How Not To Be Lost in Translation

Have you traveled to a place, say in Asia or Europe, where English is not the spoken language or where you are not familiar with the local dialect?

Before you look up Help in the dictionary, consider doing these tips to find your way around.

1. Prepare

Learn it on your own with online tests, instructional CDs and books or enroll in a crash conversational course before you take off. Some basic translations you need to know include: greetings, numbers, time and terms used when asking for directions, pricing and schedule, buying something, ordering for food or drink in a restaurant, introducing oneself and getting information about the other person, asking permission or making a request and saying thank you.

2. Pictures are worth a thousand words

I got around Kyoto by pointing on pictures at my travel guide book.

3. Calculator counts

When I went to the night, flea and floating markets in Bangkok, Thailand, I bargained using my calculator. First I would input the price indicated and then I input the price I was bargaining for. Calculated gestures also matter. Try to leave the stall and if they’re desperate, they will come running after you and sell it at your desired rate.

4. Courtesy pays

The most basic words that I had to memorize when I went to Japan were “sumimamsen” meaning excuse me and “arigato gozaimas” meaning thank you. This was accompanied by a nod which is the preferred greeting over handshake. A formal bow is to bend deeply to 45 degrees or more, a polite bow is to bend from 30 to 45 degrees while a familiar bow is to bend to 15 degrees. With these, the people I approached became more eager to help and they took extra effort to understand what I was trying to say and explain things the best way they could.

5. Gestures have different meanings

We communicate verbally and non-verbally through facial expressions and body language or gestures. Don’t presume that the gestures you use in your country are understood in the same respect by other cultures. Here are some gestures you need to use with caution:

• Encircling your thumb and index finger means ok or all’s well in the US. In France, it means zero while in Brazil, Paraguay and Guatemala, it is obscene.

• Pointing at someone with your index finger is generally considered rude. In Malaysia, I had to use my entire palm to point at a direction.

• Thumbs up is a way to hitchhike in the US and may mean ok but it is not so in the Middle East where it is considered rude. It’s obscene to use this in Nigeria and may mean you want five objects when you’re in Japan.

• A wink is a fun, naughty expression in North America, a romantic invitation in Latin America and a vulgar insult in China or India.

• A smile is not always a harmless expression. In some countries in Asia, people smile to cover up embarrassment, anger or shock. French people think a person who’s constantly smiling is condescending or feeble-minded.

• Using your left hand to eat may be an inappropriate behavior in The Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and parts of Africa. The same is true to exposing the soles of your feet.

• Calling on someone by curling your index finger is rude. In the US, this is a gesture used when flirting. If you need to summon someone, turn your palm down and wave your fingers in a scooping motion.

We speak different languages yet despite our differences, there exist other ways to communicate and express ourselves beyond words. If we communicate through what we share in common, a universal language of respect and courtesy, we won’t get lost in translation.

“Lost in translation” picture originally posted by Erin Mc Hammer

Topic:  How to Tuesday | 2 Comments
Tags:  culture

About the author

Amanda Balneg is a freelance Travel Writer and Spanish Translator. She is currently based in Manila but she travels most of the time. She has stayed in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Chicago, Arizona, Salamanca, Avila, Madrid, Tokyo, Kyoto, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Bangkok. She sees beauty in diversity.