In Genesis, there is a story that outlines the efforts of Babylon to build a tower which could reach heaven. God seeing this got angry, and suddenly there was a division in languages. To this day we find the language barrier an issue. In America, English speaking individuals get irritated when they are approached by non-English speaking personnel: "You would think that if they were going to come to America, they would at least learn the language!".
I have lived in two different countries where the native language is not English (Iraq and Japan). If you love traveling, it most likely would not suite you to learn every language on the planet-unless you travel primarily in one country. So how exactly do you work around the language barrier? Why does it matter?
Let's talk about the "why" before we get into the "how". Think about all the times in your life where you got into a huge argument with someone. How many of those times did the problem occur because there was mis-communication somewhere? Now pick out one of the incidents where you resolved the problem. Actually sat down and resolved it with the other individual. I am willing to bet that once you started listening to what one another had to say, both parties appreciated the fact that you were actively listening, rather than jumping to conclusions. The same works when you walk into another's territory. If you take the time to overcome the problems faced by language barriers, not only will you be able to have more fun, you may find that you meet some wonderful people, or even learn something new.
Let us take an example from my visit to Osaka. I was having a difficult time finding the hostel I had booked for the night. The only thing I had, was an address and some directions from JR Fukushima station. When I had walked over six minutes to try and locate J-Hopper's (the directions said it should have been a three minute walk), I decided it was time to ask someone if they could help me. The first person told me I had gone to far. I had actually left the street I was suppose to be on (something to note about minor Japanese roads: they either do not have a sign announcing them, or the sign is concealed). However, it was the second individual that I came across and asked for help that was able to help me understand the address I had in my hand.
J-Hoppers Osaka Central 4-22, Fukushima 7-chome, Fukushima-ku, Osaka-City Osaka
The woman stood at a building with an address reading:
4-22, Fukushima 8-chome, Fukushima-ku
I had absolutely no idea what "chome" meant. So I inquired where "7-chome" was located. It would seem the closest equivalent to "chome" in the English language, is "city block". Without even realizing it, she was able to teach me a new term in the Japanese language. And she did not speak a word of English, only Japanese with a mixture of hand signals.
While I walked towards J-Hoppers, I thought about all the different barriers people had to break through, when there were no course to be taken in world languages. The explorers had to learn from scratch, and then they made it easy on the rest of us by recording the data. So how did they accomplish this? How can we use the same methods and tools they used? Well the first answer to this question, is fairly obvious- tons of patience. Without patience, curiosity and a truly sincere desire to bridge the gap between yourself and the person(s) you encounter on your world tours, you will not accomplish anything. And you will miss out on some wonderful opportunities ("Go-En" anyone? :) )
It would seem that the most primitive means of communication, is through pictographs. After all, our ancestors lined the walls of temples with these writings. It was the most efficient means of keeping the story from being misinterpreted. Regardless of what the word becomes in the future, what we interpret as a ball today will always be the shape of a sphere. If a ball were to be renamed to a "roller" the picture would still be able to tell us that kids use to use a "roller" when they played soccer/football. With this in mind, I keep a notebook and pen on me (even if that means buying a thousand of them because I left the stuff at home). Using pictures and numbers helps communicate ideas more clearly.
Body language plays a great deal in communication also. As I mentioned above, it was mostly patience and her use of hand motions that gave me a clear idea of where I needed to go. Your body language can communicate not only words, but the meaning behind those words-i.e. emotion. It is also in the tone of your voice. If you are impatient in getting something, the person you are talking to will know. And they may not even want to try and help you. If you communicate the wrong emotion, it will turn people off, communicate the right one and it will either inspire them or it will make them feel the time is worthwhile to help someone.
The next thing, is to learn the basic customs and courtesies of the land you are going to. For example, bowing is a BIG thing here in Japan. It shows respect. In Iraq, greeting someone with your left hand is considered as taboo as giving someone "the bird". It is also considered very disrespectful in many cultures to eyeball someone. Knowing the basics of customs and courtesies show's respect for them, as well as gratitude for their assistance.
The last thing, is to walk in with a few basic words. The four major words I arm myself with are the equivalent of "thank you", "excuse me", "please", and "hello". Others will tell you that it is good to walk into a room and be able to ask if anyone can speak (insert your language here). To me, however(and mind you this is my own opinion, others may vary), I see it as a form of disrespect, because right off the bat you are demanding that I know how to speak your language. I would rather work with someone who is willing to grab my attention by saying "excuse me" than one who wants to know if I speak their language. In my humble opinion, it is a sign that they do not have the patience to work with you in order to resolve their situation.