Shy holiday Britons 'point at menus' to avoid foreign words

BBC News article -

The Populus survey found 37% of British holidaymakers always tried to speak a few words in the local language but 29% said they were too scared to try.
It also found that 36% felt guilty at asking locals to speak English, while:

• 56% resorted to pointing at menus
• 45% relied on the assumption that all locals would speak English
• 42% spoke English more slowly and loudly
• 15% even tried speaking English in a foreign accent 

Previous research by the British Council, the UK's international culture and education organisation, has found that the UK has a shortage of people able to speak the 10 most important world languages, which is likely to hamper the country's future prosperity and global standing.

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