The Google Translate app is handy on your phone, but you should still do your own homework before use at a travel destination. — Dreamstime/TNS
Travelling to destinations where you don’t speak the local language can leave you lost in translation. Communicating in the local language helps advance cultural exchange and improves engagement with locals. Overcoming language barriers increases travellers’ ability to immerse themselves in the local culture.
Translation apps are not a replacement for organic fluency, but they can help cross important communication barriers regarding local navigation, reading menus, managing public transportation, shopping or getting help, even in emergencies.
