Going on vacation? Don’t get lost in translation
Create a personalized travel dictionary for your next trip
By Anne Garber & John T.D. Keyes
When Vancouver’s Carol Rand went to Europe for a summer-long holiday, she never dreamed she would end up living there. By her own admission, Carol was “never much of a student of languages,” but the smattering of Italian and French she scribbled down before her trip got her through — and she learned all her key words online. Her Italian skills improved so quickly, in fact, that she now teaches business English in Milan.
You’ll never know how useful a few words of a foreign language can be until you travel. In hindsight, Rand wishes someone had told her it’s wise to print a handy sheet of key words, including little images. Just a handful of foreign terms — however badly pronounced — can open doors and result in a smiling welcome.
So for your next vacation, take the time to create a small translation dictionary customized to all of your travel needs. It’s very easy to learn from the many translation resources online, and you can avoid lugging around a large dictionary in your suitcase.
Find key words to convert into the local language
According to Maria Ayala, a Spanish teacher at Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University, the most important terms relate to greetings, food and washrooms. She says that essential phrases that work wonders in any language are
- “Where is . . . ?”
- “How much is . . . ?”
- “How do you say . . . ?” (a phrase that lets residents know you don’t understand them)
- terms of politeness such as please, thank you and you’re welcome
If you harbour any food or environmental allergies, you will want a printout of each of the words (in your destination language) for the things you must avoid.
As well, the phrases “I am allergic to . . .” or “I have asthma” or “I must get to a hospital immediately” will help to get the attention of the server in a restaurant or the concierge at a hotel.
If you think pronunciation is likely to be a problem for you, carry handy printouts or download clear pictures from the Internet to make sure your needs are understood.
Access free translation sites online
FreeTranslation offers one of the most straightforward and easy-to-use options for moving single words — or whole documents — from English to Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian Norwegian, Chinese and Japanese. The translation on this site is very literal, but it works reasonably well for single words and phrases.
Windows Live Translator lets you translate up to 500 words of text as well as entire web sites for 12 languages including English, French, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Japanese and Arabic. Click here to add the Windows Live Toolbar Translator Button to your web browser so you can automatically translate web sites as you surf.
For free online multilingual translation services for English, French, German, Russian, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish, visit PROMT Company.
Word 2 Word also provides a selection of translation resources such as dictionaries and translation chat sites (so you can practise your new skills).
Two other sites with great online translation resources are AltaVista’s Babel Fish Translation and WorldLingo. Be sure to include a list of some of your favourite translation sites as well so you can find them at Internet cafés as you travel.
Learn more of a language with software
Microsoft’s Encarta Premium 2008 is a good investment for families because it comes fully loaded with translation dictionaries for Spanish, French, German and Italian and links to thousands of homework-helpful sites and periodic updates.
Involve children in making their own translation book
Agnes Chung of North America ASEAN Consultants in Vancouver represents the Sarawak Tourism Board (Malaysia Borneo) and has helped many families prepare for travel to exotic lands. Get kids involved in your adventure by teaching them
- terms of politeness
- bathroom
- snack, dinner, apple, drink, juice, water
- “I’m hungry”
- “Yes,” “no,” “I don’t understand”
- “I’m lost”
Chung’s best bet for absorbing useful bits and pieces of a language in advance is to peruse web sites of the tourism boards for the countries you plan to visit.
“You have to respect the people you are dealing with,” she says, “so those web sites always have the dos and don’ts and enough vocabulary to demonstrate that you are making an effort to communicate. Sometimes that willingness is all it takes — and remember to smile!”
