Language Barrier
 

I have had the intention of doing some travelling when financially feasible, and I am looking to do some solo trips from maybe next year or the year after.

I have never travelled abroad before, and I am looking for some advice from those that have. The prospect of travelling solo doesn’t bother me as I am quite quiet/private.
An issue that I wanted advice on was the language barrier. I’m not arrogant enough to think that every country should speak English, however I don’t speak any other languages myself.

I am wondering how common it is to encounter English speakers once you start to get off the beaten track: when travelling between places that perhaps wouldn’t be obvious tourist places, or refuelling for example

If there was one language that people would recommend to learn some of for travel mostly in continental Europe what would it be? Or perhaps it’s possible to get by with just some common phrases?

The truth is I’m simply not a very outgoing person, bit of an introvert. But I am also a realist and I am aware it isn’t possible to travel without encountering at least some people.

Thanks folks.

Firstly :welcome:

Never rely on someone having English speaking skills, although sometimes, they will surprise you :D
Once in the back woods of any country, hand gestures work very nicely, but it certainly helps and shows respect, if you brush up on some local basic sayings before you leave.
Around Asia, where we mostly tour, I carry a cheat sheet that I have printed off each trip :thumbup1: Works for me, mostly, but my pronunciation gets a laugh every time :innocent:
You will meet some amazing people and it only takes a sincere look and some crappy hand gestures, to get along bier
Enjoy your planning Milit :thumbup1:

Don't worry about it too much. We have been travelling for years and lived in China for two years and have enough trouble with English at times let alone any other language.

Cheat sheets prepared with google translate are good, but now you can carry a smart phone with dozens of languages off-line and that helps a lot. Yes, always possible to get into sticky situations with repairs and such, but acting skills go a long way.

Just remember the golden rule - if they can't understand you the first time, just speak louder and louder until they can.

Tip - many more people can read and write English than are willing to try speaking it (about half a billion in China just for starters) so try writing things down is talking seems not to work.

Sadly (or happily) the best single language to be able to speak for multi country travel in Europe is English. Obviously French is better in France, German in Germany etc but in my experience you'll come across more people throughout the continent with some understanding of English than you'll find French speakers in Germany, Italian speakers in Poland and similar - border areas excepted of course.

As a general rule you'll find English more easily understood in cities or tourist areas - people often need it to make a living. Out in the "backwoods" it'll be less likely and if you really need to get something across your best bet might be to find a schoolkid or two to act as intermediaries. Failing that a long and slightly awkward session with a phrase book / google translate etc.

Thankyou for taking the time to reply, it is appreciated.

Interesting comments, some things I hadn't considered there.

A cheat sheet sounds a good idea, coupled with learning some basics and it might be enough to get by without having to wet myself and run away crying.

Thanks :clap:

I was raised using only one language. Dad said he wanted us to be illiterate in only one language;). I flunked Spanish once in college, was given a D in the second course because the teacher had pity on me. I could ask for beer, the bathroom and the menu. Before going to S America I learned how to say thanks, please, I need, how much, I think this is a nice country, all the people are so friendly, the beer is great and how to count to 100. I was in a dusty cross road in Bolivia when a local asked if he could speak English to me to improve his own. A dictionary is good, apps on the phone is better, a smile and not looking like you think the locals are beneath you is best.:)

Speaking queens english is quite important too. I allways have to speak for my wife as she has a "suffolk" accent which non english english speakers have difficulty with. But yes as said learn some basic stuff. Even just hello is good.

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While on the road, always allow some conversations with hands, feet, and exchanging phrases to happen. Patience and local food and drinks always help with that, too!

Seen it before
 

Actually Milit - having re read your first post, you are not alone, there are so many people like yourself, I've met that would love to take that first step but don't. What can make all the difference to every single one is just doing it. I have almost bullied a couple of mates of mine to just go and do it. They were for ever finding reasons not to go , one being language. They now laugh at it all, a little angry with themselves.

Trust me, many will back me on this - 100% guaranteed. JUST GO ! You will wonder what you ever worried about. You may well come back a totally different person.

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 beers bier

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...

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:thumbup1: 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.

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.

:clap::clap:

Make sure you come back and tell us what a great time you had

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I have been using Duolingo and suggest people take a look. I have been studying Spanish 3 months and just started Portuguese. I will start Russian later this year. They keep adding languages (eg, Swahili this coming summer). It is FREE, can be used on a mobile device or computer, and "remembers" where you make mistakes, forcing you to review these weaker areas. I use it in combination with a dictionary app for each language (eg SpanishDict, also free) to review grammar, verb conjugations and usage. Really enjoyable and motivating. One more step towards the "big trip."

My wife's been using Duolingo to learn some Swedish ahead of a trip there at end of May. So far she's 28% "fluent" (according to DL's progress report anyway) but my son's girlfriend is native Swedish and she laughs her head off when she hears my wife's efforts. Better than nothing I suppose (and it is free), but don't plan on discussing philosophy with the locals on the back of a few months of Duolingo.

To get revenge she's just spent some of the kid's inheritance on a Swedish Pimsleur course. That'll teach 'em!

I am sure Swedish is difficult. My French is decent so adding on Spanish and other Romance languages seems possible. I am at 50% in Spanish after three months but still primitive. That said, Duolingo is really structured to be a platform, meaning each subsequent language follows the same learning approach. So if you can start with an simpler language like Spanish, taking up a new language that is perhaps less familiar (like Russian) is supposed to be easier (Duolingo calls it "layering"). At a minimum I hope a little daily study wards off impending senility.

First off just go! Lots of trips are ruined by people taking to much time, dragging their feet and life just happens.
Traveling abroad It is not nearly as difficult as you think.
I wrote this as an easy starter.
http://thoughtsoftheages.blogspot.co...ow-to-get.html
You will be surprised how many people speak English abroad or will know someone who does. Easy places to visits to get your feet wet are of course Scandinavia, pretty much everyone speaks English there, older people being the exception, Most of northern Europe will, now if they want to is another question.
Greece, very easy and it seems like everyone speaks english.
Philippines the majority will as it is required in school and they were a US territory at one time.

Any nice hotel should have someone who speaks English.

Anyhow do not let any of it scare ya, part of the fun is eating things you never would have had the translation not been wrong :freezing: pointing and generally acting like an ape while trying to figure out something simple with someone who does not at all.

With that said sometimes someone may talk to you in what seems fluent English and as it turns out their comprension is only 50 percent and you find everything you thought you had worked out was wrong.
It is getting boring easy now with all these translators on phones etc, sigh international travel will never be the same :frown:

As noted if All else fails always speak louder and slower, that works :thumbup1:

I would rather try to talk to some undesovered tribe over communicate with a Brit :helpsmilie:

Maybe if you did your spelling might improve :rofl: bier


Back to the topic....
Going to countries where you do not speak the native tongue is some of the fun...isn't it? I find it very interesting trying to get your point across to some one who does not have a clue what you are saying :D
Geting to know some basics is good too

Wayne

English is clearly my last language, as it is to Auto Correct beer


I think people fear the language barrier far more than necessary, a bigger hurtle is leaning to squat over a hole in the floor or a tiny toilet with no seat.

Then there is the NO TOILET PAPER!!! The Heathens! Soon you learn the importance of a water bottle not for drinking..........

Hello

Doesn't really matter where you go, english is THE travelling language.

For us, not native english speakers, it's a huge effort to learn english so we can communicate with others who also use english the same way.
Esperanto was a good idea but english is a living language and also the easiest to begin with.

So the first step is done, go and travel.

As a native english speaker, there might be a problem when talking to a non native english speaker with limited level and vocabulary.
How to use the 100 or 1000 words he understands?
Pronunciation, depends on one's origin, sometimes its hopeless.

For someone who has already learned a second language, that's much easier.

Having the advantage of being a native english speaker, comes a moral duty to meet locals at eye level.
Instead of asking in english if they speak english, ask it in the local language.
If they do, they will use all the english they know, with a smile on their face.
If not, there's apps and books and handsignals, all works easier once the ice is broken.

have fun
sushi

Chicken
 

If you can make a noise like a chicken, you can get fed anywhere in the World.

Except Scotland. Where obviously, the 3 legged mountain haggis makes the same noise as a chicken.

Young people
 

Hi

I agree with Wayne it is a lot of fun trying to get your question/point across, enjoy communicating.

In my experience when you need to ask a question, try and find a group of young people, there will always be one or two that will be able to help, also you will be giving them the opportunity to show off a little in front of there friends and they will like that.

Dave
www.plodd.net]Plodd
www.overlandersthailand