Learning Foreign Languages
Whenever I travel to foreign countries where the main local languages are not English, I usually start preparing a few months in advance. What I do is learn some useful (and simple) phrases in the local languages I could use when I get to my destinations.
Although many tourist areas in foreign countries today are now accommodating English speaking tourists, not all locals would (nor are expected to) know English. This is especially true with areas that are a bit off the beaten path.
Efforts Are Always Appreciated
I have found that instead of always insisting on others to communicated with me in English, if I make an honest attempt to speak to locals in their own language, my efforts are always appreciated. I don’t have to be fluent in order to do this.
Even simply greetings in their own language does wonders in breaking the ice with locals in foreign countries. It shows that you are respecting their cultures and as a result, service is often better.
As a tourist, I usually get treated better, have a better social interaction and can even get better deals when shopping if I use a few words in a foreign language. Learning some key phrases is pretty simple these days as there are many different resources to help you. Everything from language classes to books and audio programs to YouTube videos and even people living in your own home areas who might be able to speak foreign languages are good resources to help you.
Sometimes my skills in speaking various foreign languages might come across so bad with awful pronounciation and grammar, locals have often switched to English right away in order to help me. I might even be hurting their ears with my poor skills at first but for some funny reason, the efforts again are always appreciated.
As a single guy traveling, I’ve found that local women are much more receptive to socializing when I make efforts to communicate with them in their own languages. Some foreign words might not always come out right and I may end up saying words that I don’t mean to say. This is not a big problem in itself as it has been a source of comedy for some of these women and if you realize it, it does help break the ice.
Make A Foreign Language Cheat Sheet
To help me learn and remember key foreign language phrases, I construct a cheat sheet in advance. This is a sheet or two of what I feel will be the more useful phrases to use when I’m in a foreign country. I will take this cheat sheet with me during travel and study it on the airplane. I’ll also sometimes carry it in my pocket when I’m up and about at my destination.
I’ll share some examples of the types of key phrases I will have on my cheat sheets in a future blog post very soon.
