How to Get by in a Country Where You Don’t Know the Language (Published 2018)

Traveling to a foreign country can be daunting if you don’t know the local language, and while François Thibault, the cellar master and co-founder of Grey Goose, speaks only French, his job requires constant travel around the world. “Over the years, I’ve learned how to navigate foreign countries with limited verbal communication,” he said.

Mr. Thibault has a number of tips to help travelers manage in a destination when they don’t speak the native tongue, based on his own experience. Here are a few of them.

Download a Language Translation App

Traveling in foreign countries has become much easier in the past few years thanks to the many foreign language apps which translate words on the spot. Mr. Thibault tends to rely on Google Translate and suggests that travelers find an app that works for them. Ideally, find one that specializes in the language you need to translate especially if the language uses a character set you’re not familiar with, or have difficulty pronouncing.

But take note: in Mr. Thibault’s experience, these apps work best when you’re trying to decipher something in writing, like a restaurant menu or a street sign, rather than in the midst of a conversation.

Speak with Your Hands and Head

Pointing with your hands and nodding or shaking your head, Mr. Thibault said, are an easy way to communicate with locals in the country you’re in. “Gestures are almost all universally understood,” he said.

There are exceptions however. In many of the countries in the Balkans, for example, nodding means “no,” and shaking your head means “yes.” Also, although a smile usually conveys friendliness, in some countries such as Russia, locals don’t smile at people they don’t know. A quick web search for the country you’re visiting and “gestures” or “body language” will turn up anything you need to be aware of before you go.