Tips for communicating with international guests

[Lizzie]

Hey everyone,

As a host you get many opportunities to meet guests from all over the world. Interacting with international guests can be a lot of fun, however, it can sometimes be tricky when you don’t speak the same  language. One easy way to better accommodate the guest may be to learn a few conversational phrases in the guests’ language. I know we have spoken some time ago about this here in the Community Center, but I think it's one of those things that can crop up for all hosts and worth again. 🙂 

Here are some other approaches: 

• Use body language 
• Simplify your communication: choose simple words, point, and use gestures
• Draw pictures to help you communicate about ideas, objects, and locations
• Use translation apps to help you compose notes, emails, or instructions

Have you used any of these tips before? Do you have any other creative ideas to help communicating with guests who don’t speak the same language as you?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Thank you,

Lizzie

[Melanie300]

I use Google home or Google assistant...

Hey Google, how do i say Have a nice stay in Japanese? The guest hears the translation, smiles and replies back.

I also like to use Google Home to learn how to correctly pronounce guests names. This is the best way to get it right. 

It was once explained to me that if someone tries to teach you new words with an accent,  it makes it 10 times harder to learn the words. But because Google tells you how to say the words without an accent, in your native language, it works everytime!