A to Z 2014: Language Apps

{For the month of April I will be blogging alphabetically on the topic of travel tips.}

Not everyone speaks English. Be respectful. Try to learn at least a few words in the national language of the country in which you are a guest. There are lots of great apps to help.

"Dry Ginger Ale"

Whenever I travel, the first thing I try to learn is "Thank You." I can say it in about a dozen languages. Try to also pick up a common greetings and "Please". As previously mentioned, "Bathroom" is important and small numbers tend to be helpful. The more you can say in a local dialect, the better time you'll have. People will be impressed that you would take the time to learn their language. Please just don't ever speak louder in English.

Really important messages might be in multiple languages.

I found that the free apps made by Codegent on Google Play are quite helpful. They have a bunch of common words and phrases separated into usage categories. It shows you the word in the local language (local script sometimes), the English phonetic equivalent and it will speak it out to you. This is especially important if it's a tonal language.