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retain a wealth of information which comes from reading foreign newspapers, knowing about the historical and cultural background, keeping the language up to standard through visits and reading guide books in that language to know the historical links that we share. Apart from this, many guides not guiding in their own language need a vast amount of special vocabulary that comes neither with a university degree in that language not can it be learnt via every day communication. These areas cover architecture, geology, religion (ever tried quotes from the bible in a foreign language?), agriculture, botany and plant life, zoology, sociology and technical terms.’
Elma McMenemy’s first experience as a foreign language-speaking tourist guide in Aberdeen came years before she qualified.
‘It was a tour in Norwegian for Aberdeen City Council’s department of tourism in 1978, ‘ she said.
‘I blush as I remember how bad I was, standing(!) at the front of a double decker bus, microphone in hand, attempting to guide a group of Norwegian shoppers who had travelled to Aberdeen Harbour by boat.
‘I finally qualified for my Blue Badge in 1986 at a time when I worked for Aberdeen Tourist Board, which had paid for my course as I was required regularly to guide visiting travel trade personnel and journalists from around the world and particularly from Norway. The Tourist Board also funded more Norwegian study and Institute of Linguists exams for me. I paid them back in time, skills and dedication a thousand fold - and more! - over the next ten years, until I set up my own business as both tourist guide and tourism marketing and PR consultant in 1996.
‘When I qualified, I was assessed by STGA as competent to guide in Spanish (the language of my honours degree), Norwegian, by then equivalent to honours degree level, and also in Swedish and Danish. It is not easy for non-Scandinavian speakers to understand just how incredibly close these three languages are. Although spoken Danish is very different from Norwegian with lots of glottal stops and is quite flat- sounding compared to sing-song Norwegian and Swedish, the written language is very close, to the extent it takes a few lines of text before I know which language I’m reading. Written Swedish is very different from Norwegian, however, although the spoken language is much closer. Natives converse with each other in ‘Skandinavisk’ - each varying their own language, using words they know to be different in order to be easily understood without actually speaking the other language. As I had travelled often and extensively during my time with the tourist board, not only in Norway, but also in Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, I was, and am, able to vary my Norwegian to be understood by Danes and Swedes. However, I do not speak the three languages
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