How to Overcome Language Challenges While Traveling
Sometimes I hear people say that they're nervous about traveling to [insert country here] because they don't speak the language. While this is a valid concern, it shouldn’t hold you back from seeing other parts of the world. Here are a few tips and tricks I recommend trying when you need to overcome communication challenges while traveling. I've used these myself and can vouch for their effectiveness!
1. Learn the basics. Hello, please, thank you, sorry, excuse me, and I don't speak {x} delivered with a smile can go a long way in communicating with others just about anywhere in the world. As a visitor to another country, it is your responsibility to make a good effort to communicate as best you can in the native language. I can't tell you the amount of times I've seen entitled travelers abroad get frustrated with someone because they didn't speak any English. Our ability to cross borders freely and experience other cultures and locales is a privilege, not a right, so behave accordingly. Which leads me to my second point, which is to…
2. Always act with kindness. Smile, be gentle, be patient, and listen.
3. Speak slowly and clearly, but don't patronize or talk louder than necessary. It's one thing to speak a little slower to get your point across, but it's another thing to be condescending and treat someone poorly because they aren't understanding what you're trying to communicate.
4. Use simple words and simple sentences. Avoid slang or idioms. This should be self explanatory, but simplify what you're saying and you'll have a much better chance of getting your point across.
5. And of course, last but not least, technology is your friend! Even though they're not always perfect, translation apps can really help during those times you and your conversation partner get stuck. I like Google Translate (which can be used offline) , the iphone's native translation app (which can also tranlate text - great for those times you're looking at a menu in a restaurant, completely baffled), SayHi for instant back and forth voice translation, and DeepL (which tends to be the most accurate).
Happy travels!
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hi there, I’m angi the founder of roam & gather. My mission is to curate joy-centered, small group journeys that are relaxed, intimate, and rooted in culture, community and slowness.
Roam & Gather is a small travel company offering soul-nourishing, curated travel experiences that help connect people with global communities, like-minded travelers and themselves.
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