I apologize for the little hiatus on the blog posts – things have gotten busy over here! But I’m back, and with another travel tip!
If you’re traveling abroad to another country, one of the most intimidating aspects is definitely the language barrier. Learning the native language of the area you will be temporarily inhabiting is an extremely helpful (and unoriginal) idea, but much easier said than done.
It’s highly unrealistic to become fluent in a new language, especially in a matter of only weeks or months prior to your trip; however, there are a few things you can easily do in the time that you have leading up to your departure that will not only help give you peace of mind about that language, but also show respect to the culture you will be immersing yourself in.
- Know basic phrases in the foreign language, such as “hello,” “please,” “thank you,” “excuse me,”etc.
- Don’t hesitate to take notes, and don’t be afraid and to reference them while on the trip.
- Don’t forget about physical communication – know what it and is not appropriate/offensive, and remember to use gestures to further communicate with native speakers.
- Trial by fire may be embarrassing to attempt, but it is the easiest way to learn a language quickly, so just talk!
For a more comprehensive and detailed list of these tips and more, I found this page on Voluntario Global’s website to be a great source. As always, I hope you found this helpful, and happy traveling!
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