This article is a travel topic Coping without a language There
are several ways to cope with travel in countries where you do
not speak the local language. You can learn some of the local
language and/or a regional language. It will rarely be practical
to learn a language for one trip, but bring a phrasebook!
Learning the basics of pronunciation, greetings, how to ask
directions, and numbers (for transactions) can be enough fulfill
nearly all the essentials of travel on your own, and can be a
fun activity on long flights or bus delays. Try any other
languages you speak. Older Chinese often speak Russian, some
Turks and Arabs speak good French or German, and so on. When one
or both players has limited skills in whatever language you are
using, keep it simple! Keep sentences short. Use the present
tense. Avoid idioms. Use single words and hand gestures to
convey meaning. If none of those work for your situation, you
can just smile a lot and use gestures. It is amazing how far
this can take you; many people are