I have suddenly been required to go there for a few weeks. Does anyone speak English there? Am I screwed?
According to Wiki, English is a common 2nd language. I used to live in Singapore where everyone speaks English. I knew quite a few people from Taiwan and they all spoke English well.
In the cities, they speak conversational English okay, but the street markets, one of the best parts of Taiwan, are usually spoken in Mandarin or Taiwanese. It'd be a lot better to find a college age guide. You can still get around, but the details will be lost in translation...
I used to have a Taiwanese GF. She dumped me without really telling me why, but I digress. At least in Europe I could read and use my SAT root word studying to figure stuff out. How do you non Chinese speaking people get around? Was it hard?
No need to worry, they'll understand you as long as you scream your words louder and slower every time you repeat. Locals always seem to understand those.
Well, think portable babel fish. They'd probably still be able to understand you from what you're trying to say, it'd just sound weird. Basically, Englishnese (i.e. Chinese version of Chinglish).
The last time my friend visited Taiwan he said the folks there really dig Americans. I second the suggestion about finding a college age guide (hopefully someone hot). You might not have to pay them very much, just let them parade you around like a trophy.
You'll be fine. I used to spend weeks at a time in Taiwan when I was at Dell. You can usually make it out okay. Mainland China, on the other hand... Definitely hit up the north coast -> some good seafood there, and the beach is cool. Head up to the mountains around Taipei and visit some of the Buddhist temple. They are amazing. In Taipei, check out the following (just leave more time because the traffic is atrocious). Chiang Kai Shek museum Taipei 101 Snake Alley Night Market (beware of the smell of fried tofu) New York shopping center Brown Sugar (jazz bar with lots of sluts) Stay at the Grand Hyatt -> nice place with good service. If you make it out to Kaosiung, that's also a pretty live town, but people there are less apt to speak English.
I am not really there on vacation, but might catch some things. I am going to that city with all the high tech companies (Hsinchu). Do you need a car to get around? How is the public transport.
