Language Help Worldwide and Symbols In Japan

How do you get by as a tourist when you don't speak many foreign languages?
If you speak English, your tourist trip is easier in these countries:
England
Wales
Scotland
Ireland
The Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey)
The Isle of Man
The USA
Canada
New Zealand
Australia
South Africa

If you speak any foreign language, probably more countries than you imagine will speak that language, and give you a chance to revive your knowledge.

You could start learning a few words and some grammar. (See my previous posts on Duolingo, as well as my posts on Italian, German and Malay.)

Problem
What about languages which are totally unfamiliar, Greek, Russian, Chinese and Japanese?

Answers
For Greek and Russian, start learning on Duolingo.


Japanese
Symbols used in Japan include a smiling pig in a bowl for those who want to eat pork - or not eat pork. Pork is very popular for the Chinese (who reputedly eat anything with four legs except the table), as well as people from the Czech Republic and Italy, but not for those observing kosher or halal diets.

Tips
Information on Japanese symbols being introduced in far away places see the BBC news report:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-38920795
You could also copy these symbols for your use when asking questions.

Another BBC news report covers the use of an ap for a mobile phone which translates station announcements from Japanese into other languages.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-36976211

Article from Asahi Shimbun on phone app for translation
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201608040055.html

Apparently, what prompted a plan for translation is that the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 are expected to attract 20 million people. That is a lot of people, not just me, or you, but 20 million!
As far as I can tell, experiments are already taking place with iPhones, and more tests will be taking place from now until August 2018.

I suspect that once the Japanese start doing this, other countries will follow. Meanwhile, try

Duolingo.com


Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, English teacher and teacher of languages. I have more posts and blogs on language, travel, etiquette. You will find posts, profiles and books about me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and elsewhere on the net such as YouTube. Please like, follow and share my posts.