You can buy a travel book that has about a hundred or so pictures of things you are most likely to want eg hotel, drink, chicken, eggs, water, fuel, doctor etc etc. Its pocket sized and a bit Janet and John but works a treat........ Used it in india when the word for toilet and bill were confused by my terrible pronunciation, the shop owners howled with laughter as did we when we realised what we thought we were asking for.
Not expensive and a good back up for where English isn't common, the locals can also teach you what the words for each picture is, as can you for them.... Great fun after a few s

I think this is the book that Chris means:
Development of picture dictionary (2007-2013) - » Boxo which is now also available as a smartphone app.

In Eastern Europe German gets you a long way, but beyond that you're mainly using hand, feet and facial gestures. And that works fine. I speak 5 or 6 languages which is absolutely useless once you get further away from Europe...

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Well, almost all Germans have learned english in school from 1st grade.
So everyone will understand if you talk in simple words and slowly. Pronounced correctly, and clear it won´t be any problem. The more north you travel, the more english ist understood and spoken (though sometimes with a funny accent (i.e. in the netherlands)). In those countries the films are not synchronized, so they are used to the english language.
The more you go to the south, the less english ist spoken.
And some folks just don´t want to speak other than their own language.
I.e. I live near the french boarder, almost all french people living in that area do speak german, but when adressed in German, they will answer in french, if I answer in French, they switch to their dialect. Well I do understand that dialect., too Some people are just not willing to talk to you because you are an alien ...but some don´t care about the language and are open to you.
I can tell you from own experience that speaking the local language is a plus, but you can communicate without speaking the local language in many ways.
I carry an offline translator on my phone, and I carry a booklet with pictures in it to show what I mean.
It brought me around the world without starving...

If you travel east, german is widely understood (i.e. Hungary and Romania (their ancestors came from Germany undreds of years ago and the german culture and language is an integral part of their lives), or Turkey, as many turkish people have worked in Germany.) Further east it´s russian, which will be understood by most of the people in Central Asia and the former USSR. English isn´t spoken by many.
And you might find fellow travellers who do speak the local langage...

Good luck and enjoy!

This book has been used successfully by my husband when working in Russia and later by both of us in middle of nowhere places in the Stans to order some sort of food! It covers a lot of ground (altough no motorbikes!).

Point It

Although pictures are a bit too small ....

I am sure these days there are plenty like these or you can make your own one! Very useful.

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

Thank you to all who have replied, it is very much appreciated.

There is lots of information here of value to me, which I think will enable me to prepare myself well.