Travel Survival through Language

It was midnight. My friend and I found ourselves at a bus station in Kuala Lumpur. We missed our flight to Langkawi so we opted to head to our destination by an overnight land trip. As we got off our taxi, we were surrounded by men who were trying to book us in one of the bus trips.

We went to one of the bus companies and inquired. “Berapa harganya?” I asked in my limited Bahasa Indonesia (which I supposed would be applicable in Malaysia). The men were surprised that I could speak something that is familiar to their ears. I thanked the stars that night that I knew how to communicate in a foreign tongue.

Roaming around a place unfamiliar can be both exciting and frightening. But I’ve always found that being able to talk the local language is quite helpful. Before my friends and I went to China, we researched some basic Chinese phrases and memorized them. We entered one eatery with our heavy luggage behind us. A group of schoolboys were seated in one table and said something that had them laughing. My friend who came in late ordered her food and water in Chinese. The boys stared at each other and turned red. Well, we never really understood what they were talking about but we confirmed that they were making fun of us and hearing one of us speak their language made them feel embarrassed by what they did.

Learning a foreign language is essential when travelling. You can never assume that there is an English-speaking person nearby who can answer your query. Whether you are in a restaurant or in a bus or at a shopping place, a local phrase or two will definitely help. Plus, it becomes your weapon against attracting being mugged or overcharged. Also, it makes you interact easily to the locals, making them warm up to a stranger like you.
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