How to deal with foreigners who don't know English or your local language?

Be polite, I say. Always be courteous. However, you really don't have to work too terribly hard. Be nice, try to understand them. Smile, nod. But you don't really need to go learning a phrase book of their language. It can be hard for people who don't speak the local language, but if I am going to a country where they don't speak English, I had better be willing to learn their lingo. It is most appropriate that way.

Hi friends, Did I hear the question right. I am going to get a book to understand THEIR language. I don't think so. If I was in their country, I would make it a point to learn their language and quickly! ME in my own country am going to accommodate THEM because they don't understand MY language in MY country! I don't think so! I'm sorry if the prejudice is coming out, but I am really sick of we Canadians accommodating all the other foreigners that are coming into our country bringing over all their families. Bringing over their new diseases we have not even heard of. Them bringing over their very elderly parents who are taking our health care and our beds so my grandma can't even get a bed. Give me a break!! Cheryl To the foreigners who come into the country and learn our language and contribute and at least try and learn our ways, I salute you and welcome.

It all depends if You're in the position of the visitor,or they are! If You as an English speaker visit a non English speaking country,It's more polite to make an effort and see how much or little you can use of their language first,rather than make the assumption "Everybody speaks English"..if They're the visitor,hopefully they have some means of explaining what they want or where they want to go,whether a map or guidebook or an address..If you both have absolutely no common ground to work from,then it gets tricky..Body language and acting out can help a bit..Working in a Hotel,I like different languages and trying to understand them..I've learned German,and am working on French and Spanish,and have picked up a few words in Polish,Russian,and Chinese! There's a little travel book I picked up in the Science Museum,London,called "Point it"..basically,it's a visual phrase book..there are photos of items and situations a tourist might encounter,and a non-speaker of a language can recognise something they want or need and point to it so you have someplace to start!

We have all been strangers, somewhere or sometime. Just because you might be on your own soil at the time doesn't mean you should forget how it was when you needed help. What goes around...comes around!

Buen dia nengs10.... I do the best I that can in that situation...try to understand what they are saying. English is on of the hardest languages to learn, and I'm sure it must be frustrating at times for foreigners. But heck, there are a number of English people out there who can't speak English properly. I love languages. They are so interesting. If there is one that I'd like to learn, (like Spanish) I buy a tranlation book, and study, study, study till I get it correct. Adios amigo. cdrxo

I try to help them. The thing that bugs me, when someone comes to a English speaking country and they dont even try to learn the language. I think I would feel the same in a spanish, german, italian, etc speaking country as well. I mean, if your going to LIVE HERE try to learn the language. If your just visiting its all right but I feel they sell themselves short when they dont learn the language

I have had to deal with this for the last few years as a foreigner away from home in NON-English speaking countries. It can definitely get very frustrating at times until you are able to learn at least a few basic phrases; but people also seem to communicate in one way or another even if there IS no common language! People are people right? And there are many other aspects to communicating outside of just words. Pointing to a map, waving your hand to stop someone or a taxi, pointing left and right or straight ahead to give directions..... And from my experience, even TRYING to say the simplest of words like "Hello" or "Thank you" in their own language makes them very happy and eager to help. The key is to just be patient!

I will be maybe talking and a lot oh hands movements or signs! LOL! That is very hard, I met few before but they can talk the basic English!

Can hardly imagine a person who doesn't know English. But it would be cruel to leave person without any help. I think I won't leave him or her. And you're right that it's better to buy translation book.

hi nengs, well, i think i will still trying to help them. i will try my best. sometimes using sign language works well. who know that i even can learn a new language? and i am sure that they won't judge me for being not able to speak their language

Its kinda hard, but given the situation I think I can still communicate to that person by gestures or signs that would be helpful for us to communicate each other or understand a word or something to refer to a thing, person , animal or object. I think we should try to exert something to learn each other's language, since I myself is not an English speaking person having my own dialect for that case, I would go for an English as a general rule or as an agreement of language when we refer to signs or symbols for that sort. A dictionary of course is a great help to understand each other better.

Yes it's very hard, but it is also being rude to just leave them without helping... So i'll find a way to help them, maybe we could understand some of sign language or if not maybe i can approach others and ask if they can help them...

Translation book and anything that sort is from their side precautionaries to be taken. From my side, if they are sure about the place where they need to go then i could get that easily. If they are ok for transportation, then i will hire a local transportation to drop them there at feasible negotiated prices as they wont struck again. atleast they can reach next level. If any of my friend knows the local language of them, then i will call my friend and give the phone to them....better way to get result. I proudly welcome all foreigners to my country saying HELLO !!!(I think everybody knows of this)

use some body gestures to ask what they want or where they want go...something like that.best way to respond is non-verbal communication.

If they are just people I encounter in my day to day life I am tolerent, but if they are in business, customer service, etc. anything that depends on them needing to know the language, I have no tolerence whatsoever. If I took a job in India, for example, and i did not know the language, I would not blame people for being upset with my low-quality ability to serve them. I do, however, have a lot of foreign friends who still retain lovely accents, yet speak English fluently. They are truly wonderful people. I am of the belief that if you want to work in another country, you need to know the local language.

When I was a boy and in school, we used to have two students from Somalia. As they were Africans, they did not know english. They talked in their language but we succeeded in teaching them our language (Urdu) and the day came when they started talking with us in our language. It felt so good and happy to hear them talking in our language.

Yes I've faced such a situation in my country and even I'm, also been caught in such situation in foreign lands where locals were not knowing english and I was not knowing their local language. But I feel very bad for the person caught in such situation. I always try to help him or her in whatever way I can. Sometime I try to use sign language or show the person some picture etc to understand his/her thoughts or try to take help of other persons , who might understand something. But I never try to leave that stranded person and at least try to give them some roadmaps etc, or show them way to some big hotel or tourist place or airport etc. where somebody could help them.

that i'm not really sure of. i guess if i did come across someone who couldn't speak my own language, i would either try to find someone who could speak both languages, or i would get a book and speak to them by reading the book. that is, if i didn't have to put every word backwards. sometimes you have to do that in some religions.

I think the best way is to help with the best of your abilities. Try to be as hospitable as possible and if all fails better let that person buy a book.

i think translation books are always handy when you travel alone in a strang place.as a local people, of course i dont take translation books along.luckily, i can speak English. but if the foreigner cant speak English, we should make the most of body language,including facial expressions and gestures.we can also draw.as long as you are imaginative,you can eventually know what the foreigner mean.what a funny secne!like a game in entertainment programmes!