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Advisable to travel in South America, without knowning Spanish or Portugesee Advisable to travel in South America, without knowning Spanish or Portugesee
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South America Topics specific to South America only.
Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Hendi Kaf,
in Cambodia



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  #31  
Old 25 Feb 2021
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Happy to spend some time playing with this and see what you think.

It's not as if I have a pile of other things to go and do right now.
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  #32  
Old 28 Feb 2021
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Use your phone
My wife and I have spent a combined 14 months traveling south of the USA border in a dozen Spanish speaking countries. I do not disagree with all of the "learn some Spanish" sentiment - and we did, and we took Spanish language classes in Mexico and Colombia.

However ... before we could speak a word beyond "Hola!", and often even after we were marginally conversational, we used our phone and Google Translate. I have had long discussions with locals who spoke no English, totally using our phones. You talk into the phone, and it translates into Spanish for them. They talk into their phone (or you hold up yours and they talk into yours) and it translates to English for you. The technology works well. And if you are off-line (last I knew) you have to type out your sentence (voice recognition needs data connection).

I have fond memories of several long "conversations" that I have to stop and remind myself were facilitated by phone. Like a good foreign movie - you forget that it was subtitled.
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  #33  
Old 28 Feb 2021
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mcwhirtj View Post
My wife and I have spent a combined 14 months traveling south of the USA border in a dozen Spanish speaking countries. I do not disagree with all of the "learn some Spanish" sentiment - and we did, and we took Spanish language classes in Mexico and Colombia.

However ... before we could speak a word beyond "Hola!", and often even after we were marginally conversational, we used our phone and Google Translate. I have had long discussions with locals who spoke no English, totally using our phones. You talk into the phone, and it translates into Spanish for them. They talk into their phone (or you hold up yours and they talk into yours) and it translates to English for you. The technology works well. And if you are off-line (last I knew) you have to type out your sentence (voice recognition needs data connection).

I have fond memories of several long "conversations" that I have to stop and remind myself were facilitated by phone. Like a good foreign movie - you forget that it was subtitled.

Google translate is brilliant for conversations, BUT where we've found it falls down is on technical terms, especially ones like "fork" or "rim" or "spoke" which to us have a specific meaning but to everyone else including google have a completely different meaning! Therefor the Bike / Vehicle Technical Terms Translation Table.
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  #34  
Old 2 Mar 2021
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Old times
In the old times....


before mobile phones, GPS,internet, Euro.....


I was touring France for a summer with my girlfriend.
The countryside without tourists. Visiting castle, vineyards,local restaurants....

without knowing a word of French.

I took he wrong roads, got lost, ordered food and got something very different from what I thought I had been ordered, and .....

It was a wonderful vacation.

Of course. If I had been able to talk to the locals in the bar and at the lunch. it had been even better.

Some small phrases of courtesy is good. Then you will be treated better.

Everything does no need to be perfect

Just go for it.
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  #35  
Old 2 Mar 2021
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Originally Posted by Erik_G View Post
I was touring France for a summer with my girlfriend.
The countryside without tourists. Visiting castle, vineyards,local restaurants....
With a partner in crime, you dont need so much exchange with the locals either!

Travelling solo - would have changed the need for the local language, at example for dating purpose Dont want to say you need the local language (because you will meet tourists), but you get more options

Surfy
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  #36  
Old 3 Mar 2021
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Non tourist areas
The countryside without tourists. Visiting castle, vineyards,local restaurants....
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  #37  
Old 3 Mar 2021
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Unexpected a small part of the same discussion is also to find here, specially the newer ones and for south america

https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...-abroad-101222

Surfy
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