Traveling Where You Don’t Speak the Language

Not speaking the local language rarely ruins a trip, but it can make simple things slow and stressful: finding the right train, ordering food safely, explaining a problem at a pharmacy. A little preparation and a few tools go a long way. The suggestions below follow the order a trip usually unfolds, from planning at home to the moments when something goes wrong.

Before you leave

Learn a dozen phrases. Hello, please, thank you, excuse me, sorry, yes, no, how much, where is, the bathroom, help, and I don't understand. Even badly pronounced, they signal respect, and people are usually more patient and helpful when you have tried.

Download offline languages. Google Translate and Microsoft Translator both let you download language packs for use without a data connection. Do it on home Wi-Fi before you go, since mobile data may be patchy or expensive abroad.

Save offline maps. Google Maps lets you download areas for offline use, and apps such as Maps.me and Organic Maps work offline by design. Saving your hotel and key places in advance means you can navigate without typing anything in a language you can't read.

Prepare a few cards. Write your hotel's name and address in the local script, and carry it on paper or as a screenshot. If you have a food allergy, a medical condition or a dietary restriction, carry a translated card explaining it clearly. Several organizations and specialist sites produce allergy cards in many languages.

Getting around

Show addresses to taxi drivers rather than trying to pronounce them. Ride-hailing apps such as Uber, Grab, Bolt or Didi, depending on the country, remove most of the need to explain a destination or negotiate a fare. At stations, numbers and platform signs are often easier to match than words, and photographing a ticket or timetable to ask a staff member is usually quicker than describing it.

Eating out

The camera mode in translation apps can translate menus by pointing your phone at them. Results are imperfect, sometimes amusingly so, but usually clear enough to avoid ordering something you don't want. Pointing at dishes on other tables, or at photos on the menu, is a time-honored method. For allergies, show your translated card to staff before ordering rather than relying on an app.

Talking to people

Conversation modes in translation apps let two people speak in turn, with the app translating each side aloud. They work best with short, simple sentences, a quiet setting and one idea at a time. Avoid idioms and slang, which rarely translate well.

When there's no app at hand, simple gestures, drawing, numbers written on paper and a calculator for prices all help. Speak more slowly rather than more loudly. Young people and staff in hotels and tourist areas are often happy to try English, but asking politely first, in the local language if you can, makes a difference.

When something goes wrong

• Emergency numbers. Learn the local emergency number before you arrive. In the European Union it is 112, which works in every member state, and operators in many countries can connect you with someone who speaks English.
• Your embassy or consulate. Save the contact details for your country's nearest embassy. They can help with lost passports and can provide lists of local doctors and lawyers who speak your language.
• Medical help. Many travel insurance policies include a 24-hour assistance line that can help find an English-speaking doctor and arrange interpreting.
• Pharmacies. Show the generic name of a medicine, not a brand name, since brands differ between countries. Pharmacists in many places can advise on minor problems.

Paying and shopping

Prices on a screen or written on paper avoid confusion over numbers, which are among the hardest words to catch when spoken quickly. Most card terminals show the amount clearly before you pay. In markets, a calculator app lets both sides type figures back and forth. If a terminal asks whether to pay in your home currency or the local one, choosing the local currency usually gives a better exchange rate.

Making the most of it

Language barriers can also be part of what makes travel memorable. A few weeks with a language learning app before a trip, a phrasebook in your pocket and a willingness to laugh at mistakes tend to turn awkward moments into conversations. Locals often remember the visitor who tried, even when the grammar was hopeless, and those exchanges are frequently the parts of a trip people talk about afterward.