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Such a different language: how English for travel differs from its other varieties?

Knowledge of English greatly helps in travel

The first difference from classical study in schools and universities is that English for tourists is primarily required in terms of the ability to speak and understand speech by ear. It is with these skills that 70% of people studying foreign languages have difficulties, since they require not only knowledge of the language, but also the ability to think in it and adapt to circumstances.

In addition, travel English implies the ability to communicate on various topics, which means a good knowledge of vocabulary. Thus, the language may be needed in the following situations: when buying tickets and booking a hotel, when moving around and navigating the city, in hotels (check-in, solving current problems, check-out) and restaurants, on excursions, in shops, etc.

Emergency situations may also arise, so a tourist must be able to explain themselves at a clinic, police station, etc. Finally, English may be needed in ordinary communication with friends from abroad – accordingly, the range of topics one needs to be able to speak about expands even more.

Interestingly, for travel English, one can pay slightly less attention to grammar: for example, knowledge of various types of conditional mood, all tenses and subtleties of comma placement in sentences are significantly less useful skills than correct pronunciation of words.

Due to all these features, the format of learning travel English also differs greatly from other programs. In particular, from the first lessons, students listen to audio and learn vocabulary by topic, practice speaking by acting out small situations with the teacher, etc. Not only individual words are memorized, but also basic questions and answers within the studied topic so that a person can quickly learn to perceive foreign speech and be able to respond.

Thus, English for travel has a number of important features that must be taken into account when learning it. Since it involves an element of communication, it is advisable to study it with a tutor rather than on your own – in this case, progress will be more noticeable and faster.