Have you ever been to a country and didn’t know the language at all? When you ordered a what you thought was a burger, but you got a salad instead? Or did you have to ask for directions and ended up farther away than you were originally? Traveling to a foreign country when you don’t know the language can be a scary thing. I have been through it myself, so let me help!
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In 2018 I decided I wanted to take a Spanish course in Spain, despite getting bad (I mean really bad) grades in high-school. I still don’t know why it suddenly peaked my interest. So regardless of taking classes for a year, I barely knew any Spanish at all. Definitely not enough to navigate myself through Spain.
I remember half expecting the people there to speak somewhat English, but nope, they knew just as little English as I knew Spanish. How am I ever gonna do this, I thought.
Well, as you might have guessed by me writing this post, I survived! And I even managed to get to level B1. So let’s get into how I did this, so you can go visit your dream destination without language anxiety!
My tips for traveling to a foreign country when you don’t know the language
Whether you’re staying in a foreign country for a long or a short time, here are my tips to navigate yourself though the country, while learning a few words as well!
Google translate is your best friend
This is a very obvious one. But it definitely deserves to be mentioned. I love using the camera feature. Reading signs, menu’s or instructions is made super easy. Just point your camera at the words and it translates it for you in real time. I think they are especially useful for languages that don’t use the Latin alphabet, so you don’t have to search for the right characters that all look the same at some point.
Goodbye to the times ordering something you don’t like!
Read more: Best European Countries To Travel To As A Vegetarian
There is also the microphone feature. If you find yourself in a situation where you and another person really can’t understand each other, use the microphone feature. Simply say what you wanted to say in your own language and it will translate it for you. It obviously works the other way around too. Let the other person speak in the microphone and immediately know what they are saying.
I personally haven’t used this feature often, but it’s good to know it’s there for when you might need it.
Forget about language apps
This might sound contradictory, but unless you like wasting your time, forget about language apps like DuoLingo and Babbel. I used to spend a lot of time daily on DuoLingo months before I went to Spain, but when I got there I realized I barely knew any Spanish at all, if not the wrong things.
Spanish is a language spoken in many different countries all over the world, and while the basics are usually the same, there are multiple words or phrases that are different per country.
For example Spanish people say ‘el coche’ for the word ‘car’, but Mexicans say both ‘el carro’ and ‘el coche’, depending on the region. Other countries may use ‘el auto’, which is short for ‘el automóvil’, but if you use that, people will probably look at you weird.
While Spanish people will probably understand what you mean when you say ‘el carro’, it’s something you would have never known by learning through a language app.
Talk to locals
What you should do instead, is talking to locals. It definitely is scary to try at first, but you will make amazing memories doing this for sure! Real language skills aren’t learnt from books.
I have had many experiences where I taught someone else my language and they taught me theirs. I’ll be honest, usually it’s just an exchange of swear words, but where’s the fun in learning grammar when you’re at a bar?
Locals will be able to correct you in real time, and they force you to try.
At first it will probably feel very uncomfortable, but practice makes perfect.
Stay with locals
If you’re not just interested in the language, but you want to learn about the culture and the habits, staying with locals is your best option. I personally didn’t do this, probably because it sounded scary, but I regretted it within the first week of me being there.
There is no better way to talk the local language all day than actually staying with locals.
On top of that, you will learn all about their habits, their traditional dishes, music, things they like to do in their free time, etc. They will be more than happy to show you around, answer your questions and teach you everything about their country.
You will most definitely experience the country in a much more deep and memorable way.
Take a course
I know I previously said real language skills aren’t learnt from books, but it definitely helps you understand how the language works. It helps you create a base and might help you feel more comfortable to just try.
The best courses, in my opinion, are the courses given by native speakers. They will teach you all the correct ways AND the spoken language version as well, so you won’t walk around talking to everybody like you’re reading a formal letter to them.
If you want to be really prepared before you start your adventure to a foreign country, take an online course. I did this too during covid and it helped me refresh my memory a lot.
If you somewhat know the language already, I recommend talking conversational classes. As I have said before, actually talking and not being scared to mess up; that’s when you really get to know a language.
Use a travel shirt
If you’re only going to be in a foreign country for a short period of time, this travel shirt is going to help you! It has several icons of just about any common thing you could need, or need to ask for, when traveling. Simply point at the thing you need, so the other person will understand what you need. Pictures an universal language!
It’s both super useful and a great conversation starter, which is perfect to implement my second tip!
The website I got mine from doesn’t seem to exist anymore, but I got you this other link to similar shirts.
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Obviously, the fastest way to learn a new language is to do a combination of everything above. Take a course whilst staying with locals. My best tip for traveling to a foreign country when you don’t know the language is to just talk, talk, talk.
At the end of the day no one is going to care if you mess up a bit. And if you’re the one who cares, you probably won’t see these people ever again. Don’t let embarrassment get in the way of fully enjoying a country!
