yew YORK SHELL CLUB NOTES No. 260 March 1980 Page 3 
the following article appeared 
is reprinted now by sedieay: in NYSC NOTES No. 123, pp. 8-10, and 
SHELLING IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE 
frips planned for areas where the local language i 
glish can immeasurably be expedited if the coliaanad teniteta ike 
self with a short glossary of shelling terms. Not all of us are 
gifted linguists but a brief study of translations for "Good day," 
"Please" and Thank you" is not only a courteous gesture for you, 
the foreigner, to make but often can establish a pleasant rapport 
ee oo hosts when arriving in a potentially excellent shelling 
comm . 
Our experience in consulting with representatives assigned to the 
U.S. from other countries has resulted in a universal guarantee 
that the language problem will be non-existent for “every one speaks 
English." Perhaps that may prove to be true in many large cosmopol- 
itan cities but somehow mollusks never seem to live in the congested 
urban neighborhoods of those multi-lingual educated inhabitants. 
The kindly, helpful people of the fishing villages are considerably 
less sophisticated and are very similar to the simple folks living 
in the small towns of our own country where, except for Spanish in 
selected spots along our coast, I doubt if many fishermen could be 
found who understand another tongue. The same situation exists 
wherever we have visited in the pursuit of shells. 
A glossary may be as long as one wishes and as elaborate as fancy 
dictates. The following is a personal list of what have proved, for 
us, to be the most useful words in shelling -- perhaps not elite, 
but they have worked! Nouns plus a smile, gymnastics and pantomime, 
combined with the local word for "Please," are certainly the most 
important things to memorize. Whether the noun is masculine or 
feminine, for this purpose, is an unnecessary nicety. If one is in- 
ventive, pantomime can be depended on to do a splendid job instead 
of worrying over verb tenses. Pronunciation can be tricky but try 
them all - a mispronounced word in the language of your new acquaint- 
ance is much more appreciated and effective than impromptu Pigeon- 
English, usually spoken in increasingly louder tones as frustration 
sets in. 
If you are contemplating "foreign shelling," certainly a bi-lingual 
dictionary is of primary importance. Not only will it be well 
thumbed before your homeward journey but it is a wonderful gift to 
leave with someone who has helped you. In most countries we have 
found that dictionaries in the local language and English are both 
hard to find and expensive. 
On many occasions our Expedition has come to a complete halt while 
awaiting either the Leader or the Led to find a precise word in our 
brought-along volume. In places like the U.S. Trust Territory and 
Ceylon (for which we were unable to find dictionaries in Palauan, 7 
Sinhalese or Tamil) we daily added to our list of words and. apebke 
them phonetically. Such practice is lots of fun and can a : Y Pe 
one's enjoyment of a trip, but it does infringe on the preciou 
for field work. 
Equipped with a minimum glossary in English, French, Spanish and 
