7 tips for learning a foreign language on the road

Thanks for the tips, Tim! Great advice. And I think a prerequisite for all of these is to put a leash on your shyness or embarassment. Pretty much the best way to look stupid in a foreign country is to worry too much about looking stupid… Worrying that you’ll mangle a new language is not a reason to avoid trying.

Ha! I was reading this and nodding along, thinking, “This kid’s good!” and then at the bottom I realize that it was written by you. Great advice. My Polish may be a tragi-comedy but I seem to have no trouble when it comes to talking about food.

Thanks Eva – for your tip about banishing shyness. Embracing embarrassment is central to the whole challenge.

And thanks Lauren, for the good words. Got a BNT post in you?

-tim

Good thoughtful post.
I do think some of it is age related-it’s harder than **** to learn a language when you are older.
But we are not talking perfect we are talking “friendly” and I think all of us can do that !

Agreed, very nice. Using that advice I’ve had 15-minute conversations about Japanese food, but not much else on my life or personality. Oh well, おいしい.

Turner-san –

just don’t confuse あまえび　with あまへび　：）

がんばって！

ーテイム

Great tips, to learn the local language is a very important part of the trip !

Just a few things that have helped me:

* Read the local papers! You’ll be amazed at how much you understand.
* Bear in mind that, depending on where you are, a lot of the local population could be technically “illiterate” and not speak a “formal” native language. Don’t be afraid to mangle an infinitive or leave out an indefinite article; they probably do it too. Even if they are formal, they’ll appreciate your effort and be nice.
* Pretend to have the accent. If you want to sound like a Vietnamese, adopt the Vietnamese whiny twang. Sounds silly, but it helps. Put your whole body into it.
* Stutter. Local folks will probably try to help you out by finishing your words and sentences for you. Listen, though, so that you don’t have to stutter the next time.
* Linguistic relativism is a beautiful thing, but it only goes so far. A “VIEUX PONT” sign next to a scenic railway bridge in France might make you think “view point,” but it doesn’t mean that. It means “old bridge.” Be open-minded, but also cautious.
* Think like a child! Danish babies don’t speak Danish (a jaw-cracking language, by the way), but they manage to communicate anyway. Point, gesture, make noises. Don’t be shy or tentative with these moves. Get exaggerated and grand until your point gets across. When it’s all over, you’ll probably laugh with the other folks.
* Pretend to be something other than American. A lot of people around the world have a grudge against Americans, for whatever reason, and can ignore or dismiss your initial advances. I don’t want to sound anti-patriotic or anything, but try waving a Finnish flag instead; they may well be more approachable. On the other hand, opinionated locals often like to engage Americans in discussions about politics and whatnot. Exploit that, if you’re up to the task.
* Last ditch: look pathetic and approach (in a public place, of course) a group of older women. Older women tend to congregate and feel maternal.

Great tips. We have traveled across France seven times, and met all sorts of people. Only a few words of French in my vocabulary. But we never stay with the tourists – only in two star hotels and that makes the difference. The people are glad to talk to us in any language and so surprised to find Americans there. Never an unpleasant experience.

I’ve been on Livemocha.com learning Chinese online. You practice lessons then speak with other learners and native speakers. It’s fun and you can continue while traveling. I can also give the site to friends and people I meet to visit online. Seems great so far and it’s free!

Something I have found to be helpful is to use facial expressions to the max and be as animated as possible.

A majority of communication happens without words. Using words together with exaggerated movements and facial expressions will get your point across better and might even provide a laugh or two.

Thanks for all the great comments everyone – really terrific tips!

I’ll never forget the time I made the gaggle of elderly Vietnamese on the side of the highway bust multiple spleens when I -the long-haired white guy (oh yeah, this was in 1991, when the only white guys were hated Russians and no guy -NONE- had long hair)- told them what they wanted to know in week-old Vietnamese. “I am not a girl, I am a boy” I first said, followed by “I’m not Russian, I’m American”. Each one was tearing up in laughter and more importantly appreciation. It really says a lot -A HUGE amount- when you take the time to say something in the local languages, especially an “obscure” and “difficult” language like Vietnamese (and every language except English, French, Spanish and German).

So, my two-cent addition: Forget your native language. A lot of people get hung up on the way things are said in English and translating it across exactly in _____, or wondering why the _____ say ______ instead of “the English translation”. An easy example: “soixant dix-huit” is “78″ in French, accept it and move on!

Perhaps not the best addition, but you cover most!

PS- I’d also comment on the person who said “don’t tell them you’re American”. There’s a difference between BEING American and ACTING American. I’ve never hidden my nationality because I want the rest of the world to know that we’re not all dumb, ignorant and arrogant.

GREAT comment Chris – I like your story about Vietnam, and I also agree that it’s important for us sensible and polite Americans to work to break down stereotypes.

Thanks!

-Tim

Great tips – especially about food! I also think that learning words and phrases that relate to directions can come in very useful too – left, right, straight on and ‘where am I now?’ (I used that a lot recently in Lisbon!

Also – I try to get out of the habit of translating every word someone says – it slows you down. Try and get an overall feel for what they are saying to you. I spent a happy two hours talking with a very elderly gentleman in Lisbon over a coffee and found that by doing this and paying attention to his facial expression and gestures I could understand a lot more. They say up to 80% of language is body language anyway

I have to agree this is a great intro! We’ve been travelling Europe for 20 months now and our food vocabulary is certainly rising!

In terms of American stereotypes, I’ve actually heard non-Americans say they pretend to be American if they make a huge cultural gafe! There are lots of reasons people dislike the American stereotype, but I’m sure that isn’t helping!

Good tip, Lily, thanks for that – and Craig – people actually pretend to be Americans when they screw up? Oh man.

Good tips. Also, there are some great free language courses out there. I’ve listened to some cool French and German podcasts, and I produce a free Spanish course on podcast that has become pretty popular on iTunes!

[...] November 16th, 2007    Standard Podcast [11:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download In this episode, Craig talks with Tim Patterson about learning languages on the road. Amongst humourous anecdotes Tim points out some of the points he made in his article, “7 Tips for Learning a Foreign Language on On The Road“. [...]

Great tips for the traveler, I must admit and I have used most of them as I travel frequently to foreign places. I have a problem with #5 though. In this day and age, with all of the reports of child kidnappings, molestations, and other child abuse issues. The last thing I would do; would be to try and “hang out” with kids in any country. That could land you in some foreign prison before you could say “I’m only trying to learn their language” in a native tongue.

Rather, may I suggest getting “_________ Language For Dummies?”
Perhaps “Travel and Language Tips For Dummies!”

[...] should be about immersing yourself in the unexpected – it’s about meeting new friends, speaking new tongues, leaving your comfort zone behind and opening up to a new [...]

Dr. David – your comment makes me kind of sad. I love to hang out with kids when I travel, but it’s true that in some places – like Cambodia, where the photo at the top of this article was taken – it’s poor form for a single man to cozy up to the youngsters. Still, there are always opportunities to interact with children in a more formal, supervised setting – I often volunteered to teach English lessons in rural Cambodian schools, and at the end of the classes the kids would get a kick out of teaching me some Khmer – under the watchful eye of their teacher.

Good post. You make some great points that most people
do not fully understand.

“The answer, of course, is that making the effort to speak a few words of the local language will lead to a more authentic, fulfilling, unique and memorable travel experience.”

I like how you explained that. Very helpful. Thanks.

Great tips. Definitely agree that learning some of the language, even just a little, will make the world of difference to your experience abroad. It will endear you to the locals who will appreciate any effort you make to speak their language. I have learnt languages to various levels and even when my vocab has stretched to nothing more than ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘my name is…’ it has been worth it to see the reaction of the locals.

Point 2 above made me smile…in Morocco last year I learnt a useless phrase in Arabic that had the owner of the riad in stitches for days, and everytime I saw him after that he said it back to me, laughing. Not that the phrase itself was funny – the vision of a white foreigner uttering some random phrase in his own tongue was enough to set him off.

Anyone wanting to learn more of the language should consider a language holiday abroad. Cactus Language offers courses from one week upwards in many languages and locations worldwide…thoroughly recommend them, having taken many myself!

GREAT info! Going to put these into use when I travel. Also–love the comments, very good additional info! Thanks!

I also recommend audio tapes -before- the journey (Pimsleur is quite good). Before I went to the middleeast I listened to arabic language tapes for a few months on the drive to work. Although I had forgotten a good deal of it before I landed, I remembered some basics. Knowing how to say “where is” and “what is” and “when” and the numbers is critical, without that I wouldnt step foot in a country that doesnt speak english as a second language, because it would be more expensive and less fun.

I also recommend immersive language training once in country. Its quite cheap depending on the provider, I can recommend tolearnarabic.com based in Damascus Syria. I decided to extend my trip for a few weeks and learn some basic Arabic, and it greatly improved my enjoyment of the country and the environment. And Damascus is quite reasonably priced, as is the training. So the percentage I spent on language training there was quite small compared to say, diving on the Red Sea.

One of the best ways I find to get into the language while traveling is to listen to language learning podcasts. Most of them are free and quite useful. I’ve got my Ipod full of them. My favorite one is for learning English.
http://www.china232.com

[...] | bravenewtraveler Más noticias sobre: Consejos, Culturas Tags: adentrarse en las culturas, Consejos, [...]

Learning some of the language can mitigate culture shock, too– especially since you’re probably going to learn some culture points while you’re working on the language regardless.

It just makes you feel less alone when you can communicate with a native in something besides English.

Great tips! Watch out for slip ups though – http://bit.ly/fPnBA1

“Point to various fruits in the market and ask the vendors to teach you the names.”  Then buy some, it’s their living.  ;-)

Jenny, come and join us in the Goethe institute in Second Life.  :)

It’s a great idea to listen to local music before your trip or while you’re there! Especially simple pop songs. You can hear it on the cab driver’s radio, or on the TV in the bar- don’t be afraid to ask a local to write down the name of a song that’s playing!

nice & impressive article you have posted..Your post have the information that is helpful for me as I am a new blogger.I would like you to keep up the good work..Thanks and keep up the good work

           i like this page….!!!!
           http://www.omnibazar.com/