Languages with the Least Amount of English Speakers

[DaveBee]

Years ago in Istanbul I helped a Spanish speaker (I don't know if he was from Spain or Latin America though his accent suggested the latter) who was trying to find out how to get to a destination on the metro. I translated his question to metro employees and then their response. I remember thinking, "Good luck with Spanish in Istanbul. You might have trouble finding someone who understands English, much less Castilian."

I remember a young spanish lady in London having trouble forming her question in english, and asking me if I spoke spanish, doubt she had much luck with that.

(There was some pointing at maps, and she got on the right tube train.)

[nooj]

Years ago in Istanbul I helped a Spanish speaker (I don't know if he was from Spain or Latin America though his accent suggested the latter) who was trying to find out how to get to a destination on the metro. I translated his question to metro employees and then their response. I remember thinking, "Good luck with Spanish in Istanbul. You might have trouble finding someone who understands English, much less Castilian."

If he was lucky, he would have run into a Ladino speaker.

I have heard stories of Spaniards travelling in Turkey and meeting Judeo-Spanish speakers.

[Tillumadoguenirurm]

I've been to Spain several times this year, I think it really depends on what city or village you're in, even in the touristy regions. I've spent most of my time in a place in Alicante lately and there I've come across Spaniards who speak passable English only once or twice, yet two cities away "everyone" seems to be able to speak English.

[William Camden]

Years ago in Istanbul I helped a Spanish speaker (I don't know if he was from Spain or Latin America though his accent suggested the latter) who was trying to find out how to get to a destination on the metro. I translated his question to metro employees and then their response. I remember thinking, "Good luck with Spanish in Istanbul. You might have trouble finding someone who understands English, much less Castilian."

If he was lucky, he would have run into a Ladino speaker.

I have heard stories of Spaniards travelling in Turkey and meeting Judeo-Spanish speakers.

That has occurred to me, but there are in excess of 10 million people in Istanbul. Ladino is an endangered language and I doubt whether there are more than a couple of thousand Ladino speakers in Istanbul. I have certainly never met one.
Later note: Wikipedia estimates 10,000 Ladino speakers in Turkey. I would suppose the vast majority are in Istanbul. I have only met one Turk who spoke Spanish well (we were doing simultaneous interpreting - I was doing Turkish to English, he was doing Turkish to Spanish) and he was not, as far as I know, a Ladino speaker. A Turkish friend once asked me about learning Spanish. I said, half-seriously, "Do you know any Jews?" She had never met one in her entire life (they are a tiny minority in Turkey).