5 Quick Ways To Learn A Language For Vacation

Driving home from Santa Cruz with the Andes in the background

Who is ready for a summer vacation? Or as we south of the equator say, "Who is ready for a winter vacation"? No matter what the season, if you are anything like me, you want to learn a bit of the language spoken in the country you are going on vacation to. There is nothing better than having a few keywords and phrases in your back pocket just in case. Throughout my travels, I have learned Japanese, Slovenian, and French at various levels for a trip - not to mention the English, Spanish, and Russian that stay with me at all times. Below are my top five tips on learning a language for travel and in a time crunch. 

1. Find out what type of learner you are 

I can still remember the moment I learned I was a kinesthetic and visual learner. I was in a high school chemistry class, ranked among the hardest I'd taken up to that point, and I was trying to memorize the periodic table. My teacher at the time must have sensed that several of us were in the same boat with this struggle and taught us all arm motions that went with memorizing it. I aced my next test while making my motions at my desk. Movement and visualization make a world of difference to me. (If you want to know your learning style, you can take the quiz here. ) That translates to me watching - not just listening to - a lot to Youtube, surfing Pinterest for word cards with photos, and even going through Instagram for accounts from the country I am going to. These visual elements make words and phrases come alive for me.

2. Focus On What Is Important 

Now you know what language you need to learn, and you know how you best retain information. The next step is to figure out what words and phrases you need to learn. Since you are probably on a time crunch, make sure you focus only on the terms and phrases necessary. For example, if you are going somewhere tropical, you might want to learn the word 'beach' whereas you might want to know 'snow' if you are going skiing. A place I always like to start is Pinterest. There I can see the lists of the 'most important words' that someone has put together for the language I am looking for. A simple search reveals a lot of overlaps, so the essential words are simple to see. Below are a few examples.

Next, make sure you look up the words and phrases for things that matter to you. For example, if you are vegetarian, make sure you know the word for that as well as "meat." Are you religious? If so, make sure you know how to say the term for the house of worship you are looking for. If you have children, there will be even more unique words you may want to look up. By adding these few extra words/phrases, you ensure that you can communicate your needs to anyone in a foreign country. As for reading, you can put that aside unless you are going to a country with a different writing system from Latin. If you are a native English speaker and you are traveling to Japan, it is helpful to be able to read the essential words from your initial list as well. Think big picture here and don't worry about every letter. There is plenty of time for that later.

3. Practice Before You Get There

When leading up to your trip, you can be practicing to cement those helpful phrases and words in your mind. A great trick while you are running errands, working out, or like me, just cleaning the house is podcasts and Youtube. As I mentioned earlier, Youtube helps me with the visual side. Still, simple videos that are designed in a listen and repeat style help to work on my pronunciation and accent while adding movement with the term. It's the perfect marriage of learning styles for me. 

There are numerous apps for your phone - depending on the language you are working on. I have always found it helpful to download one while studying that I can do while I'm in line at the store or at the dog park. You'll be amazed at how fast you can progress by opening up your app instead of social media, even within a week. If you have a bit more time, consider using a service like italki. This is a website that allows you to schedule one on one tutoring classes with a native speaker. The classes are prepared when it is best for you, and you can pay as you go. Speaking with a native person can really help curb your nervousness about speaking a new language before you even step foot in a foreign county. 

4. Set Yourself Up For Success 

Language is supposed to be experienced. In order to have the best experience possible in the country, there are several things to prep before you get there. Since our entire lives are on our phones, the most important thing you can have is a translation app. There are many to chose from. I tend to stick with Google translate. Is it perfect? No, but you can't beat the ability to open up your camera and aim it at a text to decipher its meaning- especially in countries that use characters. Make sure that you have the language that you need downloaded onto your device. You can't trust every country to have available wifi.  

Phrasebooks are also a small and helpful companion. If you are like me and don't want to pull out a book with 'Phrasebook' written in large English letters, you can create your own. I use small generic notebooks that I know will blend in. I fill them with the words and phrases crucial to me and any meaningful sentences pre-translated. It also helps that I have the space to add little doodles with my words to really help them stick. There have been several cases where my translation app wasn't working, but I was able to communicate between my memory and my phrasebook. 

5. Embrace The Experience

This is the most important thing to remember. You spent time learning your keywords and phrases in your host country's language; now is your chance to use it! Don't be afraid if you mispronounce or forget a word. I have never been in a country where people did not appreciate my trying to communicate with them. Even if someone speaks English and wants to talk to you in English, you can still respond to them in their home language. I have several friends that I communicate this way. It aids both of us at the same time and creates a lovely environment every time we talk. 

Don't forget to also be able to laugh at yourself. You're not going to know the language perfectly, and that's ok. Keep putting yourself out there. When I was living in Estonia, I went to get my hair colored in the Russian-speaking area of Tartu. I sat down in the salon chair and immediately blanked on the word for “blonde”. I left my phrasebook at my flat, which was 2009, so there were no translation apps. The only word I could think of was желтый (yellow) after a lot of pantomime and repetition of желтый. I felt good about being understood. It wasn't until they turned around my chair at the end and I saw my neon yellow hair that I realized how wrong I was in feeling understood. I couldn't help but laugh about it all. Granted, that's an extreme example, but being able to laugh at those moments where you are embarrassed, frustrated, etc., really will make the difference in your overall experience. 

My Russian yellow hair (2009)

What learning tools have worked best for you? Are you planning to learn some words/phrases for an upcoming trip? If so, let me know below! I would love to cheer you on. Till next week - keep learning!