Three Ways to Overcome the Language Barrier and Live Like Your Favorite Netflix Doc

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Netflix and Chill is out. Today it’s all about Netflix and go. The new guilt-free binge is all about travel, learning about different cultures, foods, people, places and things. And while we have become fascinated by the likes of Endless Summer, Amazing Hotels, Chef’s Table, Ugly Delicious, and Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, the only parts that are known to us seem to be the copious amounts of snacks by our bedside. The budget to travel can certainly be the issue here. But after saving every last penny, many of us are still hesitant to travel. Of course, the language barrier can be incredibly intimidating. How do I start a conversation? How do I ask for directions and know where I’m going? How do I immerse myself in a place where I can’t even speak? The benefits of travel are well worth the discomfort and it’s time to leave the fear at home. Here are some tips to help you overcome the language barrier and build up the courage to go.

Brush Up On the Language

As if you needed another excuse to binge watch, watching a foreign film is a great first step towards getting out of your comfort zone and beginning to think in different ways. Watching foreign films helps to reinforce patterns in language that improve your listening skills and recognition of the nuances of a native tongue. Put on subtitles, and your brain will make associations that will begin to align your brain with the new language. Most importantly, films and television are an expression of culture and identity and a great source for gaining cultural insight before you fully immerse yourself. Are you a comedy fan? Watching a foreign comedy film could help you learn how the sense of humor in another culture differs from your own. When it comes to brushing up on a language, as always, there’s an app for that. The repetition of an app like Duolingo could be more helpful than you think in grasping the foundation of a language.

Embrace Mistakes

After getting through the first greetings, and mastering the please and thank you’s, chances are, you are going to fumble around a bit with the language. Mistakes come with the territory when you’re just trying something out. But how are supposed to get better, if you never start? Understand that we are all human and the judgment on the other side is never as loud as it seems to be in your head. Even with the most painful and cringy mistakes, locals will appreciate your effort in connecting with them and going out of your way to try. Just take a deep breath and try again.

Adopt a Travel Companion

At Langogo, http://bit.ly/2P6kq8E, founder Ryan Zhang and his team recognize how intimidating it is to travel without knowing the language. This is why they ventured to create a portable translation device that accurately translates and creates two-way conversations in real time. Combining voice recognition with AI assistance and Cloud-Sim technology to connect you to any local Wifi network, Langogo will connect you anywhere to anyone. The device translates speech between 60 different languages in less than a second, offering a worry-free travel experience to any one who wants to go, go, go! Want to learn Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Czech, Danish, German, Greek, English, Spanish, Finnish, French, Hindi, Croatian, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovene, Swedish, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese or Chinese? Langogo has you covered.

“We believe better communication makes a better world. We want to start with lowering language barriers, so that we can connect with local people, experience their cultures, understand people who live in the same planet with us,” says Zhang. Bring Langogo with you on the go and Euri, its travel AI buddy, will be your trusty tour guide and sidekick wherever you go, bringing the confidence to truly connect with people. Langogo will be available for pre-order on the crowd funding platform, Indiegogo in September and ready for shipping in late October across the globe. With a new travel companion by your side, you’ll be ready to close your laptop and live your life out loud!

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Melissa Thompson

Melissa is a mother of 2, lives in Utah, and writes for a multitude of sites. She is currently the EIC of HarcourtHealth.com and writes about health, wellness, and business topics.