Holiday Tips: Survival Phrases for Travellers
Posted on | December 24, 2009 | 9 Comments
Most everybody is aware of the great stereotype of the English-speaking tourist. When travelling, he or she does not bother to learn a single word of the country’s language, preferring to roar at ever-increasing volume ‘DO-YOU-SPEAK-ENGLISH?’ In Spain or Italy, the unlucky natives may be subjected to an even more ridiculous take on this (something along the lines of ‘Hallo-a! Speak-a you English-a?’).
This situation is, first of all, embarrassing for all involved. Secondly, it is quite plainly rude and shows the world that you simply could not be bothered to pick up a pocket dictionary, or even take a quick look online and find out the basic words to get your point across. You do not want to be this tourist.
I’m not saying you should aim to be fluent before you head off on holiday. Neither am I suggesting you use up all your freetime studying and feeling guilty when nothing goes in. What we’re aiming for here is a happy middle-ground, which allows you to avoid being ‘that tourist’ and avoid putting your food in it wherever you go. Some countries are surprisingly gracious towards tourists who do not speak the language, but many will go out of their way to be unhelpful and discourteous if you do not make a cursory effort to speak their language. This puts a damper on many holidays and can make things very difficult. Therefore it is also to your benefit practically to have a try.
What should I learn?
If you are very limited on time, these are the holiday phrases you will want to learn:
- Hello
- Goodbye
- Please
- Thank you
- I would like…
- Can you help me?
- Do you speak English?
This may not seem like much, but it is the absolute basics and you will be surprised how far you can get with pointing and gesticulating. You may want to add a game or two or charades to your training schedule, in this case.
If you have slightly more time, you may then want to have a go at learning a bit more vocabulary:
-numbers from 1-20
-telling the time
- reading a menu
- basic directions eg: left, right, turn
In the case that you find yourself with a bit of spare time after that, concentrate on learning vocabulary and listening to exercises online rather than trying to memorise phrases to speak. It is much easier to train your ‘passive vocabulary’ – phrases that you can recognise – than your ‘active vocabulary’ – words which you can actively produce when speaking.
What is the best way to learn?
As mentioned above, if you are only trying to learn a few phrases for your holidays to show that you’re making an effort, you do not need to learn any grammar or do any writing. What you want to focus on here is listening and repeating. There are several good online resources available in multiple languages that allow you to learn basic phrases and listen to them online. Two of the best are:
-Lingq.com
- About.com
Write down the phrases in both the target language and in English and carry them around with you to look at multiple times during the day. If you have an MP3 player, copy your listening material onto that too and listen to it frequently. Good opportunities are while travelling, exercising or doing housework or cooking. Try imitating the phrases (probably not while you’re on the bus though) until you feel you’re getting the sounds right.
After you’ve been practicising these phrases each day for a week, get a friend to test you on them. Ask them to ask you for the translation of each phrase. If you can repeat them all easily in your target language, you’re doing very well. Keep up with this schedule until you head off on holiday. Still, be under no illusions: what you know will get you by and probably win you points with locals, but you will certainly not be able to actively communicate with people in the language. It is a very good idea to take a pocket dictionary with you on your holidays in case you get stuck or to prepare words you know will come in useful on vacation.
If you are aiming to learn more, make a list of your targets. If you want to learn how to say you are from England, your name and your age, then those are your targets. Maybe your targets are to be able to read a restaurant menu in the target language, or perhaps to be able to recognise the numbers 1-20. Aim to spend a little time learning every day.
If your goal is reading-based, spend most time studying vocabulary or reading basic texts. You should be able to find many online, including on the websites mentioned above.
If your goal is speaking-based, your time should be split between speaking and listening. The best option is to seek out transcripts of audio files, so you can listen and read the text at the same time. Read and listen many times until you can understand approximately 80% of what is being said.
If your goal is to simply learn more vocabulary, all of the above practice will help, but another tip is to write down the words in your target language of coloured slips of papers with the English translation on the other side. Every day, go through these flashcards, viewing each the foreign language or English side. Once you can easily remember what each word means, put those cards into a separate pile or box. Look at these approximately every once a week and the cards you have trouble remembering every day. The frequent practice makes a big difference to what you can remember. Try to think of words which you will need or use frequently on vacation or while travelling.
Finally, do not forget that pocket dictionary! No matter how much you learn, you may still be stumped once in a while. Overall it is handy to keep these things in mind:
-All progress is good. You should not expect to understand locals quickly or be disappointed if you forget words or don’t understand. It is a process.
-It is not important at this stage to sound ‘correct’. It is more important to get your point across.
-You don’t need to devote hours a day to learning: you can learn simply by plugging in your earphones and listening to audio files while you’re doing other activities or taking five minutes each day before bed to review vocabulary.
- Have fun and enjoy your holidays! Language learning is about communication and broadening your mind, not making yourself stressed!
Finally, happy holiday. Or…bon voyage, gute Reise, buen viaje and buon viaggio!
Related posts:
- Spend Holiday In Istria
- Cheap Holiday for Real
- New Type of Travel Insurance for Independent Travellers
- Travel Insurance Put at Risk by Lone Travellers
- Tips for Planning a European Vacation through an Online Travel Agency
- Vacation Safety Tips
- Holiday Financial Tips
- 12 Top Tips to Planning Your Holiday of a Lifetime
- Travel to Turkey to experience a vibrant holiday time
- Some Basic Tips On Travelling In The Argentina
Comments
9 Responses to “Holiday Tips: Survival Phrases for Travellers”
Leave a Reply
December 24th, 2009 @ 10:10 am
The only all inclusive trips I have taken have been cruises which I liked because I just unpacked once, settled in, then could choose if/when I wanted to go on shore excursions, or explore all the wonderful activities offered aboard the ship.
As the other answerer said – drinks, massages, beauty salon, etc. on board were NOT included, but there was a lot that was. It all depends on what you like to do & what your tastes are.
Best thing would be for you & your wife to do what he did – type in all inclusive vacations in your browser search line & review what comes up, then keep adding a keyword until you narrow it down to just those that fit the activities, locations, etc. that both of you like.
Good luck!!
December 24th, 2009 @ 10:37 am
My brother & I took a vacation, or more like a trip. Here is our story:
The wildwood flower grew wild on the farm
And we never knowed what it was called
Some said it was a flower and some said it was weed
I didn't gave it much thought…
One day I was out there talking to my brother
Reached down for a weed to chew on
Things got fuzzy and things got blurry
And then everything was gone
I Didn't know what happened
But I knew it beat the hell out of sniffin' burlap
I come to and my brother was there
And he said, 'What's wrong with your eyes?'
I said, 'I don't know, I was chewing on a weed'
He said, 'Let me give it a try'
We spent the rest of that day and most of that night
Trying to find my brother, Bill
Caught up with him 'bout six o'clock the next mornin'
Naked, swinging on the windmill
He said he flew up there
I had to fly up and get him down
He was about half crazy
The very next day we picked a bunch of them weeds
And put 'em in the sun to dry
Then we mashed 'em up and we cleaned 'em all
And put 'em in the corncob pipe
Smokin' them wildwood flowers got to be a habit
We didn't see no harm
We thought it was kind of handy
Have you ever take a trip and never leave the farm
A big ol' puff on the wildwood weed
Next thing you know
We's just wandering behind the little animals
All good things gotta come to an end
And it's the same with the wildwood weed
One day this feller from Washington come by
And he spied us and he turned white as a sheet
And he dug and he burned
And he burned and he dug
And he killed all our cute little weeds
Then he drove away
We just smiled and waved
Sittin' there on that sack of seeds
Y'all come back now, ya hear
December 24th, 2009 @ 3:22 pm
you seem underweight. If you are going on vacation, the best advice i can give you is to HAVE FUN and eat the best and tastiest foods while you are at it. With an active lifestyle, your not going to add or lose too much weight.
December 24th, 2009 @ 6:35 pm
at grand teton national park go hiking up to lake solitude, its 15 miles round trip but 100% worth it. In yellowstone I would recommend spending time just driving around looking at the wildlife, maybe hike to the top of Mount Washburn (only like 6 miles) oh and go to Bubba's Barbeque in jackson hole!!!!!
December 25th, 2009 @ 2:17 am
December 25th, 2009 @ 5:28 am
You need to get a Japan Rail Pass which gives you unlimited travel for the time you opt to purchase for………1 week, or 2 or 3 weeks .If you are just going to be on Honshu Island you can actually get a pass that is a bit cheaper just for that island.You could also look at the JAL flight passes but you miss the scenery if you fly.You must buy this Pass in YOUR country…………..you cannot buy them in Japan and you will save yourself a huge amount of money.
Look around Tokyo ………and do take a day trip to Kamakura…….go to the Tsukiji Fish Market on the way.
If you plan to go to Kyoto which is gorgeous you can mostly walk if you choose accommodation in a good location. There are maps with walking routes you get at the station.You won't get top see it all just do one section – we opted for the area near Murayama Park.There are so many shrines, temples gardens etc near here.
Catch the bus to Fuji go ko – Fuji Five Lakes…it is only an hour and a half and just beautiful …….at the base of Mt Fuji. Then take the bus to Gotemba which is a beautiful trip round the base of Mt Fuji through old traditional villages with thatched cottages etc.Change to a bus for Mishima – just catch the bus behind they call it Station 2 to Station 3.but was quite literally just the bus behind the one we got off. This bus takes you right to the Shinkansen which you can catch through to Kyoto.
If you go to Osaka, you should try and go further on to Himeji and see the castle …………probably the best in Japan and the Shrine and then on to Osaka. You could go on a little further to Okayama which has one of japan's best gardens but from Okayama you can take an ordinary train to Kurashiki – only 30 minutes ……..which is a really beautiful Edo period town.
You can look at these places at http://www.fascinating-travel-destinations.com/japanese-holidays.html
December 25th, 2009 @ 7:16 am
book supplier direct to avoid cancel or non refundable fares.
dig up association member cards, like AAA or AARP, you can get 10-15% off the weekly rate, (weekly rates are 5x the daily)
check with the company you work for, they may have a coporate agreement in place that may be available- many of these agreements waive airport fees and taxes, add'l driver and underage driver fees- real expensive fees here.
Also return the car to same location to avoid drop off charges and lastly, reserve a Compact car, most people are looking for smaller cars now with the most fuel efficiency. So reserve a smaller car and most likly they will upgrade you for free at counter.. if you wanbt a larger car, reserve in advance as paying for an upgrade at counter is usually much higher. oh, yeah, bring a copy of insurance card with you as well..
December 26th, 2009 @ 8:12 am
It must be a slow day in the J.J. household today. But to answer another of your fabulously funny questions, I will give it my best shot. Go out in the garage, climb up into the attic and get out all the seldom used camping equipment. Then, after you have removed all the camping stuff, take into the living room and set up the tent with your sleeping bags, etc. You may have to go outside to find enough rocks to build your fire pit, but place it near the tent so you will not get cold during the night. Go to your local convenience store and pick up enough wood to last through the night. Then return home, turn your air conditioner down to 60 degrees. When your husband comes home, you can have a nice roaring fire going, with a cup of hot chocolate and only wearing a smile. It will be the best at home vacation ever. Good luck with that.
December 27th, 2009 @ 8:01 am
This website might help , check it out –
http://www.usairwaysforum.com/