Shirish Nadkarni, CEO of Livemocha.com, which offers free language lessons from native speakers, offers these tips for brushing up on your language skills before traveling internationally.
"Brushing up on your language skills can make all the difference when traveling to another country," he says. "By learning some key phrases or practicing the language skills you already have, you can experience a whole new depth and cultural interaction with native speakers—plus you'll probably be less likely to get lost!"
Language Learning tips
Learn key conversational phrases. You don't necessary need to be fluent in a foreign language to be able to speak with native speakers. Sometimes learning a few key phrases is enough. Figure out what you'll be doing on your trip and where you'll be going and then spend some time brainstorming what you will need to know how to say. This will be a great help to you in getting your basic needs taken care of while traveling.
Figure out the lay of the Land. When you're in another country, you'll still be responsible for reading the street signs and following laws. Whether you decide to rent a car or need to navigate via public transportation, you'll have an easier time if you can understand some common words related to transportation and have a mental map of your location.
Don't be afraid to converse with the natives. If you do get lost or just want to practice your language skills, don't be afraid to try to engage people in conversation. Speaking with the residents is a great way to learn some of the ins and outs of the country you are visiting, and communicating in a new language is one of the great experiences of traveling. Not everything is published in the tour guides!
Where to Find Free Language Lessons
For a list of websites offering free language lessons, such as Livemocha.com, which is an online language learning community that provides a casual, fun environment to practice 11 popular languages with native speakers via online chat or audio, as well as instructional lessons based on your level of proficiency, visit Free Language Lessons.
