When I signed up to study abroad in Panama, I was excited for everything it had to offer, including trips into the rainforest and boating to different islands. What I was not prepared for was the significant language barrier. After landing in Panama, I went to a restaurant near my hotel for dinner. The language barrier became apparent when I tried to order my meal. I have a lot of food allergies so trying to order my meal exactly as I needed it became overwhelming. Many of the other people on my trip were in the same boat. Only one person on the trip had taken Spanish in high school, so he had basic conversational Spanish skills. I quickly realized that would not be enough to get me through my study abroad.
Google Translate became my lifeline. There are other translating apps you could use instead of Google Translate. I was just more comfortable with Google Translate. I would type out my order at restaurants before my waiter came and tried to practice pronunciations of phrases. It was not perfect and oftentimes I would have to show them google translate, however most people appreciated the effort. This language barrier during the trip taught me many lessons.
- Download Duolingo a few months before your trip and start practicing basic words and phrases.
- Download Google Translate just in case you need it!
- Don’t let a language barrier stop you from exploring places.
- It is okay to make mistakes. Don’t let making mistakes hold you back from trying.
