The Thing about Language Barriers

One time I found myself in a quiet village about 25 kilometers southeast of the city of Prague. It was only my second day in country and I was searching for the train station into the city. I had been given explicit directions but I must have made a wrong turn because I couldn’t find it for the life of me. The streets were deserted except for some rather tough looking construction workers whom for some reason I imagined may mess with me if I stumbled through asking directions in English. I moved down the street until I spied an old lady working in her garden.

Sometimes translations can be confusing

“Excuse me, do you know where the train station is?” I asked gently. All I got was a blunt reply in Czech. “Choo Choo!” I said, moving my arm up and down mimicking an old train conductor. She gave me a confused look. I began to repeat myself, “Choo Choo, Choo Choo,” blaring on my imaginary horn. She looked at me as if I just escaped the looney bin.

After a few minutes of this, she held up a finger and went inside her house, indicating she would be back, hopefully not with loaded gun to shoo me away. After a few minutes of standing around feeling fairly ridiculous, she came out, mimicked my hand motions and went “Woo Woo, Woo Woo?” I nodded enthusiastically and she suddenly smiled, opened the gate, grabbed my arm, and took me a few blocks, steering me in the right direction.

People are always asking me about the language barrier. How do you go places without knowing the language? Isn’t hard to do? How is it possible without a guide? The truth is, that’s part of the fun; the adventure.

Often, simply a picture will suffice

The first thing to remember is that the language I am typing in is the unofficial language of travel. Maybe 100 years ago it helped to know a bit of French, but these days, English is the way to go. Koreans use it when they speak to Japanese, Europeans use it to talk to each other. Most people in the world learn it as a second language so if it’s your first then you are already a leg up on everyone else. Now don’t think this doesn’t come at a price. I have never felt more inferior then the times when I have been surrounded by a bunch of people who were fluent in numerous languages. It’s a problem of our upbringing and the fact that as Americans, we only ever need to use English. We can’t drive a few hours away where people will be speaking another language. But that’s a problem for a different time, mainly my need to continue to study foreign languages. Back the matter at hand, most people know some English. So don’t be afraid to try and ask. And remember, try and be polite. Learn a few words such as “Do you speak any English?” and it will go a long way. Especially in Europe (where everyone knows English anyway.)

Now if you are in a place where no one knows any English, the first thing to do is pat yourself on the back. You’ve left a comfort zone and quite possibly gone off the beaten path. Excellent. Now how do you survive? Here’s where it gets fun. Charades is always a good time. And people love trying to figure out what you are doing. At a restaurant and can’t read the menu? Cluck if you want some chicken. Be creative and smile a lot. I once had a girl in stitches mimicking peeing all over the place when I needed to find a bathroom. Also, use your resources. Guidebooks often print the name and address of a place in whatever local language the book is on. Use it. Show it to cabbies. Need a train ticket? Have someone at your hotel write down where you want to go and pass it to the person at the ticket booth. Know a friend who speaks the language? Call them up. One time an entire feast was laid in front of me after a traveling companion spoke a few words into the phone and handed it to the waitress. The more of a barrier you have, the more of a story you get. In India my friend once wound up on the phone with an Iranian priest for the sole purpose of explaining a card trick. More on that here.

The point is, do not be afraid to travel because you don’t speak the language. You are narrowing yourself to a tiny portion of the earth if this is your intention. People are friendly all over the world. People will help you wherever you find yourself. Memorize some words when you get off the plane, such as hello, please, and thank you. A little effort goes a long way. And remember, the more out there you get, away from all the “tourist English” the more of an experience you will have. That’s where all your stories will come from. I’ll never know what happened inside that house that made the old lady make the connection from “choo choo to woo woo.” But I’ll never forget it either. Those will be the best memories. Do you have any bizarre language barrier stories? Let’s hear them below.