How to Learn a Language Before Travel

March 24, 2022January 12, 2021 by desserthighway

How to Learn a Language Before You Travel

Vrai Paris Cafe, Paris, France. Photo by Alex Harmuth

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For as long as I can remember, I have been an enthusiastic language learner. I studied French and Spanish at school and went on to study French at university, with a year of beginner’s Chinese. As an adult, I spent three years living in Tokyo, and I have since taken two Japanese exams. I continue to study Japanese regularly.

Despite all this experience, I still have to focus on finding the best ways to learn, and I’m still working towards achieving native-level fluency in a second language. That’s the thing about learning a language; it can be a long journey. Your goal doesn’t have to be fluency, however, and achieving even basic language skills can be an incredibly valuable experience.

When I first started learning languages, I wasn’t necessarily doing it with travel in mind, but there’s no doubt that my language skills have enhanced my travel experiences. I felt more comfortable and confident when travelling in France, Spain, and Japan because I was able to understand some of what was going on around me, and I didn’t have to ask people to speak English. I was also able to connect with locals more and have experiences away from the usual tourist trails.

These aren’t the only reasons that it’s beneficial to learn a language before you travel. Read on to find out what I think the values of learning a language are, and what methods I’ve found to be most effective.

Why should I learn another language before I travel?

You will have richer travel experiences

Learning a language has given me some wonderful opportunities. As part of my French degree, I spent 7 months living and working in France. When I lived in Tokyo, I was eventually able to make friends with locals who didn’t speak English; friendships that wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t improved my Japanese.

My experiences of travelling in France and Japan were greatly improved thanks to my language skills: locals warmed to me as I was making an effort to speak their language, I was able to eat in non-touristy restaurants that didn’t have English menus, and I had more opportunities to explore the cultures at a deeper level.

Native English speakers often have a reputation for relying on English when travelling and not learning much of the local language. This is not a reputation to be proud of and it is one we should try to change. It’s important not to expect praise for learning the local language though, especially as so many people who work in tourism around the world have to learn our language to do their jobs. The least we can do is to learn a few words and phrases so that we can greet people and be polite.

You will grow in confidence

Once you’ve navigated paying taxes, renting an apartment, or discussing your allergies with a restaurant chef in another language, many situations no longer feel daunting. After all, these are things that can be tough to deal with in your native tongue, let alone a language that you don’t speak fluently!

Learning a language often pushes you outside of your comfort zone, especially when you start using that language in everyday situations. I can’t say that I haven’t found this tiring at times, but I’m proud of, and grateful for, the confidence that persevering through these challenges has given me.

You will improve your communication skills

Language is incredibly nuanced and the more you study a language, the more you learn to read between the lines in that language. You learn that the same word used in different contexts can mean completely different things, and that a slight change in the formality of your language is the difference between being respectful and offending someone.

Speaking another language also gives you more access to another culture. You may learn that certain gestures used in your culture are considered rude in another, or that you’ve been misinterpreting body language because of cultural differences.

All of these experiences can make you a better communicator in general, and you can use this newfound skill in other areas of your life, such as in relationships and at work.

Hopefully, I’ve convinced you of the value in learning a language, but one question remains; what is the best way to go about it?

How do I learn another language?

Use multiple methods

In order to learn a language, you need to master several skills. You also need to find ways to keep yourself motivated. For these two reasons, I think the best way to learn a language is to use different methods that challenge you in different ways.

You could sit at home and memorise a lot of vocabulary, but chances are you won’t be able to recognise these words in different accents if you don’t work on your listening skills, and you won’t be able to put these words into coherent sentences if you don’t study grammar. Different methods can help with building different skills, and it is this combined approach that will help you achieve your language-learning goals.

Here are my favourite methods for learning a language.

Apps

Apps like Duolingo are a great place to start as they encourage you to incorporate short bursts of language learning into your daily routine. They also appeal to those with a competitive nature, with user rankings and rewards for practising every day. Many language learning apps have free versions available, so there’s no need to make a big financial commitment. You can find useful language learning apps in the Tripscholars Resource Library.

While apps can be great at helping you master some useful vocabulary and simple sentence structure, I do think there’s a limit to how much progress you can make with them. Speaking practice is often limited to repeating sentences and it’s hard for apps to simulate real-world situations.

Films and TV shows

There are several approaches you can take to get the most out of what is one of the most enjoyable ways to learn a language. When you’re just starting, watching films and TV shows in your target language with subtitles is a great way to get used to pronunciation and intonation. You might also be able to recognise some basic vocabulary, such as greetings or words used for asking questions.

As you progress, keep the subtitles on, but use a notepad to jot down any useful words or phrases you hear and then check them in Google translate (better for words than phrases), a dictionary, or with a language exchange partner.

Once you are fairly competent in the language, you can test yourself by watching films and TV shows without the subtitles.

Lessons

Become fluent in any language. Visit italki.com

There’s no doubt that getting instant feedback from a trained teacher is invaluable when learning a language. If it wasn’t for the engaging French lessons I had in sixth form (11th and 12th grade of high school), I wouldn’t have gone on to study French at university, and the most progress I ever made in Japanese was when I started weekly lessons with a private tutor.

In-person group classes can be a lot of fun and give you the added bonus of meeting new people, but depending on where you live, it can be hard to find group classes for all languages and levels. This is where one-on-one online lessons come in.

Italki is a platform of over 10,000 teachers who can help you with everything from casual conversation practice to test preparation and business-focussed lessons. It is based out of Hong Kong, so you may need approve translating the site when you arrive.

Another fantastic option is Preply. You can find tutors with a broad range of backgrounds and rates who will help you improve your language skills before your trip. Many of the tutors are also professional teachers and there are ample reviews to help you find the best match.

Unlike apps, one-to-one lessons can be tailor-made to you. You can work with your teacher to make sure your lessons are focussed on what you most want or need to learn, making the best use of your time and money. Online lessons are also very competitively priced and most platforms offer even cheaper trial lessons to help you find your perfect teacher.

Language exchanges

The concept of a language exchange is to practice the language you’re learning with a native (or fluent) speaker, who in turn practices your native language with you. I discovered language exchanges through mylanguageexchange.com a few years ago, and they really helped improve my spoken Japanese. Speaking is often the most daunting part of learning a language, so language exchanges tend to make you feel comfortable as you are both practising.

Language exchanges also allow you to get the same instant feedback as lessons, but they are more relaxed and allow you to learn everyday conversation rather than more formal “textbook” language.

Finding a language exchange partner can be a little like dating, in that it can take a while to find someone that you get along with and find it easy to communicate with. I truly believe it’s worth the effort though, and I now have lifelong friends that started out as language exchange partners.

I find that using different language-learning methods keeps me interested and motivated. When I’m short on time or don’t feel that I have the capacity for an intense study session, I watch an episode of a TV show or do ten minutes of learning on an app. When time isn’t an issue, or I’m getting ready for a test, I take notes while watching a film and test myself on the vocabulary later or I schedule one-on-one lessons with my tutor.

Push yourself to focus on areas that you’re less confident in

I tend to be good at pronunciation and remembering new vocabulary, but I struggle with grammar and sentence structure. It can be tempting to only focus on the areas that I’m best at and enjoy the most, but if I do that, I will never be able to express myself the way I want to in another language.

Every now and again, push yourself to focus on what you find the hardest or least enjoyable. If you can find a fun way to do this (try using the methods I mentioned above!), it will soon stop feeling like hard work.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself

Learning a language can be fun, but it is also incredibly challenging. It seems that some people have a natural aptitude for languages, but for the rest of us, it takes hard work and consistency.

If your goal is to be fluent, it can be a years-long or even lifelong endeavour, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself to learn at a fast pace. Succumbing to the pressure can knock your confidence and motivation, two things that are vital to language learning success.

Learning a language is challenging, but it’s worth the effort

There you have it, my top tips for learning a language and why I think it’s so important. Visit the Tripscholars Resource Library to find more language learning resources. Have you ever tried to learn a language before you travelled? What methods did you find most helpful? If you’ve never tried to learn a language, have I convinced you to give it a go?

This guest post was contributed by Shannon at Desserthighway

We love to learn from our guest writers and appreciate their expertise! Visit her website by clicking on the image or name below.

desserthighway

I’m Shannon, a gluten-free travel blogger and dessert lover from the UK. I’m an avid traveller, and I’ve lived and worked in France and Japan. I share travel stories, detailed itineraries, and the best gluten-free desserts on my blog desserthighway.com. My interests include hiking, learning languages, reading, and anything sweet!

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First Time to Japan: the Guide for Curious Travelers

April 25, 2024November 30, 2020 by desserthighway

First Time to Japan: The Guide for Curious Travelers

Byōdōin temple in Uji, Kyoto, Japan

If this will be your first time to Japan, we have the perfect guide for you! As one of the top travel destinations in 2019, Japan welcomed 31.9 million foreign visitors and was expected to see even more tourism this year. When international travel resumes, I’m sure Japan will be back at the top of many traveller’s bucket lists, so why not get a head start to make sure you have a truly unforgettable trip?

It’s always beneficial to research your destination, but with its rich culture, complex etiquette, and fascinating history, Japan is a country that rewards a little extra homework. Read on and discover what you can do from home to get the most out of your first time to Japan.

Plan your first time in Japan

Learn about Japanese etiquette before your first time to Japan

As guests in another country, one of the best ways to ingratiate ourselves with locals is to learn what is considered polite and impolite in their culture.

Before Covid-19 brought international travel to a grinding halt, Japan was suffering from the negative effects of overtourism; so much so that the Japanese media coined the phrase kankō kōgai, meaning tourism pollution. There were reports of maiko (trainee geishas) being harassed in Kyoto, sacred sights being overrun with cruise passengers, and tourists trespassing on agricultural land in Hokkaido.

Covid may have pressed pause on this worrying trend for now, but tourists will return. When travel restarts, it will be more important than ever for tourists to learn about etiquette when planning a trip to Japan.

Japanese etiquette is fairly complex, but no one expects you to know everything. Below I have highlighted the most important aspects of etiquette to remember when traveling to Japan for the first time.

Wear your nicest socks because you will need to take your shoes off

You must always take your shoes off when entering someone’s home but you also need to take your shoes off in some restaurants. If you do need to take your shoes off, make sure you step out of your shoes directly onto the clean area (usually a raised step), and then place your shoes into a small locker. Most of the time there will be slippers for you to wear, but these can sometimes be too small for westerners. It may seem odd to be walking around a restaurant in your socks or a pair of slippers, but you soon get used to it. It’s also important to note that there are separate slippers to use in the bathroom.

Don’t play with your chopsticks

Chopsticks are an important feature of Japanese funeral rituals and there are a couple of things that are therefore considered very rude at mealtimes. The first is passing food from one pair of chopsticks to another. If you’re sharing food, you should place the food straight onto the other person’s plate, and it is good manners to use the other end of your chopsticks to do this. The second is leaving your chopsticks upright in your rice. Instead, place your chopsticks on the chopstick rest or lay them side by side on the top of your bowl or plate.

Stay still when eating outside

While there are many tasty and affordable options for grabbing food on the go, such as convenience stores and food stalls, the Japanese tend to frown upon eating while walking. To avoid this common tourist blunder, you can eat your food inside the convenience store if there’s seating, eat standing outside the food stall, or find a bench or park and eat there.

If you are ever unsure about what is considered impolite, keep a close eye on the locals and do what they do!

Train travel is a quiet affair

Japan is my favourite country to travel by train and that is due in no small part to how clean, quiet and peaceful they are. Passengers have their phones on silent (or manner mode, as it’s called in Japan), do not take phone calls, and keep conversations to a low volume. While Japanese people are not generally confrontational, talking loudly or answering your phone on the train is a sure-fire way to get you at least a mildly aggressive stare. If you take the shinkansen (bullet train), you are allowed to talk on the phone, but only in the space between carriages.

Learn a few phrases

Japanese people are generally very gracious when it comes to travellers struggling to speak Japanese, and a few polite phrases will go a long way.

Let’s face it though, speaking another language can be a daunting and nerve-wracking experience. I always feel more comfortable and less self-conscious when I have some familiarity with pronunciation and intonation. Luckily there’s a fun way to do this: watch films and TV shows! There are tons of Japanese series and films on Netflix and travelers in the UK and Ireland can subscribe to Screen Anime’s online film festival. Another great way to practice your pronunciation and learn useful phrases ahead of your trip is with YouTube videos such as Obaachan’s Class, JapanesePod101 and Yuko Sensei.

English isn’t widely spoken in Japan, especially outside of the main tourist hubs, so having a handful of everyday phrases under your belt will be incredibly helpful. It also shows the people you interact with that you’ve made the effort to learn about their culture and language. Read my article, How to Learn a Language Before You Travel for more ideas to help you learn Japanese before your first time to Japan.

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Join a virtual experience or take a virtual tour before your first time in Japan

For obvious reasons, virtual tours and experiences have become particularly popular in 2020. While we may associate them with escapism and armchair travel at the moment, virtual tours are also a great way to do some research and planning for a future trip to Japan.

Virtual tours of large museums like Tokyo National Museum can help you prioritise what you would like to see when you’re able to visit in person. Tohoku X Tokyo has created a series of videos comparing Tokyo and the Tohoku region which might inspire you to add some less famous destinations to your itinerary. If you’re excited to take the train in Japan (and you should be!), you can watch this surprisingly mesmerising live feed of the train tracks at Hamamatsuchō station in Tokyo. For those who plan to travel with children, Kids Web Japan is an excellent resource with manga depicting seasonal events, basic language lessons, quizzes, and simple recipes.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is a must-visit for anyone who wants to learn more about the horrific events of August 1945, and travellers can start learning from home through the museum’s Peace Database. The database includes photographs of artefacts, drawings by survivors, and fascinating but harrowing survivor testimonies.

All the above suggestions are free, but if you would like to get a little more hands-on, try origami lessons and a virtual Mt Fuji climb with Airbnb’s knowledgeable hosts. This is a great way to immerse yourself in Japanese culture whilst also supporting instructors and guides whose businesses have suffered due to lack of tourism.

Explore through TV shows, films, and books before your first time in Japan

Whether it’s manga, Pokemon, J-pop, or Studio Ghibli films, popular culture is often what sparks people’s interest in Japan. Fortunately, with streaming services like Netflix, we now have even more of an opportunity to explore Japanese culture through the mediums of film and television.

Two of my favourite Japanese shows on Netflix are Midnight Diner and Aggretsuko. Midnight Diner is a quirky series following the lives of various colourful characters who frequent a late-night izakaya (Japanese pub/bar) run by the enigmatic “master.” As well as being highly entertaining, this is a great show for learning about Japanese cuisine, as each episode is centred around a different Japanese dish. At first glance, Aggretsuko might seem like a cutesy anime (all the characters are animals, after all!), but in actual fact, this cartoon is a humorous and heartfelt portrayal of contemporary Japanese society and the pressure it puts on women in particular.

For documentaries that focus on specific aspects of Japanese culture, check out Little Miss Sumo (Netflix), Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Prime Video), and The Birth of Sake (Prime Video).

For the bookworms amongst you, Honouring High Places: The Mountain Life of Junko Tabei tells the fascinating story of the first woman to climb the Seven Summits. Strange Weather in Tokyo is a charming novel that will have you booking an izakaya food tour after reading the mouthwatering descriptions of these atmospheric Japanese bars.

Consider buying a JR Pass for your first time to Japan

If you’re planning a trip to Japan, experiencing the iconic bullet train is probably high up on your list of things to do. The shinkansen is certainly a marvel of engineering, but it is expensive, with a return trip from Tokyo to Osaka coming to a hefty $280. The JR Pass is an excellent way to save money and a convenient way to travel as you don’t have to buy multiple tickets and can even use it on some buses.

The most popular destinations to visit with a JR Pass are Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima, but you could also consider adding Nagoya or Kobe to your itinerary. Or, to get even further off the beaten path, you could purchase a regional JR Pass and explore destinations such as Okayama in the west or Aomori in the north.

The JR pass doesn’t allow you to ride the Nozomi, Japan’s fastest bullet train, but with speeds of up to 178 mph, the Hikari is a more than acceptable substitute.

Get organised if you’re a Totoro fan

For any Studio Ghibli fans, a visit to the enchanting Ghibli museum in a quiet Tokyo suburb is a must. Tickets are surprisingly cheap at $10 for adults, but you need to be organised as you cannot buy tickets at the museum itself. Fortunately, it’s easy to purchase tickets online up to three months in advance. Be sure and plan ahead for the day you would like to visit as the tickets are not flexible.

This may seem like a lot of effort for a museum, but trust me, it’s worth it! The attention to detail throughout the museum is astounding. Your ticket grants you entrance to an exclusive short film in the beautiful theatre, and the gift shop has got to be one of the best museum gift shops on the planet, selling only Studio Ghibli approved merchandise.

Develop a taste for Japanese cuisine

First-time visitors to Japan may be nervous about eating with chopsticks so it’s a good idea to get some practice at home (make sure you avoid the faux pas I mentioned above!), and it’s also a great excuse to eat some Japanese food. If there are any Japanese restaurants in your area, see if they deliver, or try your hand at some simple Japanese recipes. Dishes that don’t require special ingredients include omurice and fruit sandwiches. If you’re able to access an Asian supermarket, you could try making something like Japanese curry or yaki onigiri.

Get a head start from home

As you can see, there are many things you can do from home to ensure that you have the best possible experience in Japan. Not only will these activities add to your understanding of Japanese culture, but they also add to the anticipation of what will undoubtedly be a life-changing trip. Explore these resources from home and you’ll get the most out of your trip to Japan.