. She was stressed out because she was unable to successfully communicate with her landlord regarding an issue with her apartment. Our friend speaks almost no Spanish and her landlord speaks no English. She made several attempts to communicate with the landlord and explain a rather complicated situation regarding the installation of her internet. Our friend finally gave up trying to communicate with her landlord and called us for interpretation help. Our friend was frustrated because she felt helpless due to her inability to communicate in Spanish. She lamented the fact that she does not yet speak enough Spanish to defend herself in certain situations. Had our friend started studying Spanish in the months or years before her move to Ecuador, she would no doubt feel more confident and satisfied with herself.
Reason #3 To Learn Spanish
Quality of life: Learning to communicate in the local language can improve your quality of life. How so? If you do not speak the language, you will be limited to a few nods and basic greetings when you meet neighbors passing on the sidewalk. We have found that as a general rule Ecuadorians are interesting, sincere people who make great friends. The majority of our friends are Ecuadorians and we would not have been able to develop such good friendships had we not taken the time to learn Spanish before moving to Ecuador.
Also, learning Spanish has helped us to get a better understanding of Ecuadorian culture which in turn has enabled us to avoid being overly critical when faced with the inevitable “culture clash” situations.
Learning Spanish has also helped us to avoid feeling like outsiders in our neighborhood. A while back we got acquainted with an expat couple who had very limited Spanish skills. Although they had lived in other Spanish speaking countries for a number of years, they just never got around to learning the language. As a result, they had a generally negative view of Latin-Americans and felt unsafe in the neighborhood they lived in. They never got to know their neighbors and were suspicious of everyone. It is possible that had they taken the time to study Spanish and learn something of Latin-American culture, they would have perhaps been happier living here. Instead, they decided to move on to supposedly greener pastures.
For our family, the years we have invested in learning Spanish have served us well. Being Spanish speakers has enabled us to form some good friendships, has helped us handle emergency situations and has made us feel more self reliant and comfortable living in a foreign country.
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I agree with Dan’s reasons three and four – especially reason four. It’s just plain impolite to move to a foreign country and not even try to learn the local language. After all, we’re living in their country – why should they be expected to know our language? But we should at least try to learn their language! I lived in Ecuador for 12 years. I moved there when I was 57 years old and had tried a bit to learn some Spanish before I moved there, but didn’t do very well. But when I was actually in Ecuador, it was like my mind said, “Okay – now you have to learn!” From the beginning, all the Ecuadorians were patient and understanding and respectful of my attempts to learn their language. I always asked them to tell me if they didn’t understand me, and they were very helpful. How well or not I spoke Spanish wasn’t the point – the fact that I was making the effort to learn their language was what they appreciated. Most of them have taken English at school since grammar school – but their teachers don’t speak English, they just read it. And they are hesitant to attempt to speak any English. Except for the teenagers. It was so much fun to go downtown and pass some teenagers and have them say, “Good morning!” and see their beaming faces when I said back to them, “Good morning! How are you?” Usually there was one in the group who would be brave enough to answer, “I am fine!” Then they’d go off, giggling and proud that they had spoken English with an American and been understood – and all that in front of their friends!
I think you should learn some Spanish (or what ever language is spoken) in any country visited. I’m not fluent in Spanish, but I know some and it helps a lot, plus people are more willing to help you if you put a little effort forward to learn their language. I have not been to Ecuador, but I’m going in August. I can’t wait.
Great article. I personally am studying spanish not as a matter of practicality but more as an intellectual exercise and test of my abilities as a learner. I’m 27 now and haven’t interacted with the language since high school, which is coming up on 10 years ago. So basically what’s motivated me was a recent trip to Europe. I was in Spain and I thought that with my years of high school spanish and a rosetta stone crash course wold prepare me. Much to my dismay this was basically useless when I attempted to either understand someone or communicate what I wanted, thought, or felt. It felt wildly infantilized. It was very uncomfortable. So basically I wished that I had tried harder. Granted I only had three months to prepare. After returning I have become determined to learn spanish. I’ve found good resources and am dedicating a good deal of time to my efforts. I currently only speak english and I feel slightly deficient in that. I plan to travel to Argentina with a friend in the near future and am really looking forward to being able to do what I couldn’t in spain.
I discovered Google Translate on my IPhone on my last trip to Cuenca and used it very effectively in taxis and asking questions of local citizens. You can either type or speak your question or where you want to go and it will display the translation on the screen and you can even play an audio version. You can even save frequently use questions like the location of your hotel or hostel. I assume this app is also available on other smart phones.
Reason # 4 To Learn Spanish
Part of the reason for residing in a foreign country is to experience a new culture. How can you do that if you can’t understand the people around you.
Reason # 5 To Learn Spanish
As a guest it is only common courtesy to learn enough to use everyday greetings or to introduce yourself. Many people will understand if you are not fluent, but may be offended if you make no effort to meet then part way.
I was talking to my 4 year old nephew yesterday. We had a great time visiting. I did a little research and found out that a typical 4 year old has a vocabulary of between 400 and 500 words… and a two to three year old gets along with about 120 words… So, yesterday I sat down and wrote every Spanish word or phrase I already know. I can count to ten, uno, dos, tres… (10 words), Buenos dias (Good day) counts as 2 words, Por favor (Please), and so on. Amigo (friend), carne (meat), cafe (coffee), leche (milk), agua (water), blanco (white), negro (black), verde (green), si (yes), no (no), adios (goodbye), hola (hello), fiesta (party), gracias (thank you), huevos (eggs), grande (big/large), poquito (small/little), cerveza (beer), caliente (hot), frio (cold), rio (river), pronto (soon), patio (patio), no habla Espanol (I don’t speak Spanish), padre (father), stop (alto), bonita (pretty), pollo (chicken), queso (cheese), perro (dog), sombrero (hat), pantalones (pants), zapato (shoe), casa (house), mesa (table), sandwich (sandwich), dinero (money), and last but not least is pina colada (strained pineapple).
So, off the top of my head it looks like I know 52 words in Spanish. 70 more words and I should be able to speak like a 2 year old. That is much better than not speaking at all. Wonder if it could be that easy???
I can learn 70 more words. No fear… With a little more research I will know which 70 words I should study…
George,
You have a positive attitude and that is what it takes to learn a foreign language. Don´t give up and after a while you will be surprised at how much Spahish you have learned. One way to learn is to mingle with native speakers and ask them to correct you. Also, you might want to look into using a language course to help you along with your foreign language studies. We used a great course called Pimsleur´s. Here is a link to their web site:
http://www.pimsleur.com/
I recently required surgery for a broken ankle. As I lay on the operating table with doctors and nurses firing questions at me, I struggled to understand them. I have been studying Spanish and had a real-life example of how important it is.
[...] Gringos Abroad – It’s hard to believe but some expats think that they can move to a foreign country and not learn the language. Doug gives us some valid reasons why learning to speak Spanish before moving to Ecuador is a good idea. [...]
Of course then there is the question of how well does one learn it, the required investment in time, and what is realistic for people of certain ages.
Also, I think a person can learn a lot of Spanish in terms of grammar, vocabulary, and expressions, and still have difficulty listening and comprehending what is being said.
I wonder how well the Gringos who consider themselves Spanish speakers can turn on a Telenovelas and understand 90% or more of what is being said.
ElMonica,
I think the true test of whether a student of a foreign language can be considered fluent is not whether he/she can understand the limited, rather trashy vocabulary that one will hear on a telenovela. If a student receives unsolicited, positive complements from native speakers and is told on a regular basis by native speakers that his/her spanish (or whatever the language you happen to be learning)is excellent, that is a good sign that you are doing well in your foreign language studies. If one can make a phone call and communicate in Spanish and understand what the other person is saying in Spanish and be understood by that person, that also is a good sign that one is on the road to foreing language fluency and comprenhension. We started learning Spanish from Mexican friends in the U.S. 12 years ago, but had to relearn Spanish to a certain extent when we arrive in Ecuador 5 years ago due to the different accent and word usage. You have to “tune” your ear to pick up different accents, that applies even when conversing with English speakers from, say New Zealand or Australia. It does take a lot of work to learn a foreign language and to get to the point of understanding and being understood when conversing, but it is worth the effort if you are planning on living long term in a foreign country.
Good points!
Other reasons would include common sense and respect.
Of the gringos I know here in Ecuador who can’t or won’t speak Spanish, I would be willing to bet that they are those same people back in the USA or Canada who complain about the damn immigrants who come to our country and don’t even have the decency to speak English.
Thanks for the great article.
Len,
I agree with your comment, there does seem to be a double standard among some Expats when it comes to learning the local language. Some folks in the U.S. loudly complain about non-english speaking immigrants. They say “if you can´t learn English, then go back home..” but some of these same “English only” expats come to Ecuador and get upset because they are expected to learn Spanish. My wife went to the pharmacy a couple of days ago and the clerk complemented my wife on her excellent Spanish. The clerk mentioned to my wife that a “gringo” came in to the store the other day and got upset at her because she did not speak any English…the gringo needed to use the bathroom and did not know how to say “bathroom” in Spanish. At least Ecuadorians are tolerant of “ignorant” non-spanish speaking gringos.
I think Gringo expats should try and learn Spanish, although for many it will be a futile exercise.
However, If I were to apply for Ecuadorian citizenship, I would think it reasonable if the government were to require that I read, write, and speak Spanish at a certain level. I also don’t expect the government to go out of its way to provide English speaking forms, signs and documentation, unless it is part of a plan to promote Tourism.
ElMonica,
By saying that it would be a “futile exercise” for expats to learn Spanish, you seem to indicate that Expats are too ignorant or lazy to learn a foreign language. While it is true that there are some Expats who do not take the time or have the desire to learn Spanish, I personally know a number of expats who have successfully learned Spanish to the point of being able to give public lectures in Spanish to large audiences of native Spanish speakers. I also know dozens of non-native Spanish speaking Expats here in Cuenca who are teachers and they teach exclusively in Spanish. To make a blanket comment that it is “futile” for Expats to learn Spahish is not realistic or fair. For example, last year I took a driving course to obtain my Ecuadorian driver´s license and not once did I have to ask for translation help during the course. (By the way, I passed the written driving test 20/20). I have many Expat friends here who also passed the same driving test in Spahish and then successfully negotiated, in Spanish, the complicated process of matriculating a vehicle. You´d be amazed at what us “ignorant” gringos can do once we put our minds to it. We are not asking the the government to “go out of its way”,as you put it, to provide us with forms in English or give us special treatment. We know that Ecuador is a Spanish speaking country and are content to play by those rules.