When I went to work at the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Potsdam, Germany for the summer I spoke very little German. Mildly concerned about living in a country whose official language I did not speak, I spent the few months between booking my flights and leaving the country to try and learn some basic German, in particular what turned out to be my most commonly used phrase “Sprechen-Sie Englisch?” (Do you speak English?).
Of all the things that gave me pause about my exchange, how to deal with a language barrier was at the top of my list. I have never been very gifted linguistically and trying to learn a language from a phrase book leaves much to be desired. Keep in mind, I was not going to a country to learn a language, my work placement was science-related and English-speaking. So for those of you out there who are worried about language, don’t let that stop you.
Allow me to give you some advice:
- Smile
A smile is universal. When I was frustrated with not being able to understand, or not being understood, I found that a smile really helped ease things along. Body language in general will sometimes be your best means of communication; pointing and nodding with a smile will often ease the situation, and people might be more likely to help you no matter which language you are using. - Try
I know it can be really difficult when you do not have a good grasp of the language. Believe me, I am fairly shy and this was probably the hardest thing for me to do. But I found, even as I was butchering the language, that people really appreciated the effort. So make the effort before you leave, study a phrase book or, if you can, take a course. Once you are there, take advantage of the opportunities available. Find out if there are language classes offered with your program, which there was in my case, and make friends with a native speaker. During down periods at work a co-worker and I would make a game out of it, trading English and German words. Her English improved greatly with practice and I still recall some of the German she taught me. I found that if you were willing to try and learn, there are always people willing to help you. - Be Able to Laugh at Yourself
Realize 100% that you will make mistakes. You are going to use the wrong word, or mispronounce things, or just basically make a mess of the language. If you are willing to laugh at your mistakes, you won’t mind making them so much. There were a few times when I misread a menu and was fairly surprised when my dinner arrived. But this goes with the first two pieces of advice, you need to keep smiling and trying. - Ask
Be aware that sometimes you will not be able to communicate. Do not be afraid to ask if someone speaks English, many people do. Do not expect them to speak English, but there is no harm in asking. Do not be ashamed to admit you don’t understand, and utilize your second language if you have one. My German was horrible, but my French was passable. It happened more than once that I needed information from someone who didn’t speak English but randomly spoke French, so we were able to communicate in that way. You never really know until you ask.
Basically, what I want you to know is, if I can do it, so can you. I am not saying it is always going to be easy, it’s not. You will be able to get by and if you try, you will start picking up some of the language. By the end of the summer, I was not fluent by any means, but I was able to order food in a restaurant and know what I was going to get. I could ask for, and understand, basic directions. But most importantly, I learned that, despite the challenges, I could figure out how to get by.