Travel can be can be nerve-racking if you don't speak the language. Although many tourists can get by with English alone, sometimes it is not enough for immerse in the country's culture. Translation apps such as Google Translate can leave you high and dry in some travel situations and you don't have reliable Wi-Fi and a fully-charged battery with you all the time. Ordering a meal and buying a train ticket would be troubleshooting.
On a deeper level, you might be held back by linguistic differences to create a meaningful connection. If you're a business traveler, you might need to make or close a deal in another country. Picking up a few key phrases will not only help you interact with locals but also keep you safe too.
These tips will help you communicate effectively:
1. Learn the basics.
If you are traveling for a short time, put in the time to learn at least the basic words and phrases, introductions, and getting directions that will be helpful during your trip. Start by knowing how to say "hello","goodbye", "please", "thank you" and "bathroom". Other helpful phrases are "Do you speak English?", "How much does it cost?" and "Please speak slowly."
Buy a language and grammar book to practice. Make time to read before your departure.
For safety precaution, have words like "help," "emergency" and "police" in your arsenal.
Don't cram useless vocabulary by memorizing 1000 words instead of 100 if you're only traveling for a short time.
53 percent of tourists learn useful words and phrases before their trip, said a 2014 Priceline report. They are seem as favorable by locals because A plus is for effort.
2. Use Meetup.com.
Find native speakers and fellow language students to practice speaking with before you take off to your trip. Learning with other people encourages better learning.
3. Make an educated guess.
Take your best guess though context clues when faced with an unrecognizable situation. For example, a word placed above a figure of a man or woman might tell you which gender the bathroom is designated to.
4. Use translation apps.
Other than typing out what is said to you or what you want to say, apps, like Google Translate will translate text simply by placing your camera over it or you can speak to your app. Google translate uses statistical machine translation to scan documents in 80 different languages. If you can't get an app or your phone to load, you can always use the emoji's on your phone to point out things.
Word Lens allows users to take pictures of signage and other printed words and they will be translated.
You will need your phrasebook during times of need. Translation apps are not always the most practical approach because the translation is usually far from perfect. According to Sharon Schweitzer, cultural coach, international etiquette expert, and author of "Access to Asia, "Tech tools have their limitations, particularly in rural areas - and in industrialized, first-world countries, where internet or data coverage is spotty."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
