A big worry for many
people who wish to travel is not knowing how to speak other languages. This
isn’t a problem at all, so don’t worry!
I am only fluent in English and Spanish but I have been to countries
that speak all types of languages foreign to me. I don’t speak any Asian, Indian, Middle
Eastern, or other European languages but, I have always managed to get around
just fine. I used my notebook that I
always had with me to write down the name of where I was trying to go or what I
was trying to find. Although the person
didn’t speak English, they may be able to identify the name. I noticed that in many countries, the locals
weren’t able to verbally understand the name of what I was trying to find but
they were able to recognize the name when they saw it written down. This technique definitely came in handy in
Japan, one of the toughest places for communication and navigation for me
because of their unique dialect, use of symbols, confusing street system, and
tall buildings causing a lack of landmarks to use as reference points. I had a
free local map that I got from my hostel that had a picture of the Osaka Castle
that I wanted to go to. I have a pretty
good sense of direction when I walk around a city so I don’t do much
preparation or planning beforehand. As I
was walking in the direction that the map showed, I wanted to be reassured that
I was heading in the correct direction so I would stop people and ask if the
“Osaka Castle” was “that way?” and they would look at me like they had no clue
what I was saying. After this happened a
few times along the way, I thought maybe they didn’t refer to it as the “Osaka
Castle”. Then, when I asked another
person for the “Osaka Castle”, he too looked at me in confusion but when I
pointed to the castle on the map that was labeled “Osaka Castle”, he said with
a smile on his face “OOOOhhhh, Osaka Castle!” and nodded his head yes and pointed
in the correct direction. I was very
confused. What did they think I was
saying when I said “Osaka Castle”?
Regardless, writing the name down and pointing to it has helped me
communicate with locals. A lot of times,
things are name with English names but the locals still won’t understand what
you are trying to say but if they see the words written down, they may
recognize what you are trying to find.
This also came in handy when I was trying to get back to my hostel in
Kyoto. I couldn’t communicate with the
Japanese man verbally but we were able to draw maps to one another with
landmarks like a river and he was able to point me in the right direction.
Another reason not to
worry about not being able to communicate in foreign countries is because no
matter where you go, you will be able to find someone that speaks English. Many countries that I have traveled to are
developing countries. These developing
countries use tourism as the key source of revenue and since English is the
most commonly used language and the majority of tourist are English-speakers of
some sort, whether being from Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or the
U.S, they will have locals who are able to communicate in English to help with
tourists. All hostels, hotels, and other
accommodations will have someone who speaks English. The same is for airports and banks as well.
Many places will also have other English-speaking tourists around, younger
locals who learned English in schools, or English-speakers who are working, studying,
or volunteering in the country. You will always be able to find someone to help
you communicate with the locals with. I
have had to use others to translate for me as well translator apps on my phone
that helped with communicating too.
Something else to keep
in mind is that many countries with military time. This may seem a bit intimidating or confusing
but it’s pretty easy and you will get use to it quickly. Just subtract 12 from the time. The chart below is a helpful tool. It may be a good idea to print it and tape it
into your notebook. It’s important to be
able to know the correct time because all busses, flights, check-in/out times,
and more in most countries are all given in military time and you wouldn’t want
to make a mistake.
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