different language tourism

Language Tourism Statistics 2023: A New Impact On Travel Is Here

• , March 8, 2023

What Is Language Tourism?

Language tourism, also referred to as language travel, is a type of cultural tourism. This type of tourism is the specific intention of traveling to learn or master foreign language skills. At the same time, there’s a desire and an opportunity to ingrain oneself within the local culture. This article investigates 2023 language tourism statistics.

Language travel is different from study abroad programs where students opt to attend colleges or universities abroad or attend language classes. It can take different forms such as staying with a host family, living in a city while taking language courses , or traveling off the beaten path where one is forced to speak foreign languages.

Prior to the pandemic, worldwide language travel was reported to be on the rise with interest in “living like a local” nearly doubling , opening the door to a whole new type of travel.

The Ling App conducted a survey to pull back the curtain behind language tourism statistics. Over 1,000 people currently located in the United States were surveyed. 

Our goal was to determine whether learning the local language of a foreign country was important to American travelers. We also inquired about how many Americans have ever relocated to another country to study or learn a new language . In addition we determined the most popular countries for language tourism and which languages are most in demand to learn during language travel. 

Language Tourism Statistics 2023: Key Findings

• Only 16.4% of respondents said learning a local language was not important to them at all
• Females were twice as likely than men to report that learning a local language was very important to them.  
• 16.7% of Americans have specifically traveled abroad to learn a language
• Of those who responded yes to being a language tourist, 56.4% were female
• The majority of people who have traveled to learn a language were between the ages of 30-44
• Mexico was the number one destination for language tourism for native English speakers
• German and Japanese ranked within the top languages travelers learned

What exactly do these results reveal about the future of language tourism?

Worldwide Language Tourism Statistics VS The United States

When comparing Ling’s US based survey to a worldwide survey conducted by the WYSE Travel Confederation , we notice there has been a huge increase in interest in living like a local. In fact, it’s almost doubled to 51% from 2012. More than half of the respondents reported wanting to travel less like tourists and have more real cultural experiences.

When asked whether travel was undertaken with the intent of learning a new language 20% of travelers identify as language tourists. This is close to the 16.7% of American respondents who answered yes to the same question asked by Ling.

Is Learning A Local Language Important To Americans When They Travel?

Interestingly, only 16.4% of Americans stated learning a local language was not important to them at all. Over 84% expressed the opinion that learning a local language was somewhat important or very important to them and females were twice as likely to report that learning a local language was very important to them.

Surprisingly, those in the youngest age bracket of 18-29 expressed a lower interest in importance (22%) than expected. Those aged 60 or older showed the least interest in learning a local language at 37.3%, while those in the age bracket between 30-44 had the highest percentage of interest at 31.4%.

As one gets older travel interests and purpose change. When travelers are young, importance is typically placed more on fun as opposed to culture. There may be a decreased interest in amalgamating with the local culture as opposed to visiting as a typical tourist at these ages.

Top Countries Language Tourists Have Visited

One surprising result revealed that a fifth of the respondents had actually relocated to the United States for language tourism. This means that the United States came in as the most popular country for language travelers. Of note, our survey was responded to by people physically in the United States some of whom turned out to be language tourists.

When considering English native speaking respondents, we learn that the most popular language travel destination for English native speakers was Mexico followed by France and Spain.

With interest in language tourism nearly doubling over the past 10 years, these results may indicate an opportunity for the above countries to attract such types of tourists.

Top Languages Language Tourists Have Learned

The top countries where language tourists have traveled to would imply that English would be the most popular language for travelers to have learned, however that isn’t the case.

Spanish was the most popular language travelers wanted to learn at 32.8% followed by English at 17%. This falls in line with the 2022 Language Learning Statistics survey which reported that the most popular target language for native English speakers is Spanish. 

The fact that in the United States both English and Spanish is spoken, may explain why it came in as the number one destination for language tourism.

The Benefits of Language Tourism

Why is the “living like a local” trend growing? According to a survey conducted by Hostelworld.com, 62% of respondents said they wished they were better at speaking other languages for various reasons.

38% of people perceived that learning a new language would allow them to become more deeply engrossed in the country’s culture. 24% also thought it would help them to meet new people while 21% wanted language skills to help them adventure off the beaten track.

Learning a new language can reduce feelings of embarrassment when worrying about being misunderstood or saying something incorrectly. It will also lessen the chances of getting lost on adventures and be used to help you find your way if you do. Language skills will help ensure planes, trains or buses aren’t missed and will make ordering food a breeze.

According to a study on the long term impacts of language travel , more than half of language tourists reported feeling confident speaking new languages. A quarter said the experience helped them to travel more and 13% said it positively impacted their professional life.

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Learn A New Language in 2023 

• Increase self-confidence. Learning a new language can increase self-esteem, helping you feel more comfortable communicating and connecting with others.
• Connect with local people. Open yourself up to new people and make life-long friendships. As Edmund De Waal said, “With languages you are at home anywhere.”
• Boost cultural awareness and understanding. Learning a language helps you understand and appreciate other cultures, leading to greater empathy and respect for others through all aspects of life.
• It can save you lots of money. Knowing the language can get you local prices on everything from food to accommodation to attractions.
• Make getting around easier. Go from place to place easily by learning how to ask for directions. It will take the stress out of travel. 
• It increases safety. Knowing how to ask for help or recognize threatening situations will make your journey so much safer.
• Improve problem-solving and decision-making skills: By being exposed to different perspectives and ways of thinking, learning a new language can help improve problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Enhances career opportunities. Being bilingual or multilingual can increase job prospects and open up new career paths, especially in fields such as translation, interpretation, and international business.
• Increases brain function and creativity. Studies have shown that learning a new language can stimulate the brain and increase creativity.
• Provides a sense of accomplishment. The challenge and reward of learning a new language can provide a sense of personal satisfaction and accomplishment.

How To Learn A New Language For Travel 

The best way to learn a new language is to meet and interact with native speakers. 90% of respondents to Sprachcaffe’s Language Learning Sustainability Project said it was face-to-face interaction with other people.

A fantastic alternative is to use a language app . They are easy to use and offer flexibility in when and how much you learn. Most are interactive and each app can help you focus on particular language skills. Some even go so far as to teach you how to read and write in a new language or connect you with live tutors.

With 56% of Americans planning to travel internationally in 2023, language tourism looks like it’s well on its way to taking off!

Methodology

For our study all data for Language Tourism Statistics 2023 was collected through a SurveyMonkey questionnaire conducted in early 2023 to 1033 respondents in the United States.

Here’s a list of additional sources used in this article:

• https://www.wysetc.org/research/reports/new-horizons-iv/
• https://ling-app.com/tips/language-learning-statistics/
• https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/language-barriers-prevent-travel-survey
• https://thepienews.com/news/survey-long-term-impacts-language-travel/
• https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/mobile-apps/best-language-learning-apps-for-travel

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The 16 Most Helpful Languages for Travelers to Learn

Travel and language were made for each other.

If you need reasons to learn a foreign language , travel is definitely a good one.

In fact, travelers have more reason than just about anyone else to learn a new language!

If you dream of going to far-off lands and speaking with the locals like it’s nothing, then this post is for you.

Keep reading for the best languages to learn for travel, why you should learn one and how to do it.

3. Mandarin Chinese

8. portuguese, 9. cantonese, 11. indo-malay, 12. hindustani, 13. bengali, 15. swahili, other world languages to learn for travel, why travelers should study languages, how to learn a language for travel, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Most useful in: Every continent, but North America and Europe in particular

As you’re probably well aware, English is the modern world’s lingua franca .

Throughout the last century, English has grown in international importance. Though it stemmed from Britain’s colonial conquests, it also owes much of its global prominence to American imperialism.

English is less varied throughout North America , and most speakers should understand just about everything they hear from the most remote parts of Canada to either coast of the U.S., though English could also be called “the European traveler’s best friend.”

Thanks to high levels of education and a decidedly global outlook, English is particularly handy in Europe. You shouldn’t expect to get into deep philosophical debates in Italian coffee shops or Russian bars, but you can count on finding enough English speakers to at least give you basic assistance and a little company in nearly every large city throughout the continent.

In fact, throughout most parts of the world frequented by tourists , people understand at least a few basic English travel phrases .

Most useful in: South and Central America, Europe

Spanish is another handy world language for travelers in Europe. Outside Spain, its commonalities with Portuguese and Italian will help you get through its southern European neighbors as well.

Where Spanish really shines, however, is in Latin America —it’s the unifying force from the Rio Grande to Patagonia and beyond. Additionally, most Spanish-speaking travelers will find Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California and South Florida all relatively easy to navigate in Spanish; most large North American cities have sizable Hispanic populations, as well.

Don’t get discouraged if you learn the language and can’t understand it in some regions. Parts of the Caribbean and the Southern Cone of South America are notoriously difficult for non-natives and even some native Spanish speakers to understand.

One should also be forewarned that remote areas of the Americas, especially in southern Mexico and Andean countries, may lack Spanish speakers entirely and instead have large populations who speak an indigenous language as their first (and possibly only) language.

Some pre-trip classes or just a few important Spanish phrases will be majorly helpful in these parts of the world.

Most useful in: East Asia

As not only the language with the most speakers in the world but also the official state language of the largest country in Asia, Mandarin Chinese is an obvious big name on this list.

Many visitors to China arrange to take organized tours, often led by Mandarin-speaking officials. While English tours are certainly available, speaking a bit of Chinese will almost certainly ingratiate you to your guide and any locals you get a chance to meet.

For the even more adventurous, a sturdy level of Mandarin will help you navigate the enormous country of China more independently, although you’ll find there are a vast amount of dialects with varying degrees of mutual intelligibility.

Mandarin is also the official language of Taiwan , a radical travel alternative to Mainland China. Although the island nation doesn’t technically exist according to most of the world, knowing some Chinese will help you better enjoy its tropical weather, high level of development and relatively cheap cost of travel and living.

Most useful in: Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, North Africa

French isn’t only a good choice for France, but it’s also still popularly learned by educated people throughout Europe .

Further, large parts of North Africa and the Middle East were parts of the French Empire before World War II, and the French language remains prominent and even official in many of the former colonies . The vast majority of middle-class people in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Lebanon still speak fluent French.

French will also serve well in Quebec, French Guiana and the Caribbean Islands, and might open up some interesting chats in southern Louisiana, where Cajun French still runs strong. Throughout mainland Southeast Asia as well, older, educated citizens of the former French colonies of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are likely to speak some of the colonial language.

There’s a high likelihood that many people you meet in cities will be fluent in French, and you may find that many are happy to chat with a curious traveler, if you have the must-know French travel phrases under your belt.

Most useful in: The Middle East, Northern Africa

Modern Standard Arabic is a good starting point for anyone interested in this multifaceted language, but you can choose a specific variety of Arabic if you have a certain destination in mind.

Egyptian Arabic is a common choice. This isn’t just because of its relative economic and political power, or the fact that Egypt is the most populous Arab country, but because the Hollywood of the Arab World is in Cairo, the heart of both Arab cinema and the place where most foreign films are dubbed.

Another option is  Gulf Arabic , one of the widest-reaching dialects. This version is used and understood throughout the Gulf States and in large swaths of Saudi Arabia.

In general, Arabic is an increasingly popular choice for language learners because of its up-and-coming economic potential .

Most useful in: Europe

German  is your all-access pass to central Europe and beyond.

Germany is close to the geographic, political and financial centers of Europe , so it makes sense that this powerful country’s equally powerful language penetrates far and wide. Native-speaking countries include Switzerland , parts of Belgium and Luxembourg, Austria and mother Germany herself.

The German language will come in handy far beyond these borders , however. Young people throughout the Netherlands, the UK and Central Europe are learning German more and more as its namesake country increasingly offers jobs and opportunities to young Europeans.

The youths aren’t the only ones who know a bit of Deutsch , though. Huge guest worker populations from Eastern Europe and the Balkans have now spent several decades working in Austria and Germany, leaving many members of the middle generation of these countries fairly proficient German speakers.

A few common phrases will be sure to make your Central European tour sehr gut  (very good).

Most useful in: Europe, Asia

The official language of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan will see you from the Baltic Sea all the way to the Bering Strait.

While the Soviet Union never existed in many young travelers’ lifetimes, one of its convenient legacies is the widespread use of the Russian language it left behind.

Aside from the countries in which it’s an official state language, there’s a long list of other Eastern European and West Asian countries that formally recognize Russian as a minority language, including Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Moldova, Georgia, Romania and Norway.

And, while not official, its important role as a significant minority language or inter-ethnic language will assure Russian-speaking travelers easy communication in part or most of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Mongolia and Uzbekistan, as well.

Most useful in: Africa, South America, Europe

Portuguese is of course the language of Portugal , though Brazilian Portuguese is just as (if not more) popular than its European counterpart .

It could be just the language you want to learn for travel through South America, in fact. While it’s limited to one country of the continent, Brazil happens to be the fifth-largest country in the world , full of some of the most appealing tourist destinations in the world.

But Portuguese, as a result of many years of colonialism, is also spoken in a geographically scattered collection of African countries : Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau and the island nation of São Tome and Principe.

Angola is notoriously stingy with its tourist visas, making it nearly impossible for Western travelers to get in, and thus making it something of an internationally undiscovered gem. Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau aren’t as difficult to travel to, but you’ll find their infrastructure reflects the fact that all three are among the least developed countries in the world.

Most useful in: Southern China

Sometimes forgotten in the shadow of big brother Mandarin, Cantonese is another enormous world language spoken both in China and beyond its borders.

As the most prestigious variety of the Yue language, Cantonese (along with other languages with which it’s mutually intelligible) is used by 60 million speakers spread across southern China, Hong Kong and Macau .

Cantonese has a bit more geographic reach than Mandarin, as the vast majority of Chinese expat communities in East and Southeast Asia—and in most of the world—are Cantonese speakers. From the Yokohama Chinatown on Tokyo’s south side to the capitals of Southeast Asia, in almost any big Asian city, you’ll find at least a small community of Cantonese speakers.

Most useful in: Southeast Asia

This is a language that’s practically begging travelers to become expats.

Thailand is currently one of the most popular destinations for “digital nomads,” people who work remotely from their laptops (particularly Westerners, it seems).

If you’re looking to go location independent or just want to spend a few months in one of the cheapest expat-friendly countries in the world, then some Thai lessons would help you get a deeper and more authentic experience of the country.

Beyond Thailand’s borders, some Thai speakers will also understand Laotian , spoken in its even cheaper but less developed neighboring country, making a Laotian vacation an excellent option for Thai-speaking expats based in popular cities like Chiang Mai or Bangkok.

Most useful in: Southeast Asia, Oceania

The fuzzy boundary between the Indonesian and Malaysian languages coincides with the fuzzy geographic boundary between what’s conventionally known as Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Largely because of those fuzzy boundaries, learning the language referred to in Malaysia as “Malay” and in Indonesia as “Indonesian” will put you in touch with about a quarter of a billion locals scattered across these thousands of islands.

Also helpful is the fact that it’s incredibly easy to learn : Indo-Malay’s lack of verb tenses and simple grammar means a couple weeks of intensive courses at the beginning of your trip should leave you reasonably prepared for everyday basic communication—and if you stick to it, your skills will only improve as you hop from island to island.

Most useful in: Asia

Hindustani is the super-language of India and Pakistan. India is already a hot backpacking and luxury travel destination, and Pakistan is steadily climbing its way up as it improves its security and infrastructure.

Between these two giant countries, four hundred million native and second language speakers use Hindi or Urdu, two standard dialects of the giant language linguists call Hindustani.

Throughout northern India and most of Pakistan, Hindi or Urdu will be spoken by nearly everyone you meet , and for many people this will be their native language (the English they learned in school takes a back seat as a third or fourth language for most).

A few well-placed phrases in Hindi or Urdu are your best shot at charming your way into the hospitality and natural beauty of India and Pakistan.

Sandwiched between giants like India and China, plus the tourist attractions of Southeast Asia, Bengali is still a great language for travelers, especially those looking to be on the cutting edge.

There are 200 million speakers in Bangladesh and India’s Bengal province . Bangladesh and the neighboring Indian province are densely populated parts of the Bay of Bengal, with some of the most beautiful and undiscovered wildlife in the world.

Bangladesh hasn’t really reached mainstream travel itineraries yet, but its tourism industry is growing . If you want to get there before it gets cool, brush up on your Bengali and book a flight!

Most useful in: The Middle East

This is the official language of Iran . Americans may still have more trouble getting visas than others, but this country is a rapidly up-and-coming travel destination.

Ask any backpacker who’s been there and they’ll rave about hospitality, openness and well-educated people. Imagine how much more of that you could soak up with some basic Farsi!

The same language, under various different national names, is spoken in Afghanistan and parts of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan . While that first name probably won’t be a popular vacation destination any time soon, the latter two are becoming more and more common legs of Central Asian tours.

Most useful in: East Africa

Swahili is East Africa’s own lingua franca. While native to only a small population of five million or so, it’s spoken and understood by 150 million people , stretching from eastern parts of the Congo to the Indian Ocean shores of Tanzania and Kenya.

The majority of the most spectacular safari countries are situated in the Swahili language area, so speaking the language might allow you to take a more authentic safari or another tour that’s more geared towards locals.

Most useful in: Southeast Africa

Though among the poorest regions on earth, Southeast Africa is also raved about by visitors as one of the friendliest and most welcoming .

From the hippo-filled Okavango Delta of Botswana, throughout Zimbabwe and to the remote northern beaches of Mozambique, Shona is the mother tongue of most locals you’ll meet.

Learn a few words of Shona and visit the nature of the Zimbabwean countryside, or enjoy the well-maintained roads and highly developed cities of Botswana. Even simple phrases like “thank you” or “your country is beautiful” are sure to endear you to everyone you meet.

Depending on where you plan on going, you may want to make your language learning even more niche than some of the options above.

Here are a few additional languages you might choose to learn to make your global travels a bit smoother, or at least a bit friendlier:

• Japanese is spoken by a large population, with 125 million speakers, but its limitation to travelers is that it doesn’t go very far outside Japan.
• Korean is spoken by about 75 million people, although a good number of them are in North Korea (still not very tourist friendly) and the rest are mostly in South Korea, so it’s also a relatively location-specific tongue as well.
• Dutch is the national language of Suriname and six Caribbean Islands, and it’s an official language in Belgium and the Netherlands in Europe, too.
• Quechua is one of the biggest indigenous languages of the Andes, and will get you far in more remote areas of South America.
• The Serbo-Croatian dialects of the Balkans are all mutually intelligible, and will give you a priceless opportunity to ditch the resorts and explore natural beauty that can’t be beat in the rest of Europe.
• Turkish will help you not only in Turkey but also in regions that speak similar Turkic languages in Central Asia.
• Hausa in West Africa is a large Bantu language with many millions of speakers and lots of mutually intelligible dialects.
• Amharic is spoken by nearly 22 million people in Ethiopia, which is arguably the African continent’s most culturally distinct country due to its unique history.
• Telugu can be handy in South Asia, specifically in India, as it’s spoken and understood throughout several of the southern states.
• Tibetan will give you priceless access to cultural opportunities if you want to trek into the remote regions of Tibet and northern China in Asia.
• Tagalog is the official language of the Philippines in Southeast Asia, and Spanish speakers will find it easy and even familiar.

Of course, there are plenty of factors to consider when deciding which language to learn . Perhaps the most important aspect, however, is your interest in said language.

If you’re planning to travel to a place that speaks a foreign tongue, that likely means you’re interested in the culture and the way of life in that place. This is great motivation for when language learning seems a bit more challenging than you expected.

So, if you really don’t know what language to learn for your travels, pick the one that captures your attention the most !

Language learning takes time and effort. If you’re on the fence about whether it’s really worth learning a language for your travels, let me argue in favor of it with these points:

• The local language can help you during your travels. You may be able to haggle and get discounts. You can ask for directions and assistance. It might even save your life (or at least some money) in case of emergencies.
• You’ll have a more authentic travel experience . Language is the key to a treasure chest full of history, authentic cultural experiences and new friends. You’ll be able to find out what a place is really like by chatting with locals, who can usually offer advice, tips and/or company on your excursions.
• The right language(s) can take you many places. You may have noticed that many languages on the list above are spoken in more than one country, and often (thanks to colonialism) on more than one continent, too. By knowing more than one or two languages, you greatly increase your ability to communicate anywhere in the world.

There are many resources and blogs out there for learning a language that will help you prepare for your journey.

To get ready for a trip abroad, you can start by reading travel guides and phrasebooks—you’ll arrive knowing about the destinations, local language, culture, etiquette and customs. Lonely Planet has travel guides and phrasebooks for virtually every region and language under the sun, so it’s a great place to start learning.

Apps are also an option if you prefer pocket-sized language guides. Dictionaries and flashcard apps are super handy for immediate translations and language practice, while programs like FluentU are helpful for authentic language immersion whenever you have time to spare.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

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Anything you can do to prepare yourself before traveling makes a difference. But if you want to continue learning while you’re on the go, you have additional options:

• Teach English in your destination country. If you’re reading this, chances are you speak English. Use this skill by teaching as you travel. The best part is that you generally don’t need previous experience to start . Teaching English will also offer you a way to earn money as you travel.
• Live with a host family. This is a great way to learn a language. Living with people who speak your target language means you’ll hear and use it every day out of sheer necessity. In fact, immersion language learning  is one of the most effective and natural ways to learn a new language.
• Volunteer.  Volunteering with a local non-profit or humanitarian organization is also a great way to learn new languages while traveling—with the bonus that you’ll be helping people in need at the same time.
• Ask lots of questions. Actually using the language is perhaps the fastest way to learn it. Ask locals about their favorite restaurants or places to visit, or ask for directions (even if you already know where you’re going!). Remember: When it comes to learning a language, the focus isn’t the destination but the people you’ll learn from along the way!

We know there are a ton of benefits for learning a language, but no one benefits from it as much as a world traveler.

If you’re planning a big trip in the near future or dreaming of traveling the world one day, you can start brushing up on your language skills today!

If you dig the idea of learning on your own time from the comfort of your smart device with real-life authentic language content, you'll love using FluentU .

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Most Useful Languages for World Travel

Languages and traveling the world go hand in hand with each other. One doesn’t necessarily require the other, however, speaking the local language can completely transform your travel experience. This article will explore the most useful languages for world travel because languages really are key to having an authentic cultural experience and making new friends all over the world.

Tandem is not only for those on a language learning journey but also for those brave nomads and travelers out there. Speak the language of the locals and meet new people in the country you are traveling to. Download the Tandem app now to connect with people all across the world!

If you are reading this article, you are either one of the 360 million native English speakers or one of the billion people who speak it as a second language. Since the vast majority of the world's population has at least a basic understanding of the English language, you are spoiled for choice for your next travel destination. It is an official language in the United Kingdom, the United States, Jamacia, Down Under (Australia), New Zealand, Barbados and many more.

However, as a native English speaker, relying exclusively on widely-understood English travel vocabulary can sometimes mean missing out on the deeper cultural layers of each country you visit.

Learning Spanish will open up whole continents to you. It is one of the most spread languages around the world, and it is the official language in 21 different countries. To this day, there are approximately 500 million Spanish speakers worldwide. Being a Romance language, Spanish shares the same origins with Portuguese and Italian, for example, which leaves you open to building further language skills. Spanish is a perfect language to learn for travelers on a budget since Spanish-speaking countries are generally very affordable.

There are almost 1.2 billion native Chinese speakers, making up 16% of the world’s population. Having a sturdy level of Mandarin and Cantonese will help you navigate the language’s vast geographic reach more independently. There are many places worth traveling to where speaking Chinese will be useful for you. Among these are Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore, however, you can find a Chinese community in almost every city in the world.

Spoken in India and parts of Pakistan, Hindi is a ‘big five’ world language. More than half a billion people speak it, of which half are native speakers. India is already a hot backpacking and luxury travel destination, and Pakistan is steadily climbing its way up as it improves its security and infrastructure. India exports fantastic cuisine and yoga, plus Hindi is the tongue of Bollywood so this should be an easy choice for your next travel destination!

When most people think of the Middle East and the Arab World, Arabic is naturally the first language that comes to mind. However, there isn’t really a language called “Arabic.” Arabic is so vastly different in its respective dialects that they are often considered separate languages, grouped as one for the sake of convenience.

There are about 313 million collective Arabic speakers in the world with 25 countries that claim an Arabic language as an official or co-official language. Egyptian Arabic is the closest thing to standard Arabic which holds the record for the largest Arabic-speaking population at around 65 million people.

Russian is the most spread Slavic language in the world with roughly 166 million native speakers in the world. Speaking Russian will see you from the Baltic Sea all the way to the Bering Strait and is THE traveler’s tool for traversing Eurasia. Russian is formally recognized as a minority language in Eastern Europe including Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Moldova, Georgia, and Romania. The only disadvantage for travelers is that Russia requires a visa for most Western foreign visitors.

7. Portuguese

Portuguese is the official language of Portugal and Brazil with over 200 million speakers. However, did you know that it’s also an official language in parts of Asia? Portuguese is actually widely spoken in Macau, where it’s an official language, and Japan as Brazilian immigrants brought the language with them.

Portuguese is also spoken in geographically scattered African countries. Angola, for example, has a notoriously troublesome visa policy, making it next to impossible for Western travelers to enter, thus leaving it an internationally undiscovered gem.

Sandwiched between India and Southeast Asia, Bangladesh is home to 200 million speakers of one of the widest-spoken languages in the world. As a travel destination, the Bay of Bengal is densely populated with some of the most beautiful and undiscovered wildlife in the world. Bangladesh hasn’t reached the mainstream travel itineraries as of yet, but its tourism industry is growing. If you want to get there before it gets swamped with tourists, brush up on your Bengali and book a flight!

Bon Voyage!

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How speaking the local language upgrades your travel experience.

If you’re a native English speaker, it’s easy to fall back on your mother tongue while traveling abroad: It’s the global  lingua franca , especially in the realms of tourism and business. But while this strategy is certainly easy, many people don’t realize what they’re missing out on by only speaking English. If you want to move past the bland, tourist version of a culture, you have to dig in and speak to locals in their own language.

Here are our top reasons why learning some of the local language will give you a more rewarding experience, while also enabling you to travel like a pro.

Travel Authentically

When you think of traveling abroad, do you think of your desire to just  see  other cultures, or to really  experience  them? Sure, if you’re content to view the world through a tour bus window, knowing English will probably get you to and from your destinations. But if you want to experience the culture of other places without the pre-packaged tourist filter, then it’s vital to learn the local language.

Being able to talk with locals, even just a few phrases, can open up a whole new side of a city and culture. You can skip the long lines at the McDonald’s and the souvenir shops and instead spend time at hole-in-the-wall restaurants that are the local favorites. Locals are experts on their cities, and when you ask for their opinions, a world of authenticity presents itself to you. This could mean talking to people in a cafe or picking up a local paper to see what’s really going on in the city. Perhaps you’ll taste a dish not listed on the English menu or get invited to a secret party! Instead of being shepherded by tour guides looking to catch you (and your cash) in their tourist traps, your language skills allow you to travel without a guidebook and immerse yourself the way you always wanted to.

Make Friends Around The World

Speaking of locals: Sure, it’s nice to be able to ask strangers for directions, but wouldn’t it be better to actually make friends all over the globe? Making new and unique friends is one of the best perks of traveling, and it’s certainly easier when you speak the same language as someone. This advantage is especially useful if you plan to  travel alone , because these new friends will bring dimension and excitement to your trip! Even if you’re traveling with someone else, having a local’s take on a night out will only enrich your memories together.

Plus, traveling authentically means that you can really engage with other people that you otherwise wouldn’t have met. You can ask them about their stories and their world-views, and try to understand them in a way you wouldn’t normally be able to. Learning another language opens up the experiences of millions of other people to you — now it’s just up to you to make the connection.

Enhance Your Love Life

Who says those connections have to be solely platonic? They always say, “There’s plenty of fish in the sea,” but think about how much bigger the ocean grows when you learn a language. We’re living in a global world, yet so much of our personal lives are wrapped up within a few blocks. Why not expand your horizons, and your dating life, to encompass a wider scope of possibilities and people? And perhaps an even more important point: people are rated as  more attractive  when they speak a second language (even more attractive than if they sport a six-pack). Now that’s a serious advantage whether you’re traveling abroad or looking for that special someone at home.

Avoid Embarrassment

With all of our social media platforms and fancy translation apps, it would seem like the previous barriers of global communication were a thing of the past. Unfortunately, not only are translation algorithms still  pretty faulty , but language barriers are still a very real thing — even in large metropolitan areas. If you go abroad only speaking English, you will undoubtedly have at least a few occasions where the other person doesn’t understand you, and where hand gestures just don’t cut it.

When you think of your daily life, you take the ease of speaking your native tongue for granted in completing little tasks. Buying the food you want or taking the right bus seems easy now, but it’s no cakewalk in a foreign country. Your  hand gestures  might not translate in another culture, or you could fall into making a humiliating  faux pas  with a  false friend . Learning the local language saves you the embarrassment and the frustration of a language barrier on your otherwise amazing trip.

So whether you’re interested in experiencing other cultures off the tourist path, or you have a passion for connecting with people, or you simply want to ensure your time abroad is frustration-free, learning the local language can only improve your experience.

The Connectivity of Language Translation and Tourism

Published on 10.02.2021

By Aliagan Muhamed and Afaf Steiert

The Great Language Barrier

The diversity of human languages is a feat worthy of displaying the organic, complex intelligence of our species. Though ever impressive and unifying, in our present globalized environment, it is a barrier. Being a hindrance of communication, it causes misunderstandings and misinterpretations among people. The pace of translation technology and increased access to language services is apparent; it is not the inability of people to communicate the barrier, but the lack of attention toward translation services. In 2012, the Rosetta Foundation declared April 19 the international “No Language Barrier Day.” The intent for the day is to raise awareness about the existence of various languages not causing such barriers. In fact, language diversity is a good thing. Instead, lack of access to translation services is the barrier preventing communities from accessing and sharing information across languages[i]. The annual celebration of this day aims to raise awareness about the global community translation efforts.

We cannot underestimate the influence of language on human beings. Language differentiates human beings from other living things. When we communicate and express our feelings, we inform, share experiences and ideas with one another through languages. We share love, foreground our unionism, and educate one another for the betterment of the human race. While language is an invaluable tool, unfortunately, language barriers confine and hinder understanding—the existence of various languages limits the connectivity and relativity of people to the boundaries of their languages. It can be argued that the public sector ought to provide support toward incentivizing a dismantling of these barriers, to increase gains in research, improve tourism, and build stronger relationships with our neighbor’s around the globe. In addition, this serves to stimulate the economy, and during the current pandemic, no economy can do without it.

Language Barriers and their Effects on Tourism

The tourism sector being absolutely demolished globally during the coronavirus pandemic and investments to dismantle language barriers can have a direct effect boosting the economy. Prior to the pandemic, tourism contributed around 10.3% of the global GDP[ii]. 2019 totaled 1.5 billion in international tourist arrival (a 4% increase over the prior year)[iii]. This year 2020 was originally expected to reflect growth rates of around a similar percentage; unfortunately, the opposite has taken place[ii]. The tourism sector has been obliterated, considering the travel sector exclusively is expected to lose a 100 million jobs in this year alone[ii]. Many countries such as the British Virgin Islands, Maldives, Macau and Aruba depend on tourism for economic development and are currently suffering the economic weight of the pandemic[iv].

Tourism takes one to meet different people, taste culinary delights, and experience different cultures and languages. Dismantling initial language barriers can make a community far more receptive to visitors, while improving the economy as re-openings seem to set to inevitably occur. Consider that in a survey of 20,500 travelers, 26 percent reported language barriers as an obstacle to their tourism[v].

Tourists are also more vulnerable to committing illegal offences unknowingly due to the language barrier. From taking photographs of military installations, embassies, wearing footwear in some places, more commonly not wearing footwear in other places, to consuming alcohol and consuming drugs such as cannabis, both have variable enforcement in terms of legality globally. Without clear communication, tourists are more likely to be arrested further fouling the image of the respective country enforcing its laws if foreign nationals that base its tourism sector deem the treatment unfair. Avoiding such a detriment to attracting visitors is vitally important and it begins with properly translated materials.

Language Services are Vital for Tourism and the Economy

Language accessibility makes a foreign country more inviting and hospitable, and this encourages tourists for longer stays. Tourists must know basic things about the tourist destination. Otherwise, they may be breaking laws and regulations. For these reasons, standard translation of tourist text is necessary for the description of places, areas, sights, information on appliances and facilities, basic rules and regulations, price lists, and other materials tourists would contact. Airports or ports of arrival, booklets and brochures containing laws of the country that can be violated should be provided and explained to tourists in their own language; easily available guides may also make tourists feel more independent and capable of navigating a “foreign” land. Therefore, accessibility to language is a source of economic stimulus. In these trying times, when multiple businesses and governments liquidity grows tighter, investment into a more globalized language landscape may lead to many positive benefits associated with tourism and expand into a vibrant, capable, healthy, and strong economy.

Standardization and Professionalism in Language Translation/Localization

The major reason why language translation and localization are important for tourism is to ease communication. If the translation is not done efficiently, there could be misinterpretation, misinformation, and confusion. These negative effects can be worse than having access to translation. For efficient translation, the translator must be professional and should localize or standardize the translation considering the tourist/foreigner’s original culture.

Across the globe, there are poor translations being produced, on both governments and businesses behalf, that have a high comedic appeal while likely lacking in their effectiveness in attracting tourists into their businesses.

When the translation is not done well, language is often left out. In some languages, intonation, and phonology render different meanings. Standardization and localization in translation must be an important part of the quality control process for language service providers (LSP), to assure the comprehension and the efficiency of the translation into the target languages.

Translation and language access to the tourists are a form of stimulus to the global economy. Adjusting to our new COVID-19 world to revitalize tourist economies, health information will be a vital necessity to decrease the spread of the virus through travelling and tourism in future.

*Special thank you to Yasin Steiert for editing this article.

References: [i] Pierce, G. (2018). Introducing Translational Studies. London: Ed Tech Press. [ii] Lee, Y. N. (2020, May 06). 5 charts show which travel sectors were worst hit by the coronavirus. Retrieved from here . [iii] World Tourism Organization. (2020, June 20). International Tourism Growth Continues to Outpace the Global Economy. Retrieved from here . [iv] Smith, O. (2018, February 05). Revealed: The countries that rely most on your money. Retrieved from here . [v] Booking.com. (2016, April 19). Booking.com Survey Reveals Top Causes for Travel Angst. Retrieved from here . Korolkovaite, I. (2018). 139 Translation Fails That Will Have Rolling on the Floor Laughing. Retrieved from here .

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The 6 Most Useful Languages for Travel (and How to Learn Them!)

• Post author By Damon Lane
• Post date April 18, 2024
• 8 Comments on The 6 Most Useful Languages for Travel (and How to Learn Them!)

Learning a new language for travel is a great way to feel a deeper connection to the places you visit and the people you meet. Many of us dream of being able to converse freely and fluently with people wherever we go. But with more than 6,500 languages spoken in the world today, it isn’t practical to learn them all. 

So which languages are most useful for travel, and how should you go about learning them? 

In this guide, we detail the top 6 languages to learn for travel and provide tips and resources to make language learning easier.

Our experience learning languages for travel

When we were first bitten by the international travel bug, we knew our travels would take us to many countries that were not natively English-speaking. So, our language-learning journey began!

We went to a bookstore and picked up a book about Switzerland, the first country we eventually visited in Europe. The cover of the book looked so cool. There were mountains… and skiers… and snow. All the things that we enjoy!

The book also mentioned all the languages that are spoken in Switzerland: German, English, Italian, Spanish, French… and then something called Swiss-German. Children in Switzerland, and in much of the world, are taught a second language beginning in grade school, if not younger.

Yet foreign language is still not something that is actively and earnestly taught in the US public school system until at least high school. That is when we decided to learn another language… maybe two… or three. And we made it our goal to ensure our daughter learns a second language, as well. 

The 6 best languages for travel to learn

If you want to learn a second language for travel, you first need to determine which language would be most beneficial and useful during your travels.

Here are the top languages that have the most travel value and why.

The fact that you are reading this in English tells me you are likely already a native English speaker or at the very least fluent in the language. So, you probably don’t need to learn English. However, I included it on the list because in terms of the top languages for travel, English is undoubtedly number one. 

There are 67 different countries in the world where English is the official language, as well as numerous non-sovereign entities. Residents from countries like the United States , United Kingdom, and Canada speak English as their native language.

Surprisingly, English is even the official language of the Central American country of Belize and of many of the countries on the continent of Africa.

Additionally, many countries teach English as a second language beginning in kindergarten. So nearly 20 percent of the world’s population, or 1.35 billion people can speak some English.  

However, don’t think you can get by everywhere just by knowing English. Because that leaves more than 75 percent of the world who do not speak or understand English at all. 

Aside from English, Spanish is one of the most important languages to learn for travel.

It is the official language in at least 20 countries – and a large section of two continents.  If you want to travel to Spain , Mexico , or to most countries in Central America and South America , Spanish will be beneficial.

Spanish is also the second most-spoken language in the United States. An estimated 13% of US residents speak Spanish as a first language. 

As a romance language, learning Spanish also makes it easier to learn other romance languages like French, Italian and Portuguese. 

For English speakers, Arabic is a challenging language to learn, at least compared to Spanish. Arabic has its own alphabet, grammatical complexities, and pronunciation.

Additionally, there are a lot of different dialects of Arabic that can make learning it difficult. But, since Arabic is the official language of 26 countries, including areas where international tourism is growing rapidly, like Dubai, UAE and Morocco , it is one of the best languages to learn for travel.

If you have a desire to visit the Middle East or any of the countries in Northern Africa, you should at the very least learn some Arabic.

Mandarin Chinese

Mandarin Chinese makes our list of the best languages for travel, simply because it is the most spoken language in the world.

Although only 5 countries have Chinese and one of its dialects, like Mandarin, as the official language, many of those countries are extremely populated.

So, if you have a desire to see the Great Wall of China , any of the fascinating sites in Beijing or elsewhere in China, Mandarin Chinese is a useful language. And considering Beijing is one of the best places to visit for a family vacation in Asia , learning at least a few key phrases would be a good idea.

In fact, Mandarin is a good language for travel and for business and will always be as long as companies around the world continue to outsource production to China.

Like Spanish and Arabic, French is widely spoken around the world. There are 29 countries where French is the official language.

So, if you dream of Paris to see one of the most famous bridges in Europe or you want to wander around the Louvre and gaze at famous European statues and paintings, or explore beautiful gothic cathedrals , French is a great language to learn. 

French is also spoken in parts of Canada , like Quebec and even in some of the Caribbean islands, like St. Martin .

Portuguese is a romance language, like French and Spanish. While Portugal is the home country for the language, it is not the largest country that uses the language.

Portuguese is also the official language of Brazil, the largest country in South America. 

Portuguese is spoken in 10 countries around the world, and if you want to visit Lisbon or any of these other popular places in Portugal , learn a few words and phrases in Portuguese to make your trip easier.

Two bonus languages to learn for travel

Although the seven languages above are the most beneficial languages for travel, it may make sense for you to learn others that aren’t on this list.

The language you will use the most

A great language for you to learn would be the one that you would use the most, even if it is not one of the more widely spoken languages above. 

If you have grandparents from Japan , for example, it might make more sense for you to learn Japanese to communicate and connect with your relatives and your heritage.

In fact, in this example it would also be helpful to learn about the culture and the unique Japanese habits and customs so you can preserve and honor your heritage, as well.

The language that interests you

Another great language to learn would be the one that interests you the most. For instance, if you are of Polish descent and are interested in learning Polish, do it!

Even if no one in your family still speaks Polish and you have no plans to travel to Poland , if the language interests you, you will be more likely to stick with it. 

Why you should learn a language for travel

Travel is a great way to learn. In fact, many of our favorite family travel quotes revolve around the idea that travel is the best form of education.

Through travel, you can learn so much about the world and its history, and about other cultures and religions. But to truly connect with a place and its people, it is important to learn at least a little of the native language for travel.

Learning a language opens up new possibilities

If you live in the United States and never plan to travel outside its borders, then you may not need to learn a language other than English.

But the USA only accounts for 4.25% of the entire world population and only 6.1% of the land on this planet. That means that more than 95% of people in this world, and 94% of the beautiful lands to explore are in other countries.

While there are a lot of great places to visit in the United States , there is so much you will never discover if you don’t leave the country.

So, if you want to see more than just 6.1% of the world, then learning a language for travel would be beneficial. And the further you go off the tourist path in a city or country, the more likely it is you will have to interact with people who do not speak English.

Speaking a country’s native language earns respect from locals

Even if you only know a few key phrases in a language, it will ultimately earn you a lot of respect from the locals you interact with while you are traveling. 

A few years ago, when we took a family trip to Costa Rica , we tried to make a reservation at a restaurant at the resort where we were staying, RIU Guanacaste . Unfortunately, the restaurant was booked. However, when we started to speak to the manager in Spanish, the native language of Costa Rica, he made an exception and reserved a table for us.

Our Spanish was far from perfect. In fact, it was likely pretty terrible. But by simply attempting to speak it, we earned the managers respect or favor, and ultimately, we were able to secure a reservation.

Language helps you connect with locals in other countries

Interacting with locals takes on an entirely new dynamic when communication is more fluid because you took the time to learn a language for travel.

When we are even somewhat comfortable speaking the language in a new country, we are able to break off the tourist path, see more of the country, and interact more with the people that make that country unique. 

There is something about sitting down in a pub and having a beer in areas that only the locals go that will make you feel more connected to a city.

More importantly, you can establish cross-cultural friendships and do so while giving your brain a nice boost.

How to learn a new language for travel

Learning a language can admittedly be hard, especially for adults. But it can also be one of the coolest and most rewarding things you ever do. 

In our household, we personally spend at least 20 minutes each day practicing another language. It helps us feel more connected to other cultures even when you aren’t traveling , and ultimately helps us be more prepared for future trips.

Of course, immersion is always the best way to learn a new language. But most of us don’t have the opportunity to move abroad for months at a time. So, for those who are learning from home, here are some of the most popular resources to learn another language for travel.

Duolingo is a free app that you can install on your phone so you can take language learning with you wherever you go.

Did you miss the part where I mentioned it is FREE ?

In reality, you will not become fluent in a language using Duolingo alone. However, it is a convenient app that can help you learn 19 distinct languages. It has a fun, engaging gamification platform, and is easy to use, even on the go. We personally use Duolingo daily in our household.  

Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone is another great language-learning resource that we personally use.

Rosetta Stone teaches you language the way you learned your first one, beginning with easy nouns and phrases. However, like Duolingo, Rosetta Stone is great for building vocabulary but not as great for everyday, practical use and language comprehension. 

Still, at the current price for a lifetime subscription for all languages, Rosetta Stone is well worth the investment. In fact, it even makes a great gift for moms who love to travel .

Like Rosetta Stone, Babbel is a paid-app or language learning program. It was designed with real world use in mind.

Babble does a better job than Rosetta Stone at explaining translations but offers fewer languages. Rosetta Stone offers 25 languages, whereas Babble currently only offers 14.

For those wanting to dive deeper into language learning, Babbel Live is extremely beneficial as the courses are live online classes taught by speakers and teachers of the language. However, Babbel Live is only offered in Spanish, French, Italian, and German.

Language-learning Podcasts

Who doesn’t love a good podcast these days?

If you commute for work or are trying to pass the time on a road trip, a language learning podcast like Coffee Break Languages (currently offered in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Swedish, and English) are great!

These free podcasts teach the basics of a language for travel or practical purposes. For example, one podcast may be solely dedicated to ordering in a restaurant.

Children’s movies

“How did you learn English?” is one of my favorite questions to ask someone who learned English as a second language. Many times the answer is from watching movies!

So, as you become more studious in language learning, watch some of your favorite children’s movies in the language you are trying to learn and turn the closed captioning on. 

Disney movies are great for this. Not only are many Disney movies inspired by places you can actually visit , but children’s movies tend to use simple vocabulary which is easier to understand as you are trying to learn a new language.  

Tips for practicing a new language when traveling

Speaking a new language to those who speak it natively can be intimidating. But here are a few tips to help you practice your new skills with confidence.

Conquer your fear of mistakes

Don’t be afraid to say things incorrectly. Even if your grammar or pronunciation is off, chances are people will still understand the gist of what you are saying.

And the more you practice speaking a language to others the more comfortable you will get.

Learn the basics and know them well

You don’t need to learn the language from front to back. But learning some of the more popular phrases and sayings in multiple languages is beneficial. 

So what should you learn? Here are a few phrases that we try to learn in the native language of any country we visit: 

• Excuse Me/Pardon Me
• Please 
• How are you? 
• I am good/fine/great/wonderful
• How much does this cost?
• I would like to eat/drink
• Do you know
• Table for (2, 3, 4, or however many people are in your family)

In most cases, this will cover the bulk of necessary interaction you will have when traveling, if you’re trying to get by with the bare minimum. But learning these simple sayings can really make you stand out.

Have a question or comment about the best languages to learn for travel? We’d love to hear from you! Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Like it? Pin this list of languages for travel to save for later!

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8 comments on “The 6 Most Useful Languages for Travel (and How to Learn Them!)”

Well said. I stayed with a family in Austria for a few days when I was 14. The other same-aged kids already knew English on top of their German, and they were all deciding which language to learn next – French or otherwise. I was so jealous.

Isn’t that amazing?! It still baffles me that kids aren’t required to learn a foreign language in the states. It is much harder to learn one as an adult.

Germany is BEAUTIFUL! You will love it. I was an exchange student in the Allgäu region for a full year and it was the best experience of my life, bar none. There is so much to do and see, so hopefully you booked at least a week there, as you’ll need every second. I went there language blind…not a lick of Deutsch….but by the 6-month mark I was dreaming in German…that’s when you know you’ve got it down good. I know you have limited time there, but just know everyone loves tto be able to talk to Americans in English, but are super helpful in helping you to speak German when you try as well. I def recommend you try the Späetzle noodles–one of my favs! Also their cheeses and breads…and of course, their beer selections :). If you need any pointers, etc, definitely feel free to contact me. Happy travels!

Thanks for the tips Mandi! I’m excited to try all the foods and beers in Germany. We had a German exchange student live with us when I was growing up. I still consider him my brother. He now lives in Switzerland, and we actually went and visited him and his family a few years ago.

I will NEVER forget an American lady, probably in her late thirties, that instead of trying to understand the language being spoken simply started to shout in English at the young Guatemalan shop-keeper. Then had the audacity to yell at him, “why can’t you stupid people learn English?”. I didn’t know spanish but had my handy dandy guidebook with phrases and was treated like a friend wherever I went. The locals had a lot of laughs at my inability to roll an R or make that LL sound, but they really appreciated me at least trying. We seriously need to have our school focus on languages and make it a requirement for graduation..

I completely agree! In high school, we had exchange students from various European countries live with us for a year, and at the age of 16, they knew perfect English, as well as their native language, and usually a third language. I think American kids are really at a disadvantage because foreign languages aren’t taught beginning in grade school or Pre-K.

I have unfortunately run into these situations far too frequently as well. When people leave the borders of their own country (which I encourage everyone to do), they can’t expect the world to cater to them. Why would anyone want to go somewhere that’s exactly like home anyway? I was very fortunate that in Canada, we must learn French up to Grade 8 and then are highly encouraged to either continue with it or choose another language throughout high school. It is not even the language itself that matters, but rather the process of learning another language.

It’s been several years since I’ve used it, so my Spanish ability has regressed quite a bit, but I used to be very capable and confident in that language and traveled to several places in Central and South America. Knowing the language allowed me to experience so much more than I ever could have otherwise. I made some great friendships with locals who couldn’t speak English.

Years later (about ten years ago now) I got a job in Korea. It was my first experience traveling to a place where I could not speak the local language. I could get around, and I managed fine, but my experience traveling was so different. I couldn’t make friends with locals (unless they spoke English) and I getting off the beaten path was much more challenging. I only planned to stay there a few years so never made a concerted effort to learn Korean, but two years turned into ten before I finally decided to leave. It saddens me to think of how richer my experience could have been if I had started right away to learn the language and if I had been committed to trying harder.

Earlier this year, we moved to China and I decided I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. I’ve been trying to learn Mandarin. It’s so much more difficult than Spanish. I think I could study it for ten years and not have the same level I achieved after a year studying Spanish. My kids are picking it up so much faster than I am. It makes me happy for them, but frustrated with myself. But in the end, all we can do is try, right?

I applaud your efforts to get out there and not be intimidated with your lack of language. It shows your kids that you value other cultures and languages.

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Learning New Languages as a Tourist, Is It Possible?

How to Explore and  Learn a Language Simultaneously

1. set goals.

• This week, I am going to learn 20 new (useful) everyday phrases.
• Every evening, I am going to spend at least one hour on language learning.
• Every day, I will learn at least 10 new vocabulary words.

2. Use Every Opportunity to Practice the Language

• I'm going to book the hotel room by communicating entirely in German/French/Spanish.
• I'm going to learn two different phrases in each new place I visit today.
• I'm going to caption my Instagram/Facebook travel photographs entirely in, e.g, Italian.

3. Facilitate the Process (Pack Smart)

4. Spend Some Time Learning the Culture

5. plan, plan, plan.

The language of tourism – more than translation

If you don’t think that tourism is important, then consider the following: 1 out of 11 jobs in the world come from travel and tourism, and the sector contributes a massive 9.8% of the world’s total GDP . However, all this opportunity also brings a multitude of complications. Unlike some industries, the tourism industry operates in almost all corners of the world and in every language imaginable. As the world continues to move in a direction that is both “connected” and “disconnected”, tourism businesses face the enormous challenge of connecting with their target audience. This is something that only can be achieved by tourism specialists that are able to expand their language abilities.

The potential for growth in tourism is substantial. Source: UNWTO .

One of the keys to being a successful business is to be where your consumers are. This requires speaking the right language: their language. However, over the years we have become increasingly dependent on English. It’s the fix-all solution that enables communication; especially between travellers and locals. But as our insatiable desire for smartphones, the internet and new technology grows, so does our desire to communicate in our own language. Studies indicate that 72.1% of consumers spend most or all their time on websites in their own language . Did you know that only four of the top 10 countries with tourists who travel abroad have English as their first language? This alone gives us a lot of reasons to invest in translation services.

Top spenders in international tourism. Source: UNWTO .

Tourism and translation

Selling a tourism product or service in your own language is difficult on its own. So, things obviously get extra tricky when you need to sell them in a foreign language. The tourism industry can usually only offer words, images and videos of the product before the consumers makes their purchase decision, so getting these right is important. Therefore, the language of tourism needs to persuade, lure, woo and seduce your target audience in order to convert them from potential clients into actual ones.

“Translation in the tourism industry requires a high degree of cross-cultural communication”

Many tourism businesses do a fantastic job creating compelling content that engages their target audience, but problems often arise when they attempt to translate this content. This is because translation in the tourism industry requires a high degree of cross-cultural communication . In the words of Mirella Agorni, the role of the translator is to mediate the content and “make it available to a type of tourist who is necessarily different from that targeted by the original work.”

Localisation is the key

This is where the process of localisation comes in. Going further than translation, localisation is the process of culturally adjusting your content to a given language and audience. Localisation is comprised of multiple adjustments that ensure your content is marketed correctly to a global audience. These adjustments can be anything from:

• Adjusting graphics, such as altering the colours, fonts and images.
• Modifying design and layout to adhere to new languages, i.e. Arabic is read from right to left and some languages take up more space than others.
• Adjusting to diverse local requirements, i.e. currencies, measurements, dates, addresses and phone numbers.
• Performing multiple other adjustments that mould your content to those who you wish to target, i.e. hipsters in Germany, doctors in Turkey, Australian MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) tourists and thousands of other sub-segments of tourists.

All of these adjustments—whether they are small or large—play a vital role in creating valuable multilingual content. And its importance cannot be understated. Businesses that use localisation will stand out from the crowd, making themselves the game changers of their respective markets. Using localisation conveys that you speak the reader’s language. It shows them who you are and how you want to be perceived, all while maintaining and increasing your overall brand image. Localised content is the end-product, but how you get there language-wise completely depends on which translation techniques you wish to use.

Creative translation

One key language service that aids in the creation of high-quality multilingual content is creative translation . This form of translation is a means to stop and reflect on the meaning of your message. It’s an opportunity to contemplate, adapt, change or completely rewrite the text. This process uses the target language’s grammar and nuances to create a culturally adapted message. The key difference to a standard translation is that the translator has a greater creative license and can further adapt the text to suit the target language.

This makes it a perfect match for the tourism industry. A study of 53,000 international tourists concluded that the number one factor for purchasing a holiday online is the “excitement tourists feel while purchasing their holiday”. And the use of emotive and creative language in your native tongue is key to success in our increasingly connected world.

A creative translator turns your texts into powerful, catchy copy for your local markets based off your brief and the source text.

What to localise?

In a perfect world, everything is personalised and all online content has been designed specifically for you, your language, how you use the internet, and in accordance with your values and your interests. Of course, this is not the reality we live in. As marketeers, we do our utmost to create narrower and more defined groupings of individuals in order to reach our goal of an individualised marketing approach. However, since you have a limited amount of time and resources at hand, we know that localising all of your content is not always feasible.

So, if you’re stuck wondering what you should localise or have just started your localisation process, let us give you a basic overview of the main channels in the tourism industry that can benefit from localisation.

Your website

A website is often the core of who you are and what your business is. For any tourism business that wishes to be perceived as a multilingual organisation, it is imperative that your website reflects this. As we already know, 72.1% of consumers spend most or all their time on websites in their own language. Therefore, having a website limited to English and one local language greatly diminishes your reach.

Take Destination Management as an example. This is a sector which prides itself on the languages offered. It employs multilingual staff, ensuring seamless operational support without any language barriers. Below is an extract from a Destination Management specialist which highlights this point:

“Our team is put together of employees with a diverse cultural background as well as staff from our region, giving us an explicit understanding of our clients’ needs and wishes as well as giving us the best regional insight. English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Turkish, German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Bahasa Indonesia and Malay is spoken among our staff.” Borealis Destination Management, Retrieved 17 February 2017.

Half of all B2B buyers are millennials. Source: Think with Google .

Sadly, this business and many others like it only have their websites available in English. A recent study by Google showed that 89% of B2B researchers use the internet during the B2B research process . And since Destination Management and other tourism businesses fall within the B2B category, this gives us a greater incentive to ensure that your business does its best to increase its online exposure. Additionally, localising more languages on your website can enhance your SEO, giving you a greater chance of being found in an array of increasingly cluttered search results.

Your social media channels

Social platforms are the golden goose of the tourism industry. The beauty of social media is its ability to connect tourists or clients on a global scale and at a cost-effective price. This builds brand presence and ultimately sells more products and services. And as their role in our travelling lives continues to increase, it shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that there is a need to make shareable content available in multiple languages.

So how do you “win” at social media? The common reply is that it’s all about engagement. However, getting engagement is becoming an increasingly difficult task for tourism businesses. Adding additional languages is one way to open your business up, since it allows consumers to engage in the language that they’re comfortable in.

Furthermore, by increasing the language locales of your social media platforms, you also increase the chances of gaining User Generated Content (UGC) from engaged tourists. Such UGC is extremely valuable online content , which is backed up by many ongoing studies on the influence of UGC in the decision-making process of tourists (e.g. Munar, A.M. and Jacobsen, J.K.S., 2014. Motivations for sharing tourism experiences through social media. Tourism management, 43, pp.46–54 ).

Who wouldn't want to follow a friend here?

As blogging is becoming fashionable again, more and more managers are looking at how they can adopt this strategy to attract additional clients. If your brand is already fortunate enough to be writing a blog, you will understand the importance of language and how high quality writing makes for a good blog (and vice versa, of course). Machine translating a blog won’t work at all, since the best-case scenario is a semi-comprehensible text that won’t even remotely resemble a professional blog. There are situations when machine translation makes a lot of sense , but that isn’t the case for this type of high-quality, creative content. On the other hand, just having the blog in one language is almost just as bad, even if it’s better than going down the machine translation route. Ideally, you’ll have native speakers creating new content for their respective territories. If this isn’t possible, you can let creative translators adapt your content and use proofreading and validation as additional quality control steps.

Your operational content

Although operational translations are a bit of a no-brainer, they’re often overlooked. These translations can be anything from translating signs, menus, brochures, itineraries, contracts, and many other on-site texts. The benefits of implementing this strategy includes expanding your customer base, preventing customer confusion, increasing your revenue and making sure that consumers choose your business over your competitors. Furthermore, having multiple on-site languages highlights your professionalism and the respect you have for your customers.

Don't become a bad translation meme

Just the beginning

This is just an introduction to the importance of translation and localisation in the tourism industry. By now it should be clear how fundamentally important it is to speak your customer’s language. And equally, how a little bit of localisation can go a long way in creating sustainable growth for businesses in this highly competitive area. If you’d like more in-depth information on tourism communication, I recommend taking a look at this paper by Mirella Agorni .

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October 2015 Issue

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• The Language of Tourism: Translating Terms in Tourist Texts

1. Introduction.

International tourism, as one of the biggest and the most dynamic industries in the world, inevitably influences all the aspects of social life, including language. The development of international tourism has given rise to increase in professional communication in the field. The common parties of communication process in tourism are tourism professionals, tourists and local population “tourees” (Dann, 2012). The communication process itself can take place between all the parties in different combinations. The present investigation seeks to address only the written form of tourist communication. The latter includes communication between incoming and outgoing travel intermediaries. However, communication between industry professionals/ tourists and tourees lies beyond the scope of the present research. It is by all means interesting topic for further research, but contains little terminology. Furthermore, this topic is more relevant for the investigation of intercultural aspects of translation process of tourist texts. The large number of tourism terms is continually coined, increasing scientific interest in the questions of translating tourist terminology into different languages.

The present research aims at investigating tourist terms found in different types of tourist texts. By tourist texts we mean all types of written address to tourist or tourist professionals be it a brochure, a leaflet, a price-list, or a catalog. The present paper makes an attempt to analyze the language of tourism used to create a tourist text and particularly tourism terminology used in the process.

Here we address the question of defining the degree of specialization of language of tourism, mentioned in the works of different researchers (Agorni, 2012; Muñoz, 2012; Calvi, 2005 to mention but few). We make an attempt to classify the degree of specialization by means of discriminating between different types of tourist texts starting with those describing the destination (country, region, resort etc) through the texts, aimed at providing detailed information, to the professional-oriented tourist texts (price lists, newsletters, special offers etc). The term density of different types of tourist texts will be calculated and compared. Part of the research deals with the division of abbreviations into categories according to their function and gives general review of the approaches to acronym translation. Almost everybody at least once in their lives has encountered tourism-related acronyms (e.g. in tickets, bookings, reservations, advertisements). Nevertheless, there is no, to the best of our knowledge, comprehensive investigation into the subject of translating tourist abbreviations. This is an important issue for future research which is already underway.

2. Literature Review.

A recent review of the literature on the topic of translating tourist texts as the type of specialized discourse has found that there is a considerable amount of literature on translating specialized texts. Eugene Nida (1964), Peter Newmark (1993) have made thorough research into translation of different types of specialized discourse.

The study of terminology by Juan Sager (2001), M. Teresa Cabré (2010), Márta Fischer (2010) and others provide an in-depth studies and background information pertaining to terms and their translation.

Peter Newmark (1993), Alan Duff (1981), Mary Snell-Hornby (1999) make rather negative comments regarding the quality of translation in the tourism sector of economy. Patrizia Pierini (2007) investigates the quality of translation of online tourist texts and makes some suggestions concerning approaches to translating tourist texts. Dorothy Kelly (1997) deals with some constraints the translator of the tourist literature is challenged with. She emphasizes the need to professionalize the translation process in the sector of international tourism. Gloria Cappelli (2006) devotes a number of her works to different aspects of tourism texts and their translation. She investigates inter alia the degree of specialization of tourism discourse and translation of tourism-related websites.

Mirella Agorni (2012), Elena Manca (2004), Isabel Durán Muñoz (2012), He Sanning (2010), have carried out a number of investigations into different dimensions of translating tourist texts and the language of tourism. He Sanning (2010) suggested the new strategy for translation of tourist texts, the neutralizing strategy, as opposed to domesticating and foreignising strategies.

Graham M.S.Dann has carefully investigated the language of tourism and the way it helps to “convert…[tourists] from potential into actual clients” (Dann, 1996,2). The scholars from different countries (M.Gotti, 2006; M.G.Nigro, 2006; R.Mocini, 2005 to name but some) have carefully investigated and proved that the language of tourism can indeed be considered as the specialized discourse.

Few researchers have addressed the issue of tourism terminology (N.Ivanova, O.Maslennikova, 2013). A number of studies have been published on the question of translating tourism terms with a few lines devoted to tourism abbreviations (G. Denisova, A. Drozd, R. Romanovich, 2011).

However, there is still a need for the careful investigation into the types of tourist terms, degree of their specialization and means of their translation. Moreover, the specific area of tourist acronyms and means of their translation has been overlooked in the previous studies.

3. Methods.

In order to investigate the degree of specialization of language of tourism in different kinds of tourism-related texts, the total number 150 tourist texts were analyzed. For our research we used English tourist texts and their Ukrainian or Russian translations. As mentioned before, by tourist texts we understand any type of written tourism-oriented material aimed at describing, informing, or otherwise promoting travel product through print or web-based media. It can be an information booklet, hotel brochure, excursion itinerary, travel guide, terms of booking, reservation system including all but not limited to above.

In the first part of our empirical investigation we compare term density of three kinds of tourist texts: destination/ tour descriptions, hotel/ tour/ cruise information and professional tourist material. The latter comprises price-lists, itinerary details, agreements, reservations requests and reservation systems etc. We calculate the term density (Taylor, 1998:38) of the above texts in two stages. Firstly, we use the open online tool Textalyser to calculate the lexical density of an English text and open online tool Advego to analyze Russian and Ukrainian texts. Unfortunately, the latter resource does not calculate the lexical density automatically. The analysis results are used to calculate the lexical density with the help of the formula Ld = (Ndw/Nw)*100, where Ld is the lexical density, Ndw – the number of different words and Nw is the number of words. Furthermore, we used the lexical density rates to calculate term density by means of the adopted formula Td=(Nterm/Nw)*100, where Td is the term density of the analyzed text, Nterm is the number of terms in the text and Nw is the total number of words in the analyzed text. By this we attempt to prove that the more professional-oriented text is the higher term density would be. Thus we hope to confirm our hypothesis that the degree of specialization of tourist texts depends on the target reader. In the next stage we compare the results of the calculation of English and Ukrainian/ Russian tourist text to find out the difference in term density in different languages, if any.

In the second phase of our investigation we examine methods, used for translation of English tourist terms into Ukrainian or Russian. To create parallel terminology corpus in English, Ukrainian and Russian, the open resource corpus analyzer CATMA 4 is used.

Tourist terms are first divided into groups, based on the area of their usage. In this phase we try to confirm our second hypothesis that the strategy of terms translation depends on the target reader i.e. tourist or professional.

In the third phase of our research we make an attempt to assess the quality of tourist terminology translation. We analyze mistakes, encountered in target tourist texts, roughly dividing them into grave and easy. For the purpose of this paper we consider grave mistakes as those which lead to the breakdown in communication (D.Kelly, 1997) and easy as those which lessen the communicative effect. The criteria for their assessment are based on K.Reiss’ text typology (Reiss, 1971) and P.Newmark’s categorization of translation mistakes (Newmark, 1993).

Finally, we examine the possibilities for standardization of tourist terminology: motivation, benefits, and limitations.

4. Results and Discussion.

4.1 Language of Tourism. Degree of Specialization.

To evaluate the degree of specialization of different types of tourist texts the total of 150 tourist texts were analyzed, English text as the source text and Ukrainian/ Russian text as the target one. The texts were divided into 3 main types, 50 texts in each type:

- description (tourist texts, giving general descriptions of a destination, a sight, type of holiday, including destination description, e.g. countries, areas, regions; vacation descriptions, e.g. beach vacation, sightseeing holiday; tour description, e.g. cruise, excursion) - information (tourist texts, giving practical information on facilities, appliances and services used and offered, including hotel descriptions, cruise ship descriptions, excursion itinerary, terms and conditions of service, visa and documents information etc) - professional communication (tourist texts, used to communicate information between tourism professionals, including price lists, application forms, reservation systems, ticketing terms and conditions, booking manuals etc)

Table 1 shows the results of calculations of lexical and term density of all 3 text types:

Table 1. Mean score for lexical and term density of tourist text, where Ld – lexical density, Td – term density, ST – source text, TT – target text.

The analysis reveals that lexical density rate drops in more professional-oriented texts whereas term density rate increases with the degree of professionalization. Some source texts of the 3rd type had the term density rate of about 96%. Some difference was also observed in term density rate between source and target texts of all types. Further analysis showed that the discrepancy has mainly occurred due to the fact that target texts had significantly larger number of words. The difference in language structure rather than the lack of appropriate translation of tourist terminology made for the divergence. The question of translation of tourist terminology remains nevertheless uninvestigated at this stage of the research.

As expected, our analysis proved that the tourist texts, created to convey the information between industry professionals, contain more terminology and less general lexis than those created for the purpose of convincing or informing tourists.

4.2 Tourism terminology. Division into groups.

In order to proceed to the corpus-based study of translation strategies used in tourism, we need to make a distinction between different types of tourism terms. Having analyzed the terms used in the above selected tourist texts; we divided them into the following groups:

- Types of tours and tourism (e.g. agro tourism/ agro tour, incentive tour, rural tourism, space tourism, extreme tours, sustainable tourism, independent travel, self-guided tour, package tour, culinary tourism, Tolkien tour, week-end tour, day trip etc) - Industry professionals (e.g. guide, event organizer, chef, travel agent, kitchen assistant, airport baggage handler, car valet, tourist information center assistant, delivery assistant, sports therapist, resort representative, outdoor pursuits leader, air traffic controller etc) - Accommodation (e.g. standard room, daily average rate (DAR), net rate, rack rate, reservation, cancellation, to book, room facilities, SPA, air-conditioning, limited-service hotel, mezzanine, occupancy, vacant, franchisee, staff department, check in, prepaid room etc) - Catering (e.g. full board, American plan (AP), waiter, white glove service, buffet, a la carte, back of the house, all inclusive, expediter, in the weeds, front of the house, coffee shop, side station, tip, bev nap, cover, comp, half board, table turn, well drink etc) - Transportation (e.g. charge, refund, non-refundable (NRF), BT, PS, gate, access drive, actual passenger car hours, excess baggage, head end, return ticket, scheduled flight, charter flight, frequent flyer, shoulder, shuttle, cancellation fee/ charge/ penalty etc) - Excursion (e.g., itinerary, overnight, local venue, sightseeing, city guide, departure point, meeting point, driver-guide, guided tour, shore excursion, step-on guide, excursionist, day visitor, heritage site, meet and greet, hop on hop off etc) - Abbreviations (e.g. RT, IATA, AAA, WTO, B&B, GS, NTA, QA, FAM, FIT, DOS, SITE, VIC, WTM, PS, OFFMKT, APC, BA, NTA, SPO, VIP, WATA, OOO, MICE, BIT, IHA, LTC, MCO, RTO, VISA, XO, TDC, TBRE, CTA etc)

The division of tourism terms is rather relative since terms are interchangeable between groups. For instance, full board or B&B can belong both to accommodation and catering groups, whereas reservation is the term, used in accommodation, catering and excursion groups. Moreover, abbreviations can be found in all groups of tourism terminology. But due to the problems abbreviations create for the translators and readers alike we found it appropriate to form them into a separate group and further investigate strategies for their translation.

Extra problems occur due to the cultural difference in concepts between tourism terms in different countries. The ideal of terminology ‘one concept – one term’ (Taylor, 1998,37) is sometimes not applicable and even misleading when dealing with tourist terms. For example, standards for standard rooms vary between hotels of different countries or even hotels of one and the same country. Economy rooms in some countries offer shared facilities to their guests while economy rooms in other countries offer en suite facilities but have no balcony or are smaller in size. In some countries rooms are qualified as superior or even deluxe though they have the same facilities as the standard rooms in other parts of the world. There is no clear reference concerning bed size as well, therefore, some king-size beds are ‘more king-sized’ than the other ones. Likewise, if there is an abbreviation B&B (or ABF ) in a hotel reservation confirmation , some hotels will offer their guests buffet-type breakfast with the wide selection of food while in other hotels the visitors will have set breakfast (e.g. some bacon-and-eggs with a toast, butter, jam and a cup of tea or coffee). Such discrepancies in general tourism concepts add more challenge to the question of standardization of tourism terminology to say nothing of translation itself.

The global nature of tourism is somehow reflected in the existing synonymy of tourist terms. For instance, terms American Plan (AP) , full pension (FP) and full board (FB) mean that the price of the room includes three meals a day. Modified American Plan (MAP) , half pension (HP) and half board (HB) mean that the room rate includes breakfast and either lunch or dinner. Terms tour manager , tour conductor , tour escort , tour leader , tour director , tour courier are used to name a person escorting tour group during the entire trip . At the same time, in Ukraine and Russia tour manager is used to denote a person, called tour agent or travel agent in other countries.

The cases of polysemy are the most frequent with abbreviations (e.g. FIT is used to denote both free and independent traveler and foreign individual traveler ; CTA means Canadian Tourism Alliance and Close to Arrival, AA can denominate American Airlines , Aerolineas Argentinas , Automobile Association , always afloat and apparent attitude and need context-based attention on translator’s part.

The tourism abbreviations are used in all areas of tourism and can be further subdivided into smaller groups according to their function:

-        names of organizations;

-        types of services;

-         professional communication;

The first category groups international and national organizations either state-, public- or private-owned, be it association, authority, company or board having direct or indirect relation to tourism ( IATA codes included).

The second category covers all types of services offered in tourism, including types of tours (e.g. FAM, familiarization tour ), meal plans, and room categories (e.g . STD, standard, DLX, deluxe ) etc.

The third category embraces reservation/ cancellation remarks, jobs, financial notes, and professional slang.

4.3 Strategies for translating tourist terms

English, being generally accepted lingua franca in international tourism, is an inexhaustible source of terms for world languages. And Ukrainian language is not an exception. M. Teresa Cabré states that “from the standpoint of translation as an activity, terminology is conceived as an instrument for translation” (Cabré, 2010,358). The most adopted strategies for translation of terms are different in different language pairs and depend mostly on the target language. Presumably, some of the most frequently used approaches are transliteration/ transcription, calque, gloss translation or the combination of those. We assume as well that the use of functional equivalent is less frequent, partly because of what Cabré calls “inexistence of terminology” (2010,360) in the target language and regards as one of the main translation problems. On the other hand, the “practitioners” (Newmark, 1993,2), usually tend to transfer the new term into the target language without changing its graphic form. It would seem that, acting as “rudimentary translators”, as Taylor puts it (1998,35), they often leave the term unchanged in the target texts creating thus the new loan term. 

The question of translating abbreviations is even more complicated. To the best of our knowledge, there are cases when even professionals cannot decipher the acronym easily. Peter Newmark suggests the following procedures for rendering acronyms: transference, reconstitution of acronym, definition, combination of transference and definition, writing out in source language and translating in full (Newmark, 1993,138).

 The following tourist text was taken from airline fare rules, applied to the air ticket, reserved for the return flight from Kyiv to Paris:

changes/cancellations .

any time  ticket is non-refundable. changes not permitted. note -  when combining on a half roundtrip basis the  penalty conditions for each fare component apply . yq/yr charges are non-refundable . refund of unused taxes permitted for fully unused   fare component. if part of fare component is used - in this case no tax refund will be permitted. name change permitted for a fee and upgrade.  please contact bt for more details.

1 - psgr p1 adt  rules display   fare component 

2    adt pariev bt  puath 9   pu 1 s

fcl: puath9    trf:  21 rule: 5502 bk:  p

ptc: adt-adult              ftc: xpv-inst purch nonref 2nd lvl

pe.penalties

The term density of the above text is 95,7% and the text is mainly used and translated for the professionals, though the relevant abstracts from the full set of rules are translated for the passengers as well. Having compared the two kinds of Ukrainian translation (tourist-oriented and professional-oriented) we noticed that the tourist-oriented target text was comprised of the fully-translated acronyms and either calqued or transliterated (sometimes with the gloss) terms. At the same time, the text, intended for professional use, contained transferred acronyms, transliterated terms and extended linguistic structure. The term density of the tourist-targeted translation dropped to 35,6% while the practitioner-oriented translation term density was left almost unchanged – 92,5%.

To determine whether the above case was generally adopted we compared the existing parallel target tourist texts. The study showed that mainly the texts of the 3 rd type (as defined in 4.1) had parallel tourist-oriented and professional-oriented target texts. The translation strategy used was almost identical to the described above – tourist-oriented texts were translated using neutralized terminology and written out acronyms, whereas the professional-oriented translation contained source acronyms and proper terms. The term density of tourist-targeted texts usually was a third of that of the source one while professional-oriented ones retained the initial term density. The mean data are as follows: 31,6% and 84,8 % Td respectively. Interestingly, parallel tourist-oriented neutralized texts were created when the circumstances required of a tourist to be aware of some potentially unfavorable terms and conditions of service ( charges, supplements, extra fees, fines etc).

Further research into the strategies used for translating tourist texts was carried out to prove the above preliminary hypothesis concerning the common translation methods. The parallel English and Ukrainian tourism terminology corpora were created using CATMA 4 software.

We used the following translation methods for comparison:

-        transcription/ transliteration –graphical rendering of either form or sound of the term;

-        calque – literal translation of a term;

-        transference – retaining terms in its source form without any adaptation;

-        gloss translation – explanatory remarks, often in the form of footnotes

-        functional equivalent – any previously existing in TL term denoting the same or similar concept;

-        neutralizing – translation using general lexis;

-        zero translation – term omission;

-        addition – adding a term in TT instead of the general lexical unit from the ST.

The results of the investigation are shown in Table 2 below:

Table 2. Strategies, used for translating tourist terms. Corpus-based study.

Surprisingly, the results of our study failed to prove the preliminary hypothesis to the full extend. Instead of expected high transcription/transliteration, calque and gloss translation rate, the investigation showed that the functional equivalent, neutralizing and addition were the most frequently used translation methods for the first type of tourist text. The translation of the second type texts showed high percentage of calque, transliteration and functional equivalent in the target texts, whereas the third type texts preferred transference, calque and functional equivalent approaches. Gloss translation occurred less frequently than expected, perhaps, due to its verbosity. Typically though, gloss translation is more often used in the 2nd type target texts, the texts which offer necessary tourist information, thus requiring more explanatory details.

4.4 Quality Assessment of Tourist Terms Translation

The question of quality assessment is rather ambiguous. To the best of our knowledge, there are no universal generally accepted criteria to assess the quality of translation. Much depends on the type of the text, genre, source text and target language conventions. Functionalist theory (Reiss, Vermeer, Nord) considers a target reader as the driving force for the translation decision-making process and a commissioner as the decision-coordinating factor. M.Teresa Cabré points out that “conciseness, accuracy and adequacy are the most relevant criteria”(2010:361) to assess specialized discourse. Leaving behind the controversial nature of translation appropriateness on text level we move down to the word level in an attempt to evaluate the mistakes made in translating tourism terminology.

Peter Newmark (1993,29) divides translation mistakes into two major categories – misleading and nuanced. Misleading mistakes are further subdivided into referential and linguistic ones whereas nuanced are subdivided into stylistic and lexical ones. For the purpose of this investigation we adopt Dorothy Kelly’s “breakdown in communication approach” and combine it with the functionalist approach thus obtaining three types of mistakes:

- Mistranslations; - Misinterpretations; - Nontranslations.

Mistranslations are considered to be grave mistakes, leading to the breakdown in communication (Kelly, 1997), misinterpretations are regarded here as being relatively easy mistakes, leading to the lessening of communicative effect, and nontranslations are context-dependent and can be either grave or easy.

The first type, mistranslations of tourism terms can result in considerable breakdown in communication. Based on the results of our investigation we can assume that these mistakes occur because of either conceptual problems or lack of linguistic competence. The second type, misinterpretations lessen the communicative effect of the source term. The reasons for their occurrence are two-fold as well – either conceptual deficiency or lack of knowledge.

The third type of mistake, nontranslations, can both lead to the communication breakdown and lessen communicative effect. The consequences depend on the context.

Table 3 below gives some examples of translation mistakes met in tourist texts. The target text column shows the Ukrainian or Russian term, back translated into English:

Table 3. Terminological translation mistakes in English – Ukrainian tourist texts.

The table shows but few translation mistakes found in the analyzed tourist text. Our analysis took notice only of mistakes in translating tourism terms. Grammar, stylistic, pragmatic et al mistakes were left out of research with the intention of future investigations.

The above examples of mistranslations are considered grave due to their conceptual non-equivalence. Tourists, engaged in windsurfing are likely to stay at the hotel that offers the windsurfing equipment as opposed to the surfing facilities. Likewise, tourists, wishing to be qualified for, e.g. Diver Certificate with all probability will not stay at a hotel offering swimming or snorkeling . However, nontranslation of particular types of water sports is regarded as easy, i.e. lessening the communicative effect mistake. The tourist, wishing to be engaged in some kind of water sports will be delighted to see that the establishment offers this type of service. Moreover, he is the most likely to make some extra enquiries regarding the particular kind of sports.

On the contrary, nontranslation of the terms shore excursion and port of call is considered as being a grave mistake, since the target text fails to explain whether the cruise itinerary provides for the reaching of the desired destination.

Misinterpretation of the term family-owned as family-oriented results in receiving the misleading information in the target text. The reader would receive implicit information that the establishment offers some kinds of family-oriented services whereas the source text term implicates mostly the size of the hotel. Family-owned hotels are usually smaller, with a little number of rooms, cozy and quiet establishments. Nevertheless, the mistake is labeled easy because the hotel description gives explicit information regarding number of rooms, their size and any extra services.

Misinterpretation of the term expert guided tour , i.e. lack of the adjective expert in the target text lessens the communicative effect on the reader. The source attribute expert adds to the feeling of respectfulness and confidence towards the tour leader.

The average ratio of translation mistakes is as follows:

Mistranslations – 37,6%

Misinterpretations – 19,2%

Nontranslations (grave) – 22,5%

Nontranslations (easy) – 20,7%.

The above analysis did not show the correlation between the examples of proper translation and mistakes. This topic is reserved for the future work on the subject.

4.5 Standardization of tourism terminology. Motivation, benefits and limitations.

International traveling progress shows no signs of slowing down and consequently supply and demand development and creation of new terminology proceeds rapidly. Hence the need for the standardization of tourism terminology raises new questions and creates new challenges. Christopher Taylor states that “standardization procedures are still being refined and are still far from complete” (Taylor, 1998,37). Juan C.Sager considers the standardization to be a two-step process consisting of “a) unifying and fixing each referent, and b) unifying and standardizing its designation” (Sager, 2001,255). Being far from transcendental idea of immediate consolidation of translators, tourism professionals and tourists we still want to raise the question of standardization of tourism terminology. As was mentioned above (cf. 4.2) there exists considerable discrepancy in the concepts of some tourist terms. Tourists, booking a 5-star hotel abroad cannot be completely positive about its ‘5-starness’. One country’s 5-star hotel is the other country’s 3-star hotel. The common question of a tourist’s traveling experience and background knowledge of facilities, that travel agent asks before dealing with holiday arrangements raises “security and safety considerations” (Sager, 2001,255). Additional comments are often added to relate the linguistic form and the corresponding concept of some tourism terms. Hence the motivation is substantiated for raising the level of appropriateness between the term and the concept when dealing with tourism terminology.

The benefits of the standardization process can immediately be revealed through the raising quality of translation in the industry of tourism. Standard terms can help translators recreate the communicative effect of a source text in a target text. There will be no need for clumsy glosses supposed to explain to a reader the exact concept of tourist denotatum. Thus the higher level of precision can be achieved and all the misunderstandings avoided.

However, we do understand all the limitations for the process. The global nature of tourism itself points at the biggest limitation to standardization probability. Furthermore, the rapid development of international traveling creates new concepts and influences term formation. Still, further investigations into tourism terminology can add to the future opportunities to unify all the referents and designations in the industry of tourism.

Our work made an attempt to prove that the level of term density of tourist texts is receiver-dependent, future research could lead to higher generalization of our results. Besides, our work left behind the relevant question of the practice of acronyms formation and usage in tourism. Moreover, the methods of translation of tourism abbreviations leave much space for further investigations.

The results of our study seem to show that the translation of tourism terminology is likewise reader-dependent. The preliminary analysis of translation mistakes shows that much is left to be desired by means of translation quality. Further investigations can determine the correlation between proper and improper translation of tourist terms.

5. Conclusions.

Our work has led us to conclude that the term density of tourist texts increases with the degree of specialization of a text. The text, used for professional communication between tourism specialists can be unintelligible for the common tourist. Thus, the tourist texts with high level of term density are neutralized when translating for the tourist, whereas professional-oriented target texts retain the high level of term density if compared to the source text. In general, therefore, it seems that the quality of tourism translation is largely influenced by the means of translating tourism terminology. Abbreviations in tourism texts and strategies for their translation need further investigations outside this paper. The paper gives the comprehensive review of means and ways of tourism terminology translation and can add to the future process of achieving generally accepted standards for using, creating and translating tourism terminology. The possibility of creating the universal standards for forming multilingual corpus in the filed of specialized tourism discourse lies in the hands of future researchers into the subject. REFERENCES

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The Language of Tourism: Linguistic Landscape of Tourist Attractions in Singapore

2022, Review of Historical Geography and Toponomastics

This paper explores the linguistic landscape of Singapore's tourist attractions by observing the languages present on signs at eight different tourist locations. By taking photographs of signs at the tourist attractions, this study aimed to investigate the languages present and whether the languages on signs reflect the nationality of tourists visiting them. Top-down and bottom-up signs were compared in terms of both languages present as well as code preference. This paper also explores the commodification of language in Singapore's tourist attractions. Results show that the languages on signs at a few tourist attractions reflect the nationality of tourists who visit them, but also that exclusion of languages does not mean that the number of tourists visiting from certain countries is low. A few differences between top-down and bottom-up signs are observed, including differences in code preference of signs in Chinatown and also the low percentage of Malay and Tamil on bottom-up signs, always in Chinatown, compared to top-down ones. Mandarin Chinese and Tamil can be seen to have been commodified in Chinatown and Little India respectively, in order to give tourists a more authentic experience of the two attractions.

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Shaun Lim , Francesco Perono Cacciafoco

This article examines the station names of 142 Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations across Singapore’s five fully operational MRT lines using primary sources (digitised newspapers, maps, and press releases) and secondary sources (scholarly research on Singapore place names and information from government agencies). There are two research objectives: firstly, to determine the common naming strategies of Singapore’s MRT station names, and secondly, to analyse features of Singapore’s socio-political and linguistic identity by studying these names. Common naming patterns of Singapore’s station names include associative names, where the station is named after nearby physical or man-made features; descriptive names, where the name describes a particular aspect of the area; and eponymous names, where the station is named after a famous person or entity. We argue that station names reflect the state’s language and socio-political policies and shed deeper light on some of the complex and contradictory forces at play in the nation’s linguistic and socio-political identity. Singapore’s language shift towards English is evident as English is frequently used to name stations, particularly among newer MRT lines, where the public can suggest and vote on station names. At the same time, there are toponyms in local languages like Malay that serve as indexes of localness of the area around the station, showing the cultural dimension that station names have as metaphors for the area’s history and heritage. Yet, Singapore’s pragmatic socio-political identity ultimately means that the practical, referential function of names takes precedence over the cultural functions of naming.

Sojourn Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia

Peter K W Tan

Messages displayed or exposed in public spaces have begun to receive attention from scholars, as they turn to the study of what has been referred to as the linguistic landscape or as geosemiotics — if we consider how the text interacts with the social and physical world. Like traditional media, these messages are also public communication, in that the designated audience is the general passer-by rather than specific individuals. In multilingual and multicultural areas of the world, the extent to which different languages are represented in these displays is of particular interest. A distinction is made between official signs, in which the specific languages to be used and even their order might be dictated by by-laws, and unofficial signs erected by individuals or private companies, who have a free hand in deciding what goes on a sign. Singapore has struggled to be even-handed with its official languages (English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese and Tamil), and its linguistic landscape can ...

Journal of Asian Pacific Communication

Ruanni Tupas

The current study reports a quantitative investigation of the linguistic landscape (LL) in Singapore’s Chinatown. The database of the study comprises a total of 831 instances of signs in the form of photographs that were collected in Chinatown. The study finds that English dominates the LL while Mandarin Chinese is ranked as the second frequently used language. The study also identifies significant differences in LL features between top-down and bottom-up signs. Specifically, these differences include what languages are used; monolingual, bilingual and multilingual compositions; code preference; and forms of Chinese scripts. The present study suggests that English now dominates the linguistic landscape of Chinatown. Even though many scholars have described the sociolinguistic situation in Singapore as being ‘English-knowing’, the data shows a shift towards being ‘English-dominant’, suggesting a gradual but sustained dilution of its multilingual ethos. The study also complicates our ...

The current study reports a quantitative investigation of the linguistic landscape (LL) in Singapore's Chinatown. The database of the study comprises a total of 831 instances of signs in the form of photographs that were collected in Chinatown. The study finds that English dominates the LL while Mandarin Chinese is ranked as the second frequently used language. The study also identifies significant differences in LL features between top-down and bottom-up signs. Specifically, these differences include what languages are used; monolingual, bilingual and multilingual compositions; code preference; and forms of Chinese scripts. The present study suggests that English now dominates the linguistic landscape of Chinatown. Even though many scholars have described the sociolinguistic situation in Singapore as being 'English-knowing' , the data shows a shift towards being 'English-dominant' , suggesting a gradual but sustained dilution of its multilingual ethos. The study also complicates our understanding of the dominance of English in multilingual societies such as Singapore, where a competing dominant language (Mandarin Chinese) may be seen to continue to exert considerable influence on the dynamics of English-dominant language use but, at the same time, whose main function is shifting towards the symbolic rather than communicative.

International Journal of Multilingualism

Francis M. Hult

A tailor shop located in Singapore’s Chinatown is explored as a case of creative linguistic marketing practice, examining how such practice can be understood in relation to the interaction of local and global forces on the linguistic landscape. The shop uses a range of Scandinavian semiotic resources (language and artefacts) which for us, coming upon the shop, seemed unexpected or, using Sweetland’s term, spectacular. Following in the spirit of linguistic landscape analysis, we investigate one particular dimension of the visual semiosis of this shop, namely the signage. Drawing upon photographic and interview data, we trace the history of this semiosis, charting how its purpose and meaning has changed over time. What emerges from our study is that what seems idiosyncratic to researchers can have rich local meaning in context. What appears to be an outlier on the linguistic landscape can offer insight into situated experiences. In this light, our study of a shop and its semiotic landscape contributes to an understanding of the changing sociolinguistic patterns and creativity that occur in spaces like Singapore, and that reflect not just contemporary but also previous eras of globalisation and contact across historical, political and cultural borders.

Urban Science

Francesco Perono Cacciafoco , Shaun Lim

Public transport is integral to the development of cities. It promotes economic development, mitigates environmental degradation, and fosters a sense of social cohesion. Notwithstanding, one can understand a place's culture, geography, history, languages, and sociopolitical structures by studying the naming practices in public transport, such as bus routes and train stations, among others. This article studies the naming conventions in Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, which serves millions of commuters daily, and alludes to the importance of public transport in urban spaces. The paper analyses MRT station names, which can be regarded as toponyms, of the North South and Downtown lines according to two aspects: firstly, by conducting a linguistic analysis of the languages used in naming these MRT stations and, secondly, by applying toponymic classifications from current research in grouping the MRT stations themselves. Ultimately, the study compares the naming practices of Singapore's oldest and second newest MRT lines using a sociolinguistic and historical toponomastics mixed methods approach, studying the MRT station names based on social categories as well as using historical sources to account for the linguistic and historical meaning of these toponyms. This work is aimed at providing scholars and a general audience with a better understanding of Singapore's language, culture, and society through the analysis of the naming practices of the MRT station names, unique toponyms in the urban transport of the Lion City.

Lublin Studies in Modern Languages and Literature

Selim Ben Said

The visibility of bilingualism and multilingualism has increased in the urban landscape of major cities, a phenomenon commonly attributed to a globalized world economy, increasingly fluid national boundaries, and the subsequent contact between people, languages, and cultures. This is no truer than in countries such as Singapore, which has a history of cultural multilingualism driven by economic imperatives. Our study employs a mixed methods approach to present the diversity of language variation on signboards in Singapore’s Chinatown having resulted from the area’s culture and history, which dates back to the early 19th century. Following our examination of display practices, we observed that the dominant languages represented were Chinese and English, while the other official language (in this case, Tamil) was represented. Chinese dialects such as Hokkien and Cantonese, which were transliterated, were also widely represented. Reasons and explanations for the chosen languages on the...

International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism

Nathan John Albury

Linguistic landscapes have proven to be intriguing foci of sociolinguistic research in and of themselves, given language in public spaces indexes broader sociolinguistic processes, struggles, and policies. This paper, however, trials linguistic landscape as a methodological tool for research that solicits and analyses metalinguistic talk – encased by its sociocognitive dimensions – about societal multilingualism. Multilingual but ethnocratic Malaysia serves as the case study where linguistic diversity persists despite laws and ideologies that pedestalise the language and culture of the ethnic Malays above the local Chinese and Indian minorities. Language is largely synonymous with ethnicity in Malaysia whereby linguistic diversity is contentiously embedded within histories and discourses of race-relations, nation-building, and religion. For this paper, groups of Chinese-Malaysian youths were tasked to reflect on and discuss examples of Malaysia’s multilingual linguistic landscape. Their metalinguistic awareness about the linguistic landscape manifested in rich metalinguistic talk about Malaysia’s linguistic and ethnic diversity beyond the linguistic landscape itself. The paper typologises the discussions that transpired about and beyond the linguistic landscape, analyses recurrent Chinese-Malaysian ideological discourses that arose within the metalinguistic talk, and ultimately shows that the linguistic landscape is a fertile tool for research into grassroots sociocognitive engagement with multilingualism.

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This article looks at the role and meaning of street signs in Brunei Darussalam with a focus on the use of English. The linguistic landscape of one of the main streets in the capital of Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan, has been analyzed. What is immediately noticeable is a high level of diversity, with three languages in common use (Malay, English and, to a lesser extent, Chinese), written in three different scripts (Roman, Arabic and Chinese characters). Even though Malay is the only official language in the country and this is firmly supported by the government, English has a strong presence in the linguistic landscape, as strong as the official language. As a matter of fact, in bottom-up, non-official units of analysis (private enterprises: shops, restaurants, etc.) the presence of English manages to outdo that of Malay. English as the international language related to glamour and economic success seems to enjoy higher prestige than Malay, the language most closely related to nationhood and Malayness. In addition, it plays a very interesting role as an impartial and neutral language, accepted and fostered by both Malay and non-Malay and by the government alike.

In Singapore, the constitution identifies four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese and Tamil. These four languages also become the basis of the state’s bilingual policy, often christened the ‘English-knowing bilingual policy’ (Pakir 1994). Singapore has to struggle to be even-handed with its treatment of the official languages, although it also stresses the need to take on a pragmatic (as opposed to ideological) approach to problem-solving. In this paper, I examine the way names are represented in the linguistic landscape by considering signs put up by several agencies: in particular, street names, names of schools and public buildings, names of MRT (metro) stations and names of tourist attractions. The extent and kind of cross-linguistic representation in these signs are different. Some of this is the result of the difficulty surrounding the issue of the translatability of names and of whether names ‘belong’ to languages (Edelman 2009). Another issue is whether the language employs a writing system that is closely identified with the language itself. The fact that two of the official languages, English and Malay, share the same Latin script makes it difficult to distinguish between them. I see the resulting mixed treatment of names in the linguistic landscape as a result of the tension between ideology and pragmatism; it is also a result of when, during the swing between the two, the guidelines for signs in particular agencies were drawn up.

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Tourist in Different Languages

Discover 'tourist' in 134 languages: dive into translations, hear pronunciations, and uncover cultural insights..

Updated on March 6, 2024

A 'tourist' is someone who travels to and explores new places for pleasure, leisure, or cultural enrichment. Tourism is a significant global industry, generating revenue, employment, and cultural exchange worldwide. The word 'tourist' itself has fascinating historical contexts, with its roots in the Latin 'tornare' (to turn) and the Old English 'tornian' (to travel for pleasure).

Understanding the translation of 'tourist' in different languages can enrich your travel experiences and foster cross-cultural communication. For instance, in Spanish, a tourist is a 'turista,' while in French, they're called a 'touriste.' In Mandarin Chinese, the word is '旅客' (lǚ kè), and in Japanese, it's '観光客' (kankō-kyaku).

Explore the world of travel and language by learning the various translations of 'tourist.' Discover how this simple word bridges cultural gaps and fosters a sense of global unity.

Tourist in Sub-Saharan African Languages

• Tourist in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Tourist in Western European Languages

Tourist in eastern european languages, tourist in south asian languages, tourist in east asian languages, tourist in south east asian languages, tourist in central asian languages, tourist in pacific languages, tourist in american indigenous languages, tourist in international languages, tourist in others languages, tourist in north african & middle eastern languages, click on a letter to browse words starting with that letter.

English Language in Tourism Industry: A Scoping Review

• Nor Azyana Abdul Zalil Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, Universiti Selangor, Bestari Jaya, 45600, MALAYSIA
• Seong Pek Lim Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, Universiti Selangor, Bestari Jaya, 45600, MALAYSIA

Language plays a critical role in the communication between tourists and those who related in tourism industry. Since English is used as the international lingua franca in this modern era, most tourist establishments require people to be fluent in English since it can greatly help develop the tourism industry. Communication skills are crucial in the tourism sector, as they are required for the majority of tourism activities. The main purpose of this scoping review was to identify the importance of English language in tourism. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) standards were used to report this scoping review. For this review, three databases such as JSTOR, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and Semantic Scholar were used for scoping data. About 10 studies were found that is suitable for selection.

Al-khatib, M. A. (2005). English in the Workplace: An Analysis of the Communication Needs of Tourism and Banking Personnel. Asian EFL Journal, 7(2).

Al-Malki, E. A. A., Javid, C. Z., Farooq, M. U., Algethami, G. F., & Al-Harthi, A. A. (2022). Analysis of the English Language Needs of the Saudi Tourism Workforce: A First Step into Designing ESP Teaching Materials. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 21(2).

Almomani, E., AL-Smaihyeen, M. M., Al-Dweik, M. R., & Alshatnawi, E. A. (2020). The Significance of English Language in Developing Tourism Sector in Aqaba City. International Journal of English and Education, 9(1), 239-245.

Amirbakzadeh, E., & Vakil Alroaia, Y. (2020). Using foreign language learning factors in tourism development in Iran. International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 8(30), 61-79.

Arksey, H. & O’Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. Int J Soc Res Methodol. 8, 19-32. doi: 10.1080/1364557032000119616

Choudhury, R. U. (2014). the role of culture in teaching and learning English as a foreign language. Express, an International Journal of Multi-Disciplinary Research. 1(4) :1-20

Chumphong, O., & Embree, S. G. (2022). Content-based instruction: Youth English training course for mangrove forest conservation and ecotourism. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 18(1), 551-563.

Davies, J. (2000). A study of language skills in the leisure and tourism industry. Language Learning Journal, 21(1), 66-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571730085200131

Husain, D., Mariana, A., Puluhulawa, Y. M., Talib, D., & Anastasia, H. (2021). The Contribution of English Language Mastery toward Sustainable Tourism in Gorontalo. Journal of Universal Community Empowerment Provision, 1(1), 26-30.

Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1992). English for Specific Purposes: A Learning Centered Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S08894906(01)00047-3

Khoirunnisa, K., Suparno, S., & Supriyadi, S. (2018). Exposing ESP teacher’s and students’ perception about teaching speaking for tourism program. Dinamika Ilmu, 37-49.

Ne’matullah, K. F., Talib, N. A., Mee, R. W. M., Pek, L. S., Amiruddin, S., & Ismail, M. R. (2022). The impact of outdoor play on children’s well-being: A scoping review. Masyarakat, Kebudayaan Dan Politik, 35(3), 282-296. https://doi.org/10.20473/mkp.V35I32022.282-296

Ne’Matullah, K. F., Roslan, S. A., & Lim, S. P. (2021a). Impact of Communication on Work Productivity in Construction Industry. St. Theresa Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 7(1), 38-53.

Ne’Matullah, K. F., Pek, L. S., & Roslan, S. A. (2021b). Investigating Communicative Barriers on Construction Industry Productivity in Malaysia: An Overview. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 10(2), 476-482.

Pek, L. S., Mee, R. W. M., Nadarajan, N. T. M., Mohamad, A. R., Alias, Z., & Ismail, M. R. (2019). Tourists’ Perceptions on Multilingualism use among Tourism Employees at Major Attractions in Kuala Selangor. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Science, 9(5), 914-919.

Pham, H. L., & Malvetti, A. (2012). Teacher Perceptions of Teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Programs: A Qualitative Study of Problems and Facilitative Strategies. Journal of Teaching and Education, 1(3), 129-142.

Prachanant, N.(2012). Needs analysis on English language use in the tourism industry. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 66, 117-125

Qaddumi, H., Masood, K., Qaddumi, H., & Ramal, S. (2021). Teaching English Language Courses for Tourism and Hospitality Purposes (A Study of Graduates Workplace Needs). Academic Journal of Research and Scientific Publishing, 3(31), 31-48.

Rahayu, N. (2019). Students’ Perception on The Importance of English. Jurnal EDUTURISMA, 7(1), 1-20.

Sindik, J. and Božinović, N.(2013). Importance of foreign languages for a career in tourism as perceived by learners in different years of study. Vitez-Tuzla-Zagreb-BeogradBucharest, 15, 1-13

Tziora, N., Giovanis, N., & Papacharalabous, C. (2016). The role of foreign languages in hospitality management. International Journal of Language, Translation and Intercultural Communication, 4(1), 89-97. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/ijltic.10353

Widiastuti, I. A. M. S., Astawa, I. N. D., Mantra, I. B. N., & Susanti, P. H. (2021). The Roles of English in the Development of Tourism and Economy in Indonesia. SOSHUM: Jurnal Sosial dan Humaniora, 11(3), 305-313.

Xhaferi, B. (2010). Teaching and Learning ESP Vocabulary. Revista de Lenguas Para Fines Específicos, 229-255

Yusoff, A. S. M., Said, M. S., Hanapi, H., Nor, A. M., & Hashim, H. (2020). Quantifying Factors Affecting Willingness to Communicate in English: Understanding Young Learners at Perhentian Island. Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, 7(3), 334-341.

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Jurnal Asian Pendidikan (ASPEN) [ISSN 2735 2331 eISSN 2805 4350]  is an open-access journal which publishes empirical research articles in the field of primary education, secondary education, higher education, technology, learning, teaching and assessment. The journal aims to provide an international forum for the presentation of original fundamental research, interpretative reviews and discussion of new developments in the area of education. The journal welcomes research articles from teachers, educators, researchers, academics, trainers, police developers and practitioners on all aspects of education, technology, learning, teaching and assessment to publish high quality peer-reviewed papers. The journal welcomes submissions written in either English or  Bahasa Melayu  (Malay Language).

© 2020 Asian Pendidikan (ASPEN) is fully refereed journal published twice a year by the Persatuan Penyelidik Latihan Kemahiran dan Vokasional (Association for Researcher of Skills & Vocational Training – ARSVOT), Shah Alam.

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Tourist in Different Languages. Learn How to Say and Translate

Tourist in Different Languages: Please find below many ways to say tourist in different languages. This page features translation of the word "tourist" to over 100 other languages. We also invite you to listen to audio pronunciation in more than 40 languages, so you could learn how to pronounce tourist and how to read it.

Saying Tourist in European Languages

Saying tourist in asian languages, saying tourist in middle-eastern languages, saying tourist in african languages, saying tourist in austronesian languages, saying tourist in other foreign languages.