You can do pretty well travelling the world if you know good English, but to become a seasoned traveller with its true sense, then it is great if you know the language of the locals as well.
When you travel all around the world, we know that it is unthinkable to know all the different local languages. But, it is wonderful to know some of the foreign languages which are spoken as common languages in many countries. Like, say Spanish. If you know Spanish, then you know the local language of Spain and the entire South America except for Brazil. Spanish learning is easy nowadays too with online classes.
There are a lot of benefits that you get when you learn a local language. With your acquired skill of a traveller who knows the foreign language, you will get more respect and help from the locals of the country you are visiting. For instance, suppose you are in India for trekking, wouldn’t it be so lovely if you pick up a great conversation with your sherpa (guide) regarding trekking in Hindi?
Breaking the language barrier is easy. Let us dive right into the advantages of learning local languages. This has become even easier nowadays, as you can even learn Luxembourgish online.
When you know that learning local language, then you can mix with the people without any troubles and gain some true friendships. Not knowing their language at all, keeps you in a barrier. The locals will treat you as a traveller alright but you won’t receive the care and relationship that you ask for when travelling. At a time, when they don’t understand them and they don’t understand you, then you might feel left out and bored, which is unwanted on a trip. When you know the language, you are dealt with more compassion and you become their own.
Language plays a very prominent part when it comes to knowing the culture of a country. When you see roaming around the alleys and the highways, and you speak with the locals in their language, having a good conversation, where you imbibe their perceptions and point of view towards life, is then when you learn about a country and culture from its core. To have personal experiences with the native culture, knowing the language probably plays the biggest role. And they will also know the fact that you want to know more about their country.
When you know the local language, you can easily mix with the locals and that is going to help you a lot in knowing the place more than you ever could. Experiencing a country also means encountering the little things as well which comprises their lifestyle. When people express everything to you naturally and you do not have to worry about whether you will understand them a lot better, then you become open to them for a good conversation that becomes a good part of your life as a traveller. Communication with other people becomes so much simpler and more prompt.
Without having known the local language, you just become an everyday local tourist and visit the everyday local tourist spots only. To be honest, that is not the right way to know the country and feel the vibes of the country from the core.
Knowing a language gives you a lot of insights about the country as you can simply roam around places by yourself without thinking much about whether people will be able to guide you or not. For instance, you are walking through a local market, and you can have some chit chats with the locals to help you learn more about the daily life of people over there.
We have already mentioned that learning the local language allows you to have great conversations with the locals which intrigue you towards some great friendship or companionship. Besides that, you also gain respect as well. When you know their language, locals assume that you respect them, their culture, their culture, and their country. They feel that you want to know about them and their culture. This is what gives you the respect in return that you deserve.
There are so many benefits which we can point out when we talk about knowing the local language when travelling. It gives you a different dimension of travelling to be fair and makes your trip better than you anticipated. The best thing about knowing the local language is that people will treat you as their own, where you can experience some good conversation, friendship, and brotherhood, instead of treating you like a foreigner or an outsider all the time. So, you will advise you to at least learn the basics of the local language before leaving for a country. This way, your trip will be something that you will remember and cherish in your heart for all your life.