No Longer Have To Be Lost In Translation

*Courtesy of Google Image

My last trip to Bangladesh was only for week but, still, I found it helpful to learn few useful Bengali phrases to help make that important connection with the local people. I only need to sit down with my local friend and had her teach me for less than an hour. My little notebook then became handy as I traveled around the country.

But what about if you've moving long-term to a new country with a different language from your own? That's another story, and I had mine to share as I've moved to live in 3 different countries already and have done formal studies for 3 languages: Mandarin, Bahasa Melayu, and Thai.

On the first 2 weeks we arrived in China, we stayed in a hotel while we searched for an apartment.  My heart would leap each time I hear a knock on the door. I didn't want to answer the door. On the second week everybody sounded like buzzing bees to me!   I'm no longer hearing words or even syllables. Nobody spoke English and I felt so lost in translation! Culture shock had started to sink in. Thank God, soon I was able to enroll myself in a formal class where I had to attend daily. Language Learning is not easy but can be a lot of fun, too. Once you get at least the basic of the local language, life overseas becomes more meaningful and less stressful. The more language I study, the less difficult it becomes.

But then, there are those who don't want to go through the pain of studying another language, or even if they do, they don't have the time to do it.  Well, they have the choice really not to because they can get translations services when necessary. I know of friends who thrive in another country without learning the language and they do as well.