Language Basics for International Travel

You do not need to learn the language. You need about a dozen phrases, said badly, and a translation app with the language downloaded. The dozen phrases are not for communication, which the app handles; they are the signal that you made an effort, and that signal changes how people respond to you more than fluency would.

What You Need to Know

The dozen

• Hello, and the local variants for morning and evening if they differ.
• Please and thank you.
• Yes and no.
• Excuse me, used to get attention and to apologize for passing.
• Sorry.
• Do you speak English? Asked in their language, which is the point.
• I do not understand.
• How much?
• Where is the toilet?
• Help.
• Numbers one to ten.
• Goodbye.

That list handles the great majority of daily interactions, and every item on it is short enough to learn on the flight.

Why it works

A visitor who opens in the local language has signaled that they did not assume, and that lands before the sentence is finished. It frequently produces a reply in English, delivered warmly, which is a fine outcome: the phrase did its job. The alternative, opening in English on the assumption that it will be understood, is a small imposition repeated all day.

Translation that works

Install a translation app and download the language pack, which is a separate step and the one people skip. Camera translation of menus, signs and labels is genuinely useful and needs the download to work without a connection. Test it in airplane mode before you leave home, which takes a minute and prevents the standard discovery in a restaurant.

Making yourself understood

Speak slowly and simply, use short sentences, and avoid idiom, which is what actually defeats a listener with school English. Write numbers down rather than saying them. Show rather than describe. And do not raise your voice: it is the most common and least effective thing travelers do.

What to Do Before Your Trip

• Learn the twelve phrases. An hour, spread over a week.
• Install a translation app and download the language.
• Test it offline before you leave.
• Learn the numbers to ten.
• Write your accommodation’s address in the local language and carry it.

Important Considerations

Find out which language, and which of several. Many countries have more than one, with a national language for official use and a different one spoken at home in the region you are visiting. A greeting in the local language rather than the national one is noticed and appreciated, and your guide will tell you which is which.

Learn how formality works if the language marks it. Several languages have distinct forms for a stranger and a friend, or for someone older, and using the familiar form with an elder is a real error that a phrasebook may not flag. Ask, or default to the formal.

Where the script is unfamiliar, a photograph of your accommodation’s name and address written by the hotel is worth more than any app. It is handed to a taxi driver and it works.

Tips for Group Travelers

• Teach three phrases on day one, and use them yourself.
• Say which language the region actually speaks.
• Ask everyone to download the language pack before departure.
• Give everyone the address in the local script.
• Do not let the guide become the only voice in every interaction.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Installing the app without downloading the language.
• Speaking louder instead of slower.
• Using idiom with a non-native speaker.
• Learning the national language when the region speaks another.
• Not trying for fear of the accent.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many phrases do I actually need?

About twelve: greetings, please, thank you, yes, no, excuse me, sorry, do you speak English, I do not understand, how much, where is the toilet, and numbers to ten. That covers the majority of daily interactions and can be learned in an hour spread over a week.

Do translation apps work without internet?

Only if you downloaded the language pack, which is a separate step from installing the app and the one most people skip. Do it at home on Wi-Fi and test it in airplane mode before departure, since the moment you need it is usually the moment you have no signal.

Will people be offended if I get it wrong?

Almost never. The effort is the message and it is read as such; a mangled thank you lands far better than a fluent English demand. The response is frequently a warm reply in English, which means the phrase worked.

Which language should I learn if a country has several?

The one spoken where you are actually going, which is not always the national language. Ask your guide or your accommodation, since a greeting in the regional language is noticed considerably more than one in the official language of a distant capital.

Related Travel Tips

• Culture, customs and responsible travel, the section this guide belongs to.
• Engaging Respectfully With Local People.
• Essential Travel Apps. Including the download step.
• How to Research Local Customs.

Plan Your Trip With LABUSA Travel

Which language is actually spoken where you are going, and how formality works in it, are the sort of details a local guide answers in a sentence. LABUSA Travel puts them in the pre-departure notes.

Talk with a LABUSA Travel advisor about a trip you are considering, or browse our destination guides for a specific country.

Verify Before You Travel

Country information, including languages and local conditions, is published by the U.S. Department of State and independently by the U.K. FCDO.