vandokkum Posted January 22, 2013 Posted January 22, 2013 I am talking about Mumbai and Kolkata in particular, and how difficult would it be for someone who speaks English to interact with locals without a translator? Any tips for first time visitors? I have heard of some bad experiences like cab drivers asking for double fare.
vvvslaxman Posted January 22, 2013 Posted January 22, 2013 English is second language in most parts of India. Especially in major cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai , Bangalore you will feel at home. Accent might differ from place to place.
Texy Posted January 22, 2013 Posted January 22, 2013 Sign language will do in the red light district.
vvvslaxman Posted January 22, 2013 Posted January 22, 2013 Sign language will do in the red light district. :hysterical:
Tiger80 Posted January 22, 2013 Posted January 22, 2013 Are you sure about that? :blink: Actually Its 12.16%.I read figure 12 crore and thought its less than 10% but here they are 1.03 billion as eligible population http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-speaking_population
SLICKR392 Posted January 22, 2013 Posted January 22, 2013 Sign language will do in the red light district. :cantstop:
vandokkum Posted January 23, 2013 Author Posted January 23, 2013 Sign language will do in the red light district. Thanks :giggle:
Magneto Posted January 23, 2013 Posted January 23, 2013 I am talking about Mumbai and Kolkata in particular' date=' and how difficult would it be for someone who speaks English to interact with locals without a translator? Any tips for first time visitors? I have heard of some bad experiences like cab drivers asking for double fare.[/quote'] Don't expect the common man on the street to respond to you in English in either cities. You can of course look at people, assume who'll probably be able to speak in English, take an educated guess and shoot off your question - you'll get a response in most occasions. In Mumbai, most taxis and autos have a digital meter (so, you should pay the exact fare as shown on the meter); at times, where they don't have a digital meter - they'll have a fare chart - insist on that, and you'll figure out how much you'll have to pay. In Kolkata, all taxis have a digital meter nowadays, but there's a separate fare chart as well, so the chart will tell you exactly how much you'll have to pay based on the reading on the meter.
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