Global Travel Planning

Lost in Translation: Hilarious English Mix Ups on Your Adventures Abroad

• Tracy Collins • Episode 60

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The Ladies Who Travel dive into hilarious and confusing ways English varies worldwide, demonstrating how even English speakers can struggle to understand each other when travelling between countries.

• Words like "thongs," "chips," and "restroom" have completely different meanings in the UK, Australia, and America
• Cultural communication beyond words includes queuing etiquette and personal space expectations
• Google Translate is essential for navigation, ordering food, and even handling emergencies abroad
• Download language packs before travelling to ensure translation access without internet
• Learning just three words—hello, please, and thank you—in the local language makes a significant difference
• Speaking slower and enunciating clearly helps when communicating across language barriers
• Reading the room and adjusting behaviour to match local customs shows respect when travelling
• Non-verbal communication varies significantly between cultures, including hand gestures and personal space

Join the Ladies Who Travel next in episode 65, where we'll discuss food experiences while travelling, including how to navigate dietary restrictions and picky eating habits abroad.

⭐️ Guests - Melissa (QueenslandTravelGuide.com.au) and Shelly Marie (SoloHerWay.com)
📝  Show Notes - Episode 52

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Speaker 1:

What happens when three women from three countries think they're speaking the same language, but aren't. In this episode, we're diving into the everyday mix-ups, menu fails and awkward travel moments caused by English not always meaning the same thing around the world. Let's just say not everything means what you think it does. Hi and welcome to the Global Travel Planning Podcast. I'm your host, tracey Collins, who, with my expert guests, will take you on a weekly journey to destinations around the globe, providing travel inspiration, itinerary ideas, practical tips and more to help you plan your next travel adventure. Welcome to episode 60 of the Global Travel Planner podcast.

Speaker 1:

This episode, the ladies who travel are diving into all the hilarious and sometimes confusing ways English varies around the world and how, even when we think we're speaking the same language, we're often not on the same page. So we're going to be sharing some of our top stories of language mishaps when we travel, how we prepare to travel to non-English speaking countries, and some tips and tech that can help smooth things out. So this chat actually came and was inspired by a TikTok that Melissa and Shelley, who are joining me now, did and shared recently on TikTok and Instagram. So, hi guys, hello, hello on TikTok and Instagram. So, hi guys, hello, hello. So let's talk about your TikTok. So what was it? Let's talk about what is in the TikTok because I'm going to share it in the show notes. But let's talk about that and also just say where we are at the moment as well, because I know everybody likes to know where we are in the world.

Speaker 2:

So I'm back in Brisbane. Welcome home, tracey. Thank you. And Melissa, where are you at the moment? Um I'm in brisbane as well, um in my house in brisbane it's very, very cold.

Speaker 1:

It is I'm freezing and we've got shelly who's sitting there in a t-shirt with the aircon on, so obviously you're not somewhere where it's cold no, I'm in sunny florida oh lucky. I wish I was to tell you. So how long are you going to be in Florida? For I know you've been doing a bit of travel around the States.

Speaker 3:

Yes, I'm not quite sure. Probably maybe four or five weeks, I'm not sure yet. Yeah, enjoying the heat. Yes, actually I like the heat. So it's been very sunny and I've been checking out a lot of the beaches and some historical sites.

Speaker 1:

Excellent. Well, you do a really good job of avoiding the cold while you travel. I haven't done such a good job these last 12 months. I seem to have just gone cold, cold, cold, cold, a bit hot and then cold again, and then obviously going to Antarctica on the air. I'm not exactly going to go hot there either. Anyway, okay, so tell us about the TikTok stroke Instagram reel that you guys created.

Speaker 3:

So I was in Australia, spent several weeks in Australia and Melissa and I met up a couple times and I was really struggling with. I thought I was going to an English speaking country and I was really struggling with. I thought I was going to an English speaking country and I was really honestly struggling with the language and you know there's slang for everything. So I was like I would text Melissa or I text you, or I'd ask one of your friends in the building. I'd be like what does this mean? What does that mean? Ask one of your friends in the building. I'd be like what does this mean, what does that mean? Or I would say something that I thought meant one thing and somebody would give me like a weird look or I would get something strange. So Melissa and I took a trip to Lady Elliot Island, one of the off of the Great Barrier Reef, and we were just sitting around the pool one day and I said, you know she goes hey, how's your language? You know, go in. I said, hey, what about if we just like film this? Because I know I am not the only one struggling with this and it was just purely improv.

Speaker 3:

I had no idea what she was going to ask me and she gave me a pop quiz. I think I did pretty good and it just I mean there was like I want to say close to 10,000 views and keep counting, and it just people really resonated with it because, honestly, tracy, I'm going to say you just text me the other day and I had to look up the word koft koft. Koft it means please. Yes, it means pleased. I had no idea what that meant. Oh, choft choft.

Speaker 1:

You know, I have to say I know when you said that when you came to Australia, you were like you've got English speaking country, but but, um, but I'm from England, which is originally where English comes from, and when we go to the States and Australia or any other English-speaking country, we kind of go the same. We're like how did all these words, these slang words, develop? And I had the same, because I emigrated to South Africa when I was a teenager and I was like what, I don't know all these things, what are kopis, copies, what are, what are tackies, which I'll explain in a bit, but it was, it was a real thing. So so you did you just come up with some words then to to give Shelly Melissa that you kind of just went how do you know these words, what they mean?

Speaker 2:

yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I'd kind of remembered a couple that she'd asked me over the last few days, and so I kind of said them again and and as I was saying one word, it made me think of a different word and yeah, so I tried to put some easy ones in and I tried to put some funny ones in as well, and, yeah, it was a bit of fun.

Speaker 1:

Oh, it's really. It's a really good, it's a really fun reel, and I will words that cause confusion, so between english-speaking countries. So we're thinking at the minute, if you're in the states or in canada, or you're in new zealand or in australia or in south africa, or all the english-speaking countries in the world where you go, what words cause confusion? Well, I'm gonna throw in the obvious one when you come to australia, which is thongs yeah, yeah, you took my word.

Speaker 2:

that was was what I was going to say, that has to be the one.

Speaker 1:

Obviously, thongs in Australia are what we would call flip-flops. Do you call them flip-flops, shelley? Yes, flip-flops, yes, and they're called jangles in New Zealand, which I can kind of go with a bit weird. Sorry New Zealanders out there, but it does sound a bit weird, jan, because thongs in the UK are basically, you know, string knickers, what?

Speaker 2:

in the UK too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, they're just string knickers, yeah.

Speaker 1:

So any British person comes here and somebody says I'm going to put on my thongs, we kind of go in and no, that's not what we, we don't imagine you're putting footwear on.

Speaker 2:

I didn't know, that was just an Aussie thing. There you go.

Speaker 1:

I thought, yeah, radio yeah, so we call them flip-flops, because thongs are knickers, not footwear or yeah, thongs are, yeah, like g-string, we would call it a g-string, yeah yeah, um yeah, oh yeah it is a g-string. I just couldn't think of the word of it. I just call it knickers. But you know what I mean string knickers yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

What?

Speaker 1:

other words. Come on, what other words are things that cause, like you go okay, confusion?

Speaker 3:

I think um, chips and crisps are another one that confused me only because I had heard the word crisp and then I heard the word chips. But what really threw me was hot chips. So like you go someplace and you have to order hot chips, but what's the difference between hot chips, crisp and chips?

Speaker 1:

so there's like all well, because, like in australia, you would just say chips or hot chips, wouldn't you? It would chips, yeah, in the uk, crisps, crisps of the crisps in a packet, and then it would be um fries, which you will hear more. You'll, yeah, definitely hear fries, but chips, hot chips, as opposed to and I think it's more in australia, because in the uk you'd say crisps or you'd say chips or fries, but in australia, I think the differentiation you kind of need it, they're all chips yes yeah, see, see, in the uS you would say french fries, or you would say potato chips or just chips.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, I do think it's funny when you're like you know in the UK and you know you'll get crisps, like you'll get crisps with a sandwich or something, and I'm like what? That's just weird. That's just weird, like.

Speaker 1:

I don't know. Yeah, I know I that it's a bit strange when you're expecting to get chips and they put crisps on the plate and I've had that. I'm trying to think where else I've had that, not just in the uk, and I'm like, okay, I wasn't, I was expecting it to be chips in the us.

Speaker 1:

In the us, sometimes you'll get that yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, that's really weird and it's like sometimes, if it specifies on the menu, just chips, you're not sure, is that hot chips or is that going to be like crisps? So that's always a. That's an interesting one. Um, come on, think of some other words. I'm going to mention one that I screwed up in australia and I still have to be careful with. I'm not going to say what it means, but it's, it's very rude. Um, and in australia they would say the word route, um, which is not what we'd say in the uk. We would say which route are you going to take? Well, that isn't a word that you would use in australia, because it's quite rude and I didn't know that I want to start with. So that's kind of my one way. I went okay, right, I won't use that word. It's route. I was wondering why everybody in Australia was going the route and I was like okay, uh but we would say, we would still say route um, but it just it could mean.

Speaker 2:

It could mean which way are you going, or it could mean something else, something I've heard route said in Australia as well, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah maybe but yeah, which route would you go?

Speaker 3:

yeah, yeah okay yeah, I think I got in trouble over that one. Oh, really while I was there.

Speaker 2:

Yes, on the same line I was gonna say on that same line, another word. That's kind of interesting that when I hear americans say it I'm like, and that's fanny, yes.

Speaker 1:

Yes, that you would not say that in England.

Speaker 2:

Of course not.

Speaker 1:

It has a completely different meaning and I've said that to quite a few of my North American friends. Like when you say fanny pack, it's like we just kind of go say it. I know, because that's more like very private, private areas, right, yes, yes, yes, use it. And it's like and yeah, so it's not a word that you would, you would, we would never use that word.

Speaker 1:

It's like, it's like one of those, like kind of original on the roots that you just not rude word, but just a word that you wouldn't use in conversation. No, no.

Speaker 3:

But you guys call it a bum pack. Yeah, yeah, bum bag, bum bag, yeah, bum bag.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, because bums are okay. Bums are okay Not, and bearing in mind that, like 150, 200 years ago, women got that as a name, I mean like well, even I remember that there was a very famous chef in the uk called fanny craddock, which always yeah, so I mean, that's it. What about, um? Can you think of any words, american words that you kind of struggled with when you came over, or people like if you use them, they don't know what you're talking about?

Speaker 3:

uh, well, one of them, I it's not so much just over there, but when you go into a place and I always would say, oh, can you tell me where the restroom is? And and they, they look at me so like if you're in one country it's called a water closet and which always perplexed me because I'm like I picture a closet just full of water. But the other thing is most countries just call it a toilet. So one time I asked somebody I'm like why is restroom not used? Is restroom not used? Well, they differentiate. They told me a restroom or a bathroom is considered someplace with a shower in it, not just a toilet. So I don't know. Now I'm kind of used to asking for a toilet. But then when I come back to the us I'm like where's the toilet? They look at me like I'm cringe or something. They're're just like eww. But you know, kind of crude.

Speaker 1:

I have to say it's one of Doug's pet peeves. He really, really dislikes the term restroom and he's like I'm not going for a rest why would you want a restroom? He's not here Because I know he would pop in at this point and say why do you want a restroom? Honestly, that's one of his. He's like. I don't get that. I don't understand that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

Speaker 3:

I mean, where does water closet come from?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's really weird, hey, yeah, no, that's I never. You never hear that If you translate it into French, though. So if you were in Paris and you want to go to a toilet, a toilet you would say uh, which is wc, where's the toilet? Okay, um, I don't think you'd hear it so much in. In english, we just say where's, where's the loo, where's the bog, where's the toilet? Do you know those? Yeah, bog is another one. It might, that's very slang. Uh, where's the loo is, but not restroom, because it just sounds a bit, a bit odd yeah, yeah, but that's one that's very common all around the world.

Speaker 1:

Those three you know.

Speaker 1:

So yeah, I've noticed a lot more countries that are like. I guess a lot of countries in asia were using the term restroom as well. We saw that far more in asia and europe. You'd probably get um WC, bathroom, toilet, rather than restroom. But that's definitely the influence of um American, the American English um, on on different places which you see depending on, because obviously different countries in the world value British English, American English, Australian. It depends what they're closest to. I guess it's because I know I used to teach English as a foreign language, so there's certain accents and certain because they want that language because of the whatever business they're going to do or whatever at school. So I think that's, yeah, it's very interesting. But I mean, do you change your vocabulary depending on who you're talking to or do you just keep like using your own Australianisms, Britishisms?

Speaker 2:

I definitely change the way I speak. I know I think you know we're lucky, if you want to call it, in that we're brought up on American TV and movies and stuff. So it's very easy for us or me that we know what the American words are and so we change them. And for me, I often have international students stay with me in my house Asian students and I do notice that when I speak to them I'll try really hard not to use any slang and speak in very clear, basic English. So yeah, I'm very mindful of it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, Well, I think you have to be for us too, and because everything ends with an o the fish show at the savo and the I don't know we had.

Speaker 3:

We had the abo and the abro and the agro and yeah, we had that whole that whole watch. Watch the TikTok. Yes, no, yeah. What I find interesting is when I go to other places as an American I try to leave out a lot of words Because for grammar-wise, we add so many different grammar words, conjunctions that add, we add so much where other countries, I don't think they get to the point faster okay, okay and so when I go someplace, I just try to make my point, like you know, like tell me or explain.

Speaker 3:

I just try to simplify it as quickly as I can with the fewest words possible.

Speaker 1:

And that segues really usefully into kind of the next section, where we're talking about that is that when we go to countries where English isn't widely spoken and I mean we have been incredibly spoiled and that majority of places around the world you know that you can get by in English. But I think that has translated into making us quite lazy when it comes to learning other languages and we kind of take it for granted we're going to go to places that will at least be able to get by in English, but how do you prepare and like, how do you deal with it? Like? So you say, shelley, you try to simplify your English, because I think that that's a good point as well. And you know, not using flowery language or any slang, when you were in any country where people don't speak English, what do you do, melissa, to? I know you, particularly, are very, very good at this yeah, I just really like to try really hard to.

Speaker 2:

Um, you know, like you said, we're very lucky that we speak English, but I don't want to be one of those travelers that just expect that. Oh well, they're gonna, they're going to understand me. So I always there's three words that I always learn wherever I go, and that's hello, please, and thank you. A lot of the times I'm quite lucky because hello can be hello or hi, but they're the three words that I always learn and I mean they're very simple, but I find if I learn those three words and I can say hello to someone, I can say thank you, and then I might just do a lot of pointing in them in between, but then and always have a really big smile on my face and I always find generally people are happy to communicate with me and what about?

Speaker 1:

I know you, I've been with you to Thailand and you were very good and also very um. I guess there's one tip I'd say later is also like, even if you only would use a few words is to use them, because I think we get a bit shy and about what happens to say incorrectly or um, and it's actually just. You just have to go for it, I think you just have to learn those phrases and the response you get is always so warm and welcoming.

Speaker 1:

made that um, and I know, when I was with you in Puglia last year Shelley, you're Italian I was like, wow, like you, you could communicate really well in Italian. So obviously you, you did Italian lessons.

Speaker 3:

Yes, I was very fortunate that one of my dear friends, fabiana, and I had another couple of friends. I was very immersed with everyone, but Fabiana and a couple other friends actually gave me some book lessons. And then I did something that I don't know some travelers might want to try is, maybe a couple weeks before you leave those important words, like Melissa said, and then maybe a few more, I put sticky notes, I wrote them down and I put the word it doesn't matter what language, I put the word and then the meaning underneath and I put them on my bathroom mirror, I put them on the front door, I put them where I cook, I put them all over and then you're kind of like looking at them constantly. So I don't know, subconsciously, you're kind of taking it in. So it's not like you're sitting down book studying. So yeah, but I will say I do not have the accent or pronounce the words. I still massacre the language. But I try, I try and I do understand them. I understand so much more than I could speak, so that's good.

Speaker 1:

And I think, as I say, it's having a go is kind of important and the response you get. What about kind of nonverbal communication? Because in some places that is just as important as understanding the kind of verbal language that's spoken. Um, do you, do you look up kind of cultural etiquette around communication or gestures, because I know there's some, some gestures that we might use that in some european countries. I think no.

Speaker 1:

I think it's greece where it's actually quite rude on particular hand, which it might be okay in another country, but it's actually rude there. Um, and I know there's some. There's some other countries where you've got to like what we would. You know, if you go to France, for example, you'll kiss people on either cheek Well, I wouldn't go to some countries and do that and I'm thinking about, like you know, going to some countries like South Korea or Japan where you take your shoes off. That again is kind of you know, you're communicating your kind of respect and understanding the culture by doing that. But is there any other ones that you can kind of think of or expand on?

Speaker 2:

I just kind of like, observe and um and follow suit as much as I I can. Um, yeah, like I'm a big believer, I'm in their country or I'm in their house and I want to be respectful and, and, and you know, do what what everyone else is doing and not just be like, well, I'm in their country or I'm in their house and I want to be respectful and and, and, you know, do what what everyone else is doing and not just be like, well, I'm just going to do my thing yeah, I agree, I agree.

Speaker 1:

I was going to say another one for um, anybody visiting the UK and this is a, this is a huge one for for us Brits is that we are very, very good at queuing or lining up oh, yeah, so we take you.

Speaker 1:

You guys say lining up in the states. I know well if you, if you jump a queue in the uk, we won't say anything necessarily to you but you will get the stare. You know, if you watch paddington bay you know when paddington gives that stare, that's what you will get from all the British people in that queue going. They cannot believe that you have jumped the line or you jumped.

Speaker 2:

That reminds me, do you remember, tracy, when we went to India and our guide said to us about queuing, and she said that if there's a space between you and the person in front of it, then someone will take that space? Yes, it's true, you have to kind of go, yeah's true, yeah, it was yeah and it's fine.

Speaker 1:

it's like then you have to kind of not get annoyed because in britain or in australia you wouldn't do that, but then go to another culture and it's like it's. I remember actually being in disneyland, paris, with my mom and we're queuing at the toilets and and a lady walked in, just walked straight into the next toilet. My mother was absolutely apoplectic. I still remember it. At the time she was like but I've been standing in this queue, that person didn't care. Wherever they come from, it doesn't matter, there's a space, you just go for it.

Speaker 2:

I found that really hard in India, the whole space thing and people like right up close to you and you're like okay this is normal, melissa.

Speaker 1:

Okay, this is normal, melissa, this is normal. It's like the personal space thing when it's like when you used to have like a half a meter between you, go to a culture where that that doesn't exist.

Speaker 3:

It's kind of it's trying to adapt to that as well for what you're used to well, and I'll say, in southeast asia it's kind of the same thing, maybe not to the same extent, but also in a lot of the Asian countries. Waving, like you know you see in the movies or I don't know how it is in Australia, but to hail a cab or wave for a cab, you know, you wave your hand. Well, that, that that disrespectful, they don't do that. They hold their hand down and they gesture down versus waving, because they find the palm of your hand up as like a disrespectful gesture. And same with queuing in South Korea, same with queuing in Thailand, korea, same with queuing in Thailand and also on the trains. I don't know, I don't remember.

Speaker 3:

On the UK, I believe it may be the same way, but eating or drinking in you know Malaysia, you know other countries, they don't really eat and drink. They may bring food on there, but they don't eat or drink. And it's not. It's because of respect for the other person, because if they're hungry or they're thirsty, they don't want to eat or drink in front of them. You know, out of respect. It's not so much.

Speaker 1:

You know you can't, so it's things like that no, it's really interesting to kind of think about those and be aware of them, and I get asked a lot um on the uk travel planning site and about about a lot from north americans coming over to the uk. Particularly what, what could they do not to stand out? And it's and. And the first thing that I would say and this is no disrespect for any north americans listening is that tend to you tend to be able to hear a north american accent voice before you see the person, because they tend to be a little bit like now I'm a pretty loud person.

Speaker 1:

I won't say this, so I'm loud. But um, north americans have got a reputation, um, I shall say um, people from the US particularly have a reputation for being quite loud. So I don't know, shelley, as somebody from the US, how do you feel about that?

Speaker 3:

Actually, I will agree, I will agree, and it really depends I won't say everyone, but I will agree, and especially from certain states. Ah, okay, well, I could just say that From certain states. You know, there's some southern states that are extremely loud, there's some eastern, northern states that are very loud. So yeah, I agree.

Speaker 1:

I totally agree with that and is that I guess when when you're at home in the states and you're in that your particular states that you're from and that's the kind of cultural norm that it's you're quite loud, exuberant, then that's just how you are. I think it's then reading the room, perhaps when you're on a tube train in London or somewhere else, that actually people don't necessarily, you'll see that people don't either talk, don't even talk, won't make eye contact, so it's kind of then keeping your voice down. I know in Japan even talking on the train is frowned upon.

Speaker 3:

And that's what I mean where it goes state to state, because a lot of the states not all of them, obviously, but a lot of the states don't have a lot of mass transportation. So we're kind of a car culture, you know, similar to you go to New York or you go to many, you know eastern country, you know states, or you go to the West Coast or you know middle America. Some states have really good transportation. Chicago they have great transportation that you know, where they're a little bit quieter, they're a little bit, you know, more respectful. You know they don't talk as loud, but then you may go to other places that there are car culture and I think it comes from that. Uh, you know, going out, socializing, kind of competition type.

Speaker 1:

You know, like you said, exuberuberance, you know the thing that we all do and we're all conscious of doing is kind of is reading the room, is preparing before you go, and also when you're there, is kind of checking out what. What are other people doing? Because you, you know you don't want to stand out, you want to, you do want to fit in. You, you know, nobody wants to go to a place and have everybody looking at them because they're doing the wrong thing. So it's about kind of looking around, following that and being aware of your environment, and I think you do that. If you're in a place where you are genuinely kind of wanting to learn about the culture and about the people, you make that effort, don't you? Because that's what you want to do. That's where you are Now. What about um tech? When you travel, how do you? I was recently in japan and in cambodia and vietnam and I could not have done, uh, without google translate it was my go-to, so is that?

Speaker 1:

is that something that you guys use? Yeah, I do Translate.

Speaker 2:

I just think it's amazing. You know, for people who don't know like you can, you can talk into it and then it will spit out in the language that you need it to. It's absolutely amazing and I just want to give you an example of how I've used it. Everyone who's listening knows I've broken my foot a couple of times. Last time I was by myself and I was in a taxi and, um, and trying to explain that I wanted to go to the hospital and I and I couldn't do it, and you know it was in Spain, he didn't speak English. I didn't speak any Spanish, so I used Google Translate and we were like back and forth and it was amazing. And this taxi driver, so sweet, he actually went in and he, he told the hospital what was going on.

Speaker 1:

So, um, but yeah, google translate for the win, and not only that.

Speaker 2:

But you can also take photos on it and it will uh spit out a sign in your language or a menu, or yeah, google translate, it's so good yeah, I use it.

Speaker 3:

I use it constantly. I like downloading the languages before I go to the country or while I'm in the country so I can use it offline, in case I don't have internet. Also, I like using it in the grocery stores because you can use your camera and hold it up to the ingredients, because then you can look in real time and see oh, does this contain fish nuts? Whatever you know, so you know what you're eating, because sometimes you can't tell. But, yeah, definitely I. I have gotten out of many situations with google Translate.

Speaker 1:

I think it's absolute genius because I struggled, as everybody knows, in Japan to find things that I wanted to eat and I found having that and just holding it up and translating the menu or in the 7-Eleven, exactly what was in the food Because I avoid fish it was just really helpful. And I, doug and I went to a wedding in cambodia and, um, having the ability to do the verbal talk into it and then it it, then translate it and verbally then say it to the people we're sharing the table with, was really useful. And then it was going backwards and forward. It was so much fun because, like we would record it, then play it and then they would say something. Then it was going backwards and forwards. It was so much fun because, like we would record it, then play it and then they would say something and then it would play it back to us in English. I mean it's amazing and I can think of when I first started travelling on my own in the 80s and there was nothing like that. There was nothing.

Speaker 2:

We have a book, do you remember? I used to always buy the book, the Planet Praise book, and I can picture now you know you'd sit in the menu, sorry, sit in a restaurant, and you'd be like talking to the waiter and you'd be like looking for black tea.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, it's so much easier now, tracy let me ask you, since, since you spent time in Cambodia, let me ask you and Melissa, what does when you hand somebody some money and they say it's broken? What does that mean?

Speaker 1:

Ah, it means that it's got. So in Cambodia you've got to make sure that there's no tear or rip or fold in the in the note or writ or fold in the in the note. Uh, because they can't accept it. And I asked I was in one shop and it won, it was a dollar note because they accept dollars, us dollars. And it had a little uh tear or little nick in it and and they went oh, the bank won't accept it, so they won't take it. Because I was like what she means broken?

Speaker 3:

that's. That's what happened to me. I landed and then they do accept their currency and us dollars. So I I went to go pay and the person handed me back the bill and they said I'm sorry, this is broken. I was like what? Like it's broken, and I'm looking at it like what? What are you talking? What's broken? But you're absolutely right, it had like a little crease in it. But fast forward, over a month I found out that from a local that they will accept it if they know you and it's not like ripped or torn. The funny part of it is, if you're in the us, I mean that thing would have to be demolished for somebody not to take it. It could be taped, it could be whatever, and somebody is going to take that bill. So I thought it was funny. Once I found out what that meant, I'm like really.

Speaker 1:

So that's a really good, you know if anybody's traveling there and they that you know, you, you don't know what you mean is broken. Exactly that's exactly what I mean about that different use of language. To describe something like well, broken would mean something completely different to us. But yeah, it's a, it's an unusable note. But what about? Have have either of you had any kind of funny fails when you've tried you know've tried to use what you thought was appropriate language and you've got it wrong? Or have you generally found it having a go has worked and it's generally been pretty smooth?

Speaker 2:

I can't think of any real fat fails. You know, I find you know, as long as you say everything with a smile and you give it a go, people are just really friendly and you'll work it out. I've never had a drama, I've always worked it out. That's great.

Speaker 1:

The one time I oh sorry, shelley, go ahead.

Speaker 3:

No, I haven't had like an epic fail, well not that I can remember offhand, but in Italy they have. I don't eat meat, so I wanted like a veggie pizza. So I said I would like peppers and this and that on it. And so they were like, oh, okay, and then they brought out the thing. And they didn't bring it out yet, but they were saying, okay, we give you pepperoni and this. And that I'm like, no, no, no, I don't want pepperoni. Well, evidently they call peppers pepperoni and it was this. So it kind of was like back and forth Like I didn't know that, like you know, peppers were pepperoni and it. Yeah, it was kind of funny once I figured it out.

Speaker 1:

So I don't know. And I remember um for me, um. So I moved to France a long time ago like 1988, I think it was so quite a few years ago now and I'd I'd done a little bit of French, but um, and I learned it very quick. Within six months I was, I was completely fluent, which was great. But I remember when I first got there, the grandparent of the family come on a visit and in France, to show respect to somebody you don't know who's older than you, use the word vous rather than to for you, the word you, as in when you're saying would you like a cup of tea, for example, and I use to, which is the familiar term and quite disparate, like not disrespectful, but it's something I shouldn't have done, and he was okay about it.

Speaker 1:

But I remember at the time I think cringing and thinking, oh, I've just used to and I should use view and I didn't want to be disrespectful. So I was like I'm really, really sorry about it, but it, things like that, that just that can, can trip you up when you, you know, I was like oh, and I mean I'm thinking in because I speak french. But I'll tell you what in paris sometimes it's, it's pointless me even speaking french, because as soon as they pick up that um, I'm not a native french speaker, they're just switching english and kind of look down the nose sometimes the way it is that you're like okay, so sometimes I think you know what, even though speak the language. I'm not going to attempt it because the response I'm going to get is not going to be particularly friendly. But I guess that's somewhere like Paris where they used to lots of people massacring the language a lot of the times and maybe don't have as much tolerance.

Speaker 1:

But generally I find, wherever I've been around the world, having a few words just opens a lot of doors and definitely gets a friendly response. Just opens a lot of doors and definitely gets a friendly response. But what would be your top tips for dealing with language differences while travelling? What would be the one thing that you would suggest, melissa?

Speaker 2:

I would suggest making sure you've got Google Translate on your phone. My view is learning a couple of words like hello, please, and thank you, and always communicating, um you know, with a big smile and being friendly to people, it gets you a long way, absolutely. What about you, shelly?

Speaker 3:

uh, I agree with melissa. Um, I would just piggyback off of that. As far as google translate, it's imperative that you download the language before you know when you have Wi-Fi, because so many places have spotty Wi-Fi and you don't want to get stuck in a taxi or a bus station or something and not have Google Translate. And I would say, too, what Melissa said earlier. I would say, too, what Melissa said earlier you know you are in their country, you are a guest in their country, so you know, if you notice a sign of respect is just, you know, kind of to nod or let an elder go ahead in front of you or not eat on the train, or, you know, be a little bit more quiet. It's something. Just show respect. And the last thing I would say is speak slower. Speak slower and enunciate your words, because, like myself, I don't think I have an accent, but I do, I do.

Speaker 2:

I do I do.

Speaker 3:

None of us. None of us really think we have an accent. But to the people that we're speaking to, you know, in different countries, not only do we have another accent, but we're speaking a different language and it's usually their second language. So I find people tell me that they could understand me better if I, if I speak slower my tip is just to have a go.

Speaker 1:

Learn some other words and have a go just go for it because I know, um, it can be.

Speaker 1:

You know, you have that little bit of oh. I don't want to make a mistake and get it wrong. Um, I have to say I'm going to shout out for Doug here, because, doug, he went to do some work in Wales a couple years ago and his Welsh is still excellent. He still will speak, he still knows the words of Welsh and it's amazing. I'm like, well, there you go, and he went and he spoke his Welsh and it went down really, really well. Um, I would say 99.9% of the time, if you learn the phrases and have a go, you'll get a brilliant response yeah well.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, ladies, for joining me again for this episode of the podcast. It's been great to chat with you, as always, and next episode will be episode 65, because there's actually five Wednesdays in July, so that means five episodes of the Global Travel Plan podcast and, as always, the last one of the month is us guys chatting, so that'll be episode 65.

Speaker 3:

We're going to talk about food.

Speaker 1:

Yes, my favorite subject. Well, it's gonna be an interesting one because I I struggle a little bit, as when I travel. So, um, and I will try lots of food, but I have lots of foods that I don't like, so I that can be an issue. So we'll talk about that. And we'll talk about how you're a vegetarian shelly, how you deal with that, and then melissa I think you're pretty adventurous with what you'll try, so we'll talk about how you're a vegetarian shelly, how you deal with that, and then melissa I think you're pretty adventurous with what you'll try, so we'll talk about. We'll talk about those things. And also, when you used to travel with, with your daughter as well, how you how you dealt with that, because, um, you know, travel with children as well can can come with its challenges when it comes to food. But anyway, so what do you guys got planned for the next before we meet again? What? What do you? Are you any travel plans on the horizons?

Speaker 2:

yeah, I've got some travel plans, a couple of exciting trips that I'm looking forward to. I'm going to magnetic island with my daughter, which is an island in north queensland, and one. Something really exciting I've got coming up is I'm going to spend a couple of days sailing on a catamaran around the Whitsundays Jealous, jealous.

Speaker 1:

I'm jealous. I'm really excited about that. Do you need somebody to come and skip on the boat?

Speaker 3:

I don't know if I can do that, but anyway, what about you, shelly? I am exploring some more of Florida beaches I just left Daytona Beach and had a wonderful time and historic St Augustine and I may have a couple other magical things coming up.

Speaker 1:

Okay, well, hopefully we'll hear about those in a future episode. Um great to always, as always, to chat with you guys and to catch up yes and uh and, as always, you can find information about the apps and whatever places we talked about, and obviously also the real, with shelly and melissa in it. I'd go and check that out and the show notes which are at global travel planningcom forward slash episode 60. But that leaves us to say until next week, from all of us, happy global travel planning bye don't forget, guys, that you can also get in touch with myself, melissa and shelly via speakpipe.

Speaker 1:

the link is in the show notes for every episode. Get in touch, tell us where you are going next on your travels, or if you've had some language fails or some packing fails, or you want to make some suggestions for future episodes, get in touch. We'd love to hear from you. And before all you New Zealanders, jump on the episode and get in touch via Speakpipe and let me know I do realize that I said jangles instead of jandals, so jandals are what New Zealanders call flip-flops. Yes, I did realize. But yeah, as I say, get in touch via SpeakPipe. We love to hear from you, guys. Thank you for joining us on this episode of the Global Travel Planning Podcast. For more details and links to everything we discussed today, check out the show notes at globaltravelplanningcom. Remember, if you enjoyed the show, please consider leaving us a review on your favorite podcast app, because your feedback helps us reach more travel enthusiasts, just like you. Anyway, that leaves me to say, as always happy global travel planning.