Staying in Germany? Break the Language Barrier.

One of the primary concerns when visiting a foreign country is communication. Every well prepared traveler deals with this concern, and each one does so in a different way. There are the old standbys: learning a few key phrases, carrying an inter-language phrase book or dictionary or perhaps one of those nifty electronic translators. Then there’s the real traveler’s method: taking a language course.

For the person who wants to really get into the spirit of travel and immerse themselves in a foreign culture–and there is no way to get more out of your vacation than by becoming part of the area you visit–learning to speak the language is the way to go. You don’t have to become fluent, but learning how to say more than, “Where is the bathroom?” will make your stay easier, more enjoyable and impress your friends more than a tan and some souvenirs. Even better, you can carry that knowledge with you wherever you go. If you’re considering alternate accommodations–and you ought to be–learning a bit of German will make your stay many times more relaxing.

Staying in a rented home or apartment affords the same kind of cultural immersion that learning the language does. The two really go hand in hand: knowing what to ask for at the grocery store, or how to read a label, makes the ability to cook in your rental’s kitchen that much easier. Interacting with the locals is obviously enhanced as well, and that is the best way to appreciate a locality: making friends. German isn’t a hard language to learn, either. English is a Germanic language and so much of it will seem familiar to the novice speaker. You have to learn a few new letters, but it’s spelled phonetically. If you’ve got a couple of months before you are traveling I suggest enrolling in your local university’s language course. In addition to learning enough German to get by you’ll have conversation practice partners and, most likely, a native German to tell you all about where you’ll be visiting.