If you are planning a trip to another country, it is a good idea to become conversant in the language of your hosts. This may seem a bit daunting, but I have found that I can easily memorize a few key phrases in many languages and this provides a "foothold" to at least get around, and a frame from which I can build on more later. Here is my list of key starter phrases:
- Hello/Goodbye
- Where is the (bathroom, airport, hotel, taxi, and restaurant)?
- My name is_____/what is your name?
- I am a business consultant/I work with businesses
- My (language) is not very good, do you speak English?
- May I have bottled water?
- What time is it?
You can easily add to this list over time, but I don't consider myself very good at learning languages and prefer to set goals I can achieve reliably. By starting with these phrases I establish myself as someone willing to make the effort and in return I am much more likely to receive assistance and pick up new phrases as I go along. I have learned this list and variations to it before visiting Asia, Europe and South America with good results.