My best travel connections have had little to do with making a flight and everything to do with making friends.

Like many, I was intimidated by the idea of traveling in a country where my language is not spoken. But I took off anyway and found ways to communicate with local citizens, establishing a kind of lingua franca, or bridge language, that neither of us spoke.

Soon I was breaking the language barrier and making the kind of personal connections that become the best souvenirs. Here are my top five strategies.

1. Let Your Smile Do the Talking

India is a country of many languages (780 recorded by People’s Linguistic Survey). When I encountered Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, and other languages unfamiliar to me, I learned the power of a smile.

This first “Oh, I see” moment happened in Amritsar, in a nook from which I was drawing the Golden Temple. After 10 minutes, a crowd encircled me. My grand view of the temple had shrunk to a sliver of gold in a sea of legs.

Suddenly, the crowd dispersed, and I looked up to see a Sikh temple guard wearing an orange turban, blue uniform, and a stern expression. He was waving a spear.

After the last onlookers shuffled away, the guard met my eyes and his intimidating frown turned to a magnificent smile. I smiled back. He continued his guard’s walk around the temple, and I resumed drawing.

It continued like this for the next hour: crowd formed, guard passed by, spear waved, smiles exchanged. Our smiles went miles to establish a connection that I’ll always remember—a connection between people from opposite backgrounds across a cultural divide.

2. Describe with a Drawing

Getting directions in Calcutta is easy. Everyone is willing to give their two cents, offering hand gestures and a grand array of “right!” and “left!” But I have a knack for forgetting verbal instructions. And in India, the person who knows the way may well speak Hindi or Bengali.

My solution became scrap paper and napkin maps. This proved to be an inclusive method: anyone—English, Hindi, or Bengali speakers alike—could draw with me, sharing a pencil and clarifying meaning back and forth.

Not only did this strategy break the language barrier, but it also broke the ice. What started as a request for directions ended up as a way to meet and enjoy new people.

3. Greet and Meet

When you visit another country, read up on its traditions, language, geography, and culture before you go, and learn words for common courtesies such as hello, goodbye, please, and thank you.

I find people are often pleased and surprised when you know phrases in their language. Often, they know some English and my hello opens the door to a further connection.

Europe is a tightly packed continent where one day on a train can mean crossing several countries (and languages). On a short trip, my efforts paid off even when I accidentally swapped languages.

On my first day in Italy, after visiting France and Spain, I thanked a waitress for dinner by stuttering, “Merci! Gracias! Thank you . . . Grazie!” My head was buzzing with different languages. Overhearing my bizarre effort, a table of locals invited me over and we talked until dawn about the flux of culture, language and travel in Europe. It was a night to remember.

4. Say It a Different Way

Traveling in Mexico, I relied on my rusty high school Spanish. There were times when, tongue-tied, I hit the wall. In an “Oh, I see” moment, I learned to try different ways to say the same thing.

My friend and I were at a market in Guadalajara shopping for dinner ingredients. The key was ground meat, and it was my job to find it. I searched my brain, but couldn’t find the Spanish words. At the meat counter, I asked for carne de hamburguesa (hamburger meat) and received a patty.

I took the patty to my friend, hoping it would suffice and I could avoid further chagrin. But no, he sent me and the patty back. I tried different descriptions: carne de espaguetis (spaghetti meat) and carne en tiras (meat in strips).

As I rambled on, the men behind the counter started guessing, and we began a hysterical game of charades. In this game, it was as important to listen as to speak.

Finally, we got to the answer together: carne molida de res. It felt like the buzzer went off—“Ding! Ding! Ding!“—and an announcer declared, “Step on up to accept your $10,000 prize!”

In the end, a little embarrassment was a small price to pay for the prize of connection. I returned to that meat counter throughout my stay in Guadalajara to visit, laugh, make mistakes, and buy carne molida de res.

#5 Make Friends with a Language Broker

When you meet fellow travelers or expats who speak your language, inquire what other languages they speak. This one question can widen your world. An invitation to a soirée where two people speak English, two speak French, and one speaks both languages means—thanks to the broker—everyone can communicate!

In Calcutta, I volunteered at one of Mother Teresa’s hospices. I learned by watching since neither patients, workers nor volunteers spoke English.

After several days of silently watching and doing, I met my language broker: a volunteer from the Canary Islands, bilingual in Spanish and French. We began a “telephone game” with the volunteers; from Spanish to French, French to German, German to Swiss, Swiss to Italian, Italian to Hindi.

Connecting the group through language brokers strengthened our team and friendships. We were a symphony of languages searching for the same rhythm.

Rewards of Bridging the Gap

The world is big and small at the same time. And the language barriers are real. Learning another language can take you farther into a culture, but try my five lingua franca strategies to move you out of the comfortable American bubble when you travel.

At the very least, you will crack the language barrier and come home with connections to people from around the world. That’s the everlasting souvenir.

$\"A$

Dive into cross-cultural connections by bringing a bridge language to the table.
\u00a9 Wavebreak Media\/Thinkstock<\/p><\/div>\n

Find Your Own Lingua Franca<\/h2>\n
My best travel connections have had little to do with making a flight and everything to do with making friends.<\/p>\n
Like many, I was intimidated by the idea of traveling in a country where my language is not spoken.\u00a0But I took off anyway and\u00a0found ways to communicate with local citizens, establishing a kind of lingua franca<\/em>, or bridge language, that neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
Soon I was breaking the language barrier and making the kind of personal connections that become the best souvenirs.\u00a0Here are my top five strategies.<\/p>\n

1. Let Your Smile Do the Talking<\/h4>\n
India is a country of many languages (780 recorded by People\u2019s Linguistic Survey). When I encountered Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, and other languages unfamiliar to me,\u00a0 I learned\u00a0the power of a smile.<\/p>\n
$\"Drawing$
From child to adult, everyone responds to a smile.
\u00a9 Eva Boynton<\/p><\/div>\n
This\u00a0first\u00a0“Oh, I see” moment<\/strong> happened in\u00a0Amritsar, in\u00a0a nook from which I was\u00a0drawing the Golden Temple. After 10 minutes, a crowd encircled me. My grand view of the temple had shrunk to\u00a0a sliver of gold in\u00a0a sea of\u00a0legs.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, the crowd dispersed, and I looked up to see a Sikh temple guard wearing\u00a0an orange turban, blue uniform, and a stern expression. He\u00a0was waving a spear.<\/p>\n
After the last onlookers shuffled away, the guard met my eyes and his intimidating frown turned to\u00a0a magnificent smile. I smiled back. He continued his guard\u2019s walk around the temple, and I resumed drawing.<\/p>\n
It continued like this for the next hour: crowd formed, guard passed by, spear waved, smiles exchanged. Our\u00a0smiles went miles to\u00a0establish a connection that I’ll always remember—a connection between people from opposite backgrounds across a\u00a0cultural divide.<\/p>\n
2. Describe with a Drawing<\/h4>\n
Getting directions in Calcutta is\u00a0easy. Everyone is willing to give their two cents, offering hand gestures and a grand array of \u201cright!\u201d and \u201cleft!” But I have a knack for forgetting verbal instructions. And in India, the person who knows the way may well speak Hindi or Bengali.<\/p>\n
My solution became scrap paper and napkin maps. This proved to be an inclusive method: anyone—English, Hindi, or Bengali speakers alike—could draw with me, sharing a pencil and\u00a0clarifying meaning\u00a0back and forth.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
Always keep paper and pencil in your pocket—handy tools
for drawing lines, connecting people.
\u00a9 Eva Boynton<\/p><\/div>\n
Not only did this strategy break\u00a0the language barrier, but it also broke\u00a0the ice. What started as a request for directions ended up as a way to meet and enjoy new people.<\/p>\n
3.\u00a0Greet and Meet<\/h4>\n
$\"Drawing$
Sign of a global citizen: using greetings like these in \u00a0Swahili, Hindi, German, English, and Cherokee.
\u00a9 Eva Boynton<\/p><\/div>\n
My next sure-fire strategy is\u00a0to meet people part-way.<\/p>\n
When you visit another country, read up on\u00a0its traditions, language, geography, and culture before you go, and learn words for\u00a0common courtesies such as hello, goodbye,\u00a0please,<\/em>\u00a0and thank you<\/em>.<\/p>\n
I find people are often pleased and surprised when you know phrases in their language. Often, they know some English and my hello opens the door to\u00a0a further connection.<\/p>\n
Europe is a tightly packed continent where one day on a train can mean crossing several countries (and languages). On a short trip, my efforts paid off even when I accidentally swapped languages.<\/p>\n
On my first day in Italy, after visiting France and Spain, I thanked a waitress for dinner by stuttering, “Merci! Gracias! Thank you . . . Grazie!” My head was buzzing with different languages. Overhearing my bizarre effort, a table of locals invited me over and we talked until dawn about the flux of culture, language and travel in Europe. It was a night to remember.<\/p>\n
4. Say It a Different Way<\/h4>\n
Traveling\u00a0in Mexico, I relied on\u00a0my rusty high school Spanish. There were times when, tongue-tied, I\u00a0hit the wall. In an “Oh, I see” moment<\/strong>,\u00a0I learned to\u00a0try different ways to say the same thing.<\/p>\n
My friend and I were at a market in Guadalajara shopping for dinner ingredients. The key was ground meat, and it was my job to find it. I searched my brain, but couldn’t find the Spanish words. At\u00a0the meat counter,\u00a0I\u00a0asked for carne de hamburguesa<\/em> (hamburger meat) and received a patty.<\/p>\n
I took the patty\u00a0to my friend, hoping it would suffice and I could avoid further chagrin. But no, he sent me and the patty back.\u00a0I tried different descriptions: carne de espaguetis<\/em> (spaghetti meat) and\u00a0carne en tiras<\/em> (meat in strips).<\/p>\n
As\u00a0I rambled on,\u00a0the men behind the counter started guessing, and we began a hysterical game of charades. In this game, it was as important to listen as to speak.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
When in doubt, try any words you know . . . and charades!
\u00a9 Eva Boynton<\/p><\/div>\n
Finally, we got to\u00a0the answer together: carne molida de res<\/em>. It felt like the buzzer went off—“Ding! Ding! Ding!<\/em>“—and an announcer declared, “Step on up to accept your $10,000 prize!”<\/p>\n
In the end, a little embarrassment was a small price to pay for the prize of connection. I returned to that meat counter throughout my stay in Guadalajara to visit, laugh, make mistakes, and buy carne molida de res<\/em>.<\/p>\n
#5 Make Friends with a Language Broker<\/h4>\n
When you meet fellow travelers or expats who speak your language, inquire what other languages they speak. This one question can widen your world. An invitation to a soir\u00e9e where two people speak English, two speak French, and one speaks both languages means—thanks to the broker—everyone can communicate!<\/p>\n
$\"A$
Call on a language broker to make connections.
\u00a9 Eva Boynton<\/p><\/div>\n
In Calcutta, I volunteered at one of Mother Teresa’s hospices. I learned by watching since neither patients, workers nor volunteers spoke English.<\/p>\n
After several days of silently watching and doing, I met my language broker: a volunteer from the Canary Islands, bilingual in Spanish and French. We began a “telephone game” with the volunteers; from Spanish to French, French to German, German to Swiss, Swiss to Italian, Italian to Hindi.<\/p>\n
Connecting the group through language brokers strengthened our team and friendships. We were a symphony of languages searching for the same rhythm.<\/p>\n
Rewards of Bridging the Gap<\/h4>\n
The world is big and small at the same time. And the language barriers are real.\u00a0Learning another language<\/a> can take you farther into a culture, but try my five lingua franca\u00a0<\/em>strategies to move you out of the\u00a0comfortable American bubble when you travel.<\/p>\n
At the very least, you will crack the language barrier and come\u00a0home with connections to\u00a0people from around the world. That’s the\u00a0everlasting\u00a0souvenir.<\/p>\n
Comment<\/a>\u00a0<\/i>on this post below. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":22251,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crossing-culture","category-culture-language"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22125"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40453,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22125\/revisions\/40453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}