KegWorks Blog

With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I found myself brushing up on the Gaelic word for “cheers” - if only to start getting myself into the spirit of things (even if there might be a hint of a slur in my speech when I finally do get around to using it). The phrase “Sláinte” is now firmly in mind and ready for use.

My family history is nearly equally divided between Irish and German, so my doing this small bit of research is also about getting back in touch the Irish side of my ancestral roots. After all, everyone else considers themselves Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, so why not separate myself from the pack a little by speaking some Gaelic, right? I just hope I’m not murdering their otherwise beautiful, melodic sounding language in the process.

Actually, I plan on making a trip to Ireland at some point, so my research will come in handy even outside of the St. Patrick’s Day venue. So, as I was considering destinations for my trip to Ireland, I began thinking about (and tallying) the number of countries I’ve visited and toured.

I’ve learned quite a few things from many years of international travel that I’d like to share with you. There are basic words and phrases that any good tourist worth his or her salt should learn when traveling abroad. Usually those phrases are “hello,” “goodbye,” “please,” “thank you” and “toilet.” For those of you planning on taking a break from work or school in the upcoming warmer months, I would like to offer that the word “cheers” be added to your list of handy words and phrases to learn while touring or visiting the country of your choice. Nothing help builds mutual respect and a sense of friendship faster with non-English speakers like the languages of politeness and well-wishing, especially if you get the chance to pull up a bar stool with them. If you’re an “off-the-beaten-path” type tourist, like myself, who enjoys experiencing everyday life (instead of just the major tourist attractions) this sort of information will help to ease yourself into their culture, their way of life, and their good graces. Not to mention that this will help break the stereotype of Americans as “ugly tourists.”

Regardless of your language skills, nothing says “I’m interested in your country and your culture” more than an attempt to speak the language – despite what the ominous, ever-present “They” say. So, if you find yourself hanging out and drinking with the people of the country you’re visiting, be sure to learn “cheers” along with all the swear words you might pick up.

Call me a geek, but even if you’re not planning any trips abroad, it’s kinda neat to use a different language’s version of “cheers” even when you hang with buds – if only to see who can come up with the most obscurely known version of “cheers.”

Here’s a list of “cheers” in a few of the planet’s many languages:

Sláinte!

TAGS [ CHEERS | ST PATRICKS DAY | LANGUAGE ]

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 at 8:00 am by Ed and is filed under Random Cool Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.