How I Dealt with Language Barrier

Whenever I need to talk to an Indonesian local, most often I would consult my best friend - Google Translate. It helps even though others say that some translations are a bit awkward, misused or grammatically incorrect. Honestly, It is hard to communicate well in a country sees English as a foreign language. But how was I able to deal with the language barrier? In school, a lot of people either look stunned or astounded when you speak to them in English. It's a bit awkward sometimes because they would just shake their heads and try to walk out of the conversation. At other times, they would still speak to you but they're using their own language. At first, I couldn't understand it. I just tried three things to communicate properly with the locals here: First, I learned Bahasa Indonesia, but only the basics. Simple greetings, courtesy statements, how much things are and such. It is quite easy to use and helpful to get someone's attention. They mostly feel happy because of the effort and respect you have for their language. It is actually fun learning a new language and getting to practice it firsthand to locals is a refreshing experience. Second, I have an Indonesian friend who can translate it for me. Well, he happens to be our buddy in school where we were assigned to teach. Whenever I want to say something specific, like maybe saying: "Take out please", "Can you get my laundry?", or "I'll buy medicine for toothache," I always send him a message through WhatsApp and luckily, he replies fast. It's very convenient most especially when he is physically by my side. I politely ask him sometimes if he could translate what I said to the canteen lady or to some other people, and it always works 100%. It is effective but I think it's too bothersome for translators. Even though I don't pay him to do it for me and they are just doing it out of kindness, it can be irritating for them. As much as possible, I would still want to try it on my own after they teach me what to say. Third, hand gestures and body language are great assets to use in communication. I'm not exactly a person who always talks with their hands, but Indonesia made me use all sorts of hand signals, facial expressions, and body talk. Communicating became easier just by doing that. Now, I think that Total Physical Response (TPR) will be a piece of cake for me once I go back home and use this in classrooms. Numerous times, living shortly in a foreign country makes you feel challenged sometimes. There are also numerous ways to deal with the language barrier and I am very curious to discover it on my own. I think this experience taught me to be patient, handle conversations in the simplest way possible, and to enjoy the conversations with other people. Sooner or later, the language barrier will no longer be an issue between you and the person/s you are speaking with. What's more fun is not only you are able to communicate, but also you learn a lot from them and vice versa. That's all! Terima Kasih! -end-