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For the USA travellers how do you travel in countries where english is not the main language/written language? Are you limited to the countries you travel to because of language barriers? How would one acquire a travel guide to non-english countries??? thanks
I've managed to find English speaking guides in Tibet, Myanmar, Laos and off the beaten track locations in China and India....I even found German speaking guides for the parents in law in Cambodia and Indonesia........ Berlin is not going to be a problem.....
I've built a big list to accomplish before im dead and gone...but to start 1st non-english country would be Berlin Germany...
Ummmm, Berlin is a city in the country of Germany.
Try Insight Guides (DK), Rick Steves. Stay away from Go and Fodor guides.
I prefer Moon and Lonely Planet because I'm a backpacker who likes to do things on my own.
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Originally Posted by BigSwede
Germans do speak english, so that wouldn't be a problem.
Some do, some don't.
Usually younger people speak English.
For example, my landlord/neighbor doesn't.
I speak minimal German, yet I get along quite well (I live here).
For the USA travellers how do you travel in countries where english is not the main language/written language? Are you limited to the countries you travel to because of language barriers? How would one acquire a travel guide to non-english countries??? thanks
It doesn't hurt one to take a language class or get a language book w/ CD/DVD before travelling. One really should know how to say, "hello", good-bye", "excuse me", "please" and "thank you" at the very minimum...at the *very* minimum.
English can be found in the most far-off-the-beaten-track thanks, in large part, to the former British Empire and the distribution of English-spoken entertainment and products (at least you'll always be able to ask for Coca-Cola, in English, and get it).
Every tourist area will have English speaking guides. If you have no clue about the local language you might want to know-before-you-go where to sign-up for a tour.
For the USA travellers how do you travel in countries where english is not the main language/written language? Are you limited to the countries you travel to because of language barriers?
Whether English is spoken, or how much strikes me as a desperately limiting consideration. Being an obsessive preparer, I have always read absolutely everything I could find about getting around in a strange country, and even photocopied things that I thought might be useful. After that I'm prepared to wing it.
Be that as it may, English is probably the most widely used language in the world, which means that almost everywhere you might want to go as a tourist there will be people who will have some facility with the language.
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How would one acquire a travel guide to non-english countries??? thanks
I like to take a quick packaged bus tour through a new city before I set out on my own.
In Instanbul I wanted a knowledgeable guide to see architecture by Ottoman genius Sinan, and before I arrived I asked the bus tour company I booked with via the internet. They supplied an English-speaking expert who was qualiifed beyond my wildest dreams, and he even had access into parts of mosques that were not open to tourists and introduced me to imams, etc. Sinan was his lifetime passion, and he was thrilled that a foreigner was interested.
well I think that the language should not be the barrier while travelling I usually prefer to hire a travel guide because they will not only help us communicating but also help us in exploring the place in a better way.
For the USA travellers how do you travel in countries where english is not the main language/written language? Are you limited to the countries you travel to because of language barriers? How would one acquire a travel guide to non-english countries??? thanks
Good old lonely planet, nearly always has places of interest, food itmes, essential phrases etc written in the language of the country the guide is about. Just point them out to a local if you cant say them.
Get the business card of the hotel/hostel your stay in, it will almost always be in the local langugage, and very valuable if you need to find your way home.
Aside from that lots of pointing and hand signles when buying stufff, food items, just look at what others are eating, or select a item from the menu and hope for the best.
Before i go i usually learn how to say "How much is it" and learn the numbers of the local language, as well as how to say "please" and "thankyou". Oh and also toilet, water and my most important one - beer.
Last edited by danielsa1775; 10-03-2011 at 02:42 AM..
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