"I want to travel, but I don't know English..."
In new year, many people have the goal of traveling more, seeing new places, getting out of the everyday, and meeting new people who feed your mind and soul.
Many decide that they want to travel alone, which is something that requires a lot of courage and sometimes fear can stop them, for example: not having enough money to make the trip you want, not knowing which destination to choose or being afraid of not knowing who to travel with, in short, fear of everything unknown.
But what can make us doubt the most is not knowing the language spoken in the country we decided to go to.
Talking to some of our students who are considering going abroad to study, we have found that language is sometimes a major barrier.
They are afraid that because they don't know even the basics of English, they will lose many opportunities and this is very valid not only for studies but also when they plan to travel alone.
But what if you want to go traveling without knowing English or with a very basic level? (We speak of English because it is the language that the whole world or a large percentage speaks, but it also applies to other languages).
Recently, in one of our meetings, our graphic designer named Oscar, who is from Colombia, told us that he wanted to do a master's degree abroad. But when we started talking about the possibility of him doing it in Europe, he confessed that he had not considered that continent yet because he felt very insecure, since his English was very basic, and he was afraid that it would be a limit.
If you identify with Oscar's case or are going to travel to a destination where you don't know the language, this is for you:
We don’t want this fear to prevent you from taking the trip you have always dreamed of doing.
Today we will give 3 tips so that the language of a country does not prevent you from going to visit it:
Technology will be your best friend
Nowadays, not knowing English or the language spoken in a country should not prevent you from going to visit it because you can use technology to help you, we recommend that you use the Google Translate app for three things:
Translates what you write if you need to communicate with a local person
You can take a photo of a text or look at a sign through the app's camera and quickly translate it. Thus, if you are lost, the words will automatically appear in the language you want.
Finally, you can download the app without having internet access. This information is super practical because you would still be surprised by the number of places that do not have Wi-Fi.
Don't be afraid to ask a native of the country for help
It's pretty obvious, but sometimes it can literally save your life if you're in a pinch: ask someone who speaks your language for help.
Most of the time, if you stay in a hotel, you can find someone at the front desk who knows a bit of Spanish. You can ask him to help you write down directions and the words you need for your day's runs. Also, if you come across someone who speaks Spanish, don't feel embarrassed and ask for help. Either to explain an address to you or even to communicate for you somewhere. Sometimes, believe it or not, people are very willing to help.
Learn at least the basics of the language, depending on the country you are going to.
You can do this through an online course before you travel, although it would be more fun to do an in-person course in the country of your interest and meet new people who are also like you and want to learn.
Traveling to a place where they don't speak our language can take you out of your comfort zone. It requires an extra effort to join the routine of the place, but that brings you lots of experiences and very valuable learning.
Think that there are times when we don't even understand each other because we speak the same language, and it may be that in another country you make friends that you will always remember because at the end of it all: we are all brothers.
And if you really find yourself lost, you can contact us, so you can go with more confidence to the country you always dreamed of.