MAY 28, 2021
How to Learn Languages and Helpful Phrases for Traveling
Did you ever realize that traveling gets a little bit easier when you know a few words in the language of the country where you're going? We've created a list for a few surprise ways to learn languages based on what works best for us.
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ä½ å¥½!
Oh, that’s Chinese for hello.
If you aren’t up to fluently reading Chinese yet, no problem. This article is about the best and most creative ways to learn a new language for your upcoming trip.
Why learning a language is important for travel
I’ll be the first to say it: we’ve gotten creative in learning languages.
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We’ll listen to foreign language music (in Spanish). We’ll hold up Google Translate to learn new words on a food label. We’ll learn how to say “no sugar” in one of my favorite apps (it’s called Drops) for learning a new language.
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There’s a lot you can do to learn languages for travel!
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Traveling becomes a lot easier when you know a few phrases in the language of the country you’ll be traveling to.
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People tend to joke that if you can say, “Yes,” “No,” “Where’s the restroom?” and “I’ll have another beer, please,” then you’re set.
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It’s almost true, but there are a whole list of other useful phrases that can keep you safe, happy and a little less stressed when you’re on vacation, studying or working abroad.
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What about when you need to haggle over prices in a market, so that you don’t get charged the ‘foreigner price?’
What about when you have to talk about some foods you’re allergic to?
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What about when you want to read a bus schedule, and none of it’s in a language you can read?
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I’m listing a few helpful tips and tricks that have helped me learn a new language when I travel to a new place.
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Ready to learn Spanish, Chinese, German, Korean, Japanese, French or Russian (or any language under the sun) with some proven hacks Let’s get started.
Download a language app for foreign language phrases and vocabulary words
If you think about all the mindless and useless things you do on your phone during your commute or any time spent waiting (for someone to show up, for something to start, for something to end…), you could very well use this time to learn a new foreign language or its basics with a language app.
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For my and Dan’s trip to Israel, I brushed up on some cool words like the Hebrew for ‘kilogram,’ ‘meter,’ and ‘black pepper’ with a language-learning app I found for free on the Apple app store.
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If you search with keywords like, “Hebrew easy free,” or “Learn Hebrew easy,” you’ll get a choice of several apps that may not be available with all sets of vocabulary in the free version, but enough to start with.
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I once started Level 1 German with Duolingo to see where it would get me (I remember how to say bread and water) and I also learned a bunch of Hindi numbers past 20, by the tens, for my eight days spent on an India trip a few years ago.
You will never know when learning the Hindi for ‘sixty’ can get you the local price when shopping for jewelry.
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Guess what, it worked! (I think it was because everyone in the market was baffled that I could count by the tens to one hundred in Hindi).
Find a language exchange or language meetup to brush up for your trip
​Use your social network to determine if any friends know a native Spanish or Russian speaker, for example, or if anyone is in touch with an expat who is new to your city.
Sometimes these types of people may be looking for a native English (or other) speaker with whom to practice on the regular.
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This is a free way to make a new friend and to also learn about the culture of another country from a person who is from that place.
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These days, when we head to a new city, I immediately join Facebook groups for expats, travelers and language exchange meetups.
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I first run a simple search for, “Taipei expats,” for example, and then I browse groups and see if there are any pertinent tangential groups available.
Watch TV with subtitles in a foreign language to prep for travel
While I do love music and would love to recommend music, it happens that TV (or YouTube) is more visual and can get you subtitles.
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Go on YouTube for videos in another language in some basic topics.
You have no idea what’s out there until you try!
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Did you know loads of people have made videos about the Arabic alphabet? And heaps of videos about Spanish slang, dedicated to every country in Latin America?
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You can even learn accents and listen to native speakers give grammar tips about so many foreign languages, all for free on YouTube, where your language study can begin.
You can keep clicking and clicking until you’ve gotten through 10 different flavors and styles of learning the letters in Arabic.
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You can also try watching versions of sitcoms (the show Friends is always a prime example) subtitled or dubbed in Spanish, French, Portuguese… the list never ends.
Sometimes, when I’m at the gym, I watch telenovelas, news stations in Spanish or Caso Cerrado, a form of Judge Judy for Spanish-speaking audiences. (Native Spanish speakers find this hilarious)
Read a magazine in another language to pick up new words with context
Using foreign language magazines can be useful and fun, as conversation-starters.
When I tutored English privately in Shanghai, I would often leaf through Time Out Shanghai magazine to talk about popular words and ideas, in English, with my student.
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When I’m in the subway in New York, I like to look at all the foreign language publications that you’ll find neighborhood by neighborhood based on the populations who live there. I like to sound out words in Russian based on context, like names of places and celebrities, and sometimes I’ll try to read a whole article in Spanish about current events.
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If you want to get better at a language for your next trip, start with some resources right at your fingertips like foreign language magazines and newspapers.
Create post-it notes around your house with foreign language vocabulary
If you’re struggling to remember common things, like couch, kitchen, bedroom, mirror, knife, fork, etc… then label those things with post-it notes!
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We often have post-it notes laying around (usually on the floor because they fall down) all over our house to try and learn unfamiliar languages.
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Try this method for learning a language for travel before you go, and the next time you have friends over, you can practice all together (also because they’ll find that there’s a post-it note inside your bathroom medicine cabinet translating what it is into Spanish).
There are a few ways to get ready for a trip to another country where the language spoken is not your own.
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It’s possible, and you can learn useful phrases that might make your travel experience more seamless.
​Becca & Dan
Becca & Dan are travelers, photographers, adventures of Halfhalf-Travel blog owners. They are dedicated to sharing our remote work tips, travel guides, travel advice and so much more!