Level Up Your Communication While Traveling With Rick Steves' Tips
By BRIE SCHMIDT
Going to a foreign country can mean not knowing the local language. Travel expert Rick Steves offers tips on his website for navigating language differences.
According to Steves, it's better to communicate and accept that you'll make mistakes than to not communicate at all. He also suggests using gestures to convey meaning.
Steves suggests carrying a memo that contains essential vocabulary and phrases and downloading a translation app on your device before your trip.
Pay attention to body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. With this in mind, Steves encourages you to make your best guess when faced with a language barrier.
He says, "Treat most problems as multiple-choice questions, make an educated guess at the meaning, and proceed confidently," as per his website.