Can I travel to Russia if I don’t understand Russian and don’t understand the language?

"I want to go to England by myself, but my English is not very good." "Are you going to Japan alone? Aren't you afraid of getting lost?" "I want to go to Italy by myself, but I'm a little afraid that I can't communicate"... like this I have heard the lines n times. In fact, the most powerful skill in traveling is to play the same role as a chicken and still play well. Going to a country where you don’t speak the language is not as difficult as you think.

Text, pictures/Ye Jiang

Saffron City

For some people, the biggest fear about traveling abroad is the "language barrier" . Imagine being alone in a strange country where you don’t know anyone, there is no phone network, and no one understands what you are going to do or where you are going. This feeling of being abandoned by the whole world is really terrifying. .

When I took my parents to travel overseas, they once had to fly from China to Istanbul to meet me, and they had to transfer in Abu Dhabi on the way. Dad started looking at the topographic map of the terminal two months in advance, studying various rookie transfer guides on the Internet, and also specially activated global roaming. He carefully copied the words "transfer" and "Istanbul" on small pieces of paper, for fear of taking them with him. My mother would be sold as a coolie if she got lost there.

Istanbul

Later, he secretly told me, "It's so miserable not knowing English. I clearly wanted to drink beer on the plane, but I couldn't speak, so I had to point it out casually, and the stewardess Give me a glass of apple juice.” Fortunately, we finally arrived at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport without incident, and we excitedly shared with me the tortuous experience of asking for directions and finding the boarding gate.

Morocco is both exotic and liar

Sometimes, proficiency in the local language is inversely proportional to the fun of travel. I have lost interest in "traveling" in Japan a long time ago. The reason for traveling is basically to go to a certain restaurant that I finally made an appointment with. Yes, I can understand all the signs, understand the complicated railway transfers, and I am even always asked for directions by Japanese people on the street. Originally, Japan was a country where it was not easy to connect with strangers. In this case, I became more like a solitary traveler.

As a result, the trip was too smooth, too easy, and too boring. Indeed, some friends also envy me that while eating, I can chat freely with the chef and understand the culture behind the food, instead of just eating like a mute. But I fell into another void - the fresh and exciting feeling of longing for exotic travel was completely gone.

Japan is no longer novel

It’s more interesting to travel to places where you don’t understand the language

For a group of people who are willing to seriously define “travel”, All the vacation-style group tours that have been arranged are just like the walking dead. We enjoy the sense of participation and personal accomplishment during the trip.

Because of the inability to communicate, things that would be easy to do in normal times will be extremely difficult to achieve. I experienced this once in Jeju Island. I wanted to buy a few abalones to make sashimi in the seafood market. However, no one spoke English at all the stalls. Most of the stall owners were locals who were a little older. I tried my best to use body language to perform. Several times, I still stared at him with big eyes and small eyes.

Finally, I managed to catch a Korean man who could speak some Japanese, and I finally made the matter clear. These abalone sashimi took me more than an hour to buy, and they tasted exceptionally crispy and delicious.

A stall owner cutting abalone in the Jeju Island market

Abalone sashimi that is not easy to eat

Russia is another anomaly. When I confidently I asked the blond guy for directions in English, but he threw back a bunch of crackling Russian, and he actually thought I could understand it. Contrary to imagination, the penetration rate of English in Russia is very low, especially in areas outside St. Petersburg and Moscow. Even hostel owners who meet countless backpackers every day can hardly speak a complete sentence of English.

The streets of Yekaterinburg

During those few days in Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg, I felt like I was living in a world of vacuum and aphasia, as if I was observing the scenery around me through a movie screen. and humans. The most frightening thing is that the Cyrillic letters used in Russian are both similar to and unlike English. Some are exactly the same as the Latin letters, but correspond to the other. It is even more frustrating than the completely incomprehensible Burmese, Sanskrit, and Korean letters.

Moscow Metro Station has no English station name

Every time I take a bus, it is a severe test for me and the conductor. Most tickets in Russia are based on mileage. The station names were all in Russian. I danced for a long time several times and even when I was about to get off the bus, I didn’t even understand how much I had to pay. If he meets an enthusiastic young man, he will silently open Google Translate, and then he will finally solve the problem of the century by asking "where are you go?".

The old man by the lake in Yekaterinburg

In this fighting country where everyone disdains learning and speaking English, I had many unintelligible conversations with several uncles on the Siberian train. One day, they secretly drank half a bottle of vodka with me and shared desserts, dill potatoes and roasted chicken, while I gave everyone a taste of wolfberry berries brought from China. In the end, I didn’t make them understand that these wolfberries came from the East. What is the mysterious red dried fruit?

Drinking with uncles on the Siberian train

I have the temperament of Shen Nong Tasting Herbs, whether it is on the train in Russia or on the streets of India and Cambodia, with a curious look in my eyes With gestures, I actually tasted all kinds of roadside snacks, mother’s craftsmanship, and grandma’s taste.

The so-called exotic atmosphere is when you find that you don’t know a word of the words around you, and you can’t understand a word of what others say. Even so, you can still share delicious food and convey your feelings to each other.

The Indian guy who invited me to eat yogurt

Learn now and sell now, and you can still pass the customs smoothly

But the problem is, if you really encounter it, you have to buy a ticket Emergency situations such as changing flights, asking for prices, or finding the way cannot be solved with a few gestures. The Japanese backpackers I met during my trip must all have a small handbook of homophones in the local language. They spoke Sinhala in Sri Lanka and Arabic in Morocco. They only learned a few very simple sentences. Very useful.

Although it is more fun to travel to a country that you are not familiar with, we do not recommend blindly traveling without understanding. On the one hand, it will not only affect the itinerary, but may also bring hidden dangers to yourself. .

The market in Mandalay, Myanmar

First of all, you can learn and sell some local words now. Even the simplest hello and thank you can easily build a good impression with the locals. In Myanmar When I sew people, I shout "Hello (Hello in Burmese)" and smear Tanaka all over my face. Even though I am laughed at by passers-by, everyone will put down their guard and think you are just a cute, curious and harmless person. tourists.

If you are in countries in the Middle East where independent travel is difficult, you may have to memorize some words. For example, in Egypt, all numbers are in Arabic " " instead of the familiar Arabic numeral "123". Even the price lists of restaurants and bus routes are all written in this wonderful text, and they have to be read from right to left. , if you don’t understand it, it will be difficult to move forward.

I don’t have the courage to ride on the buses I can’t understand in Cairo

So one of my main tasks when I go out on the street every day is to stare at the car plate and recite the numbers. After a month, there is nothing else but "Sarah" "Mwarekong", he can also bargain with vendors in Arabic with an Egyptian dialect accent. After all, in a country full of scammers, being illiterate has to pay a price. India is really at a loss. It has to learn to shake its head and smile face to face. Anyway, big problems are not a problem in India. It all depends on luck.

Learn to shake your head with an Indian uncle

Another method I often use is to follow the example and write it down in advance. Some people will say that you can buy phone cards wherever you go now and give them directly. Just look at a map or use translation software. When I met N bus drivers who couldn't see clearly on Google Maps even if they took out their reading glasses with slight trembling, I gave up these high-tech methods directly. The translation software was useless, so it was better to return to the most primitive method.

The procedure for buying train tickets in Russia is very complicated. After a heated discussion with an easily irritated conductor, the other party may simply ignore you. It is best to write the "shift, bunk, starting point and end point, number of people" and other information on the paper in Cyrillic letters and hand it directly to the window. Otherwise, at the speed of the Russians, you may not be able to buy the ticket until the next day.

The Long Siberian Railway

One more thing, whether you are taking a plane or a train, remember to pay attention to Chinese people who look like they are working there. They usually speak dialects and have different If you don’t have many connections, you can try chatting for a few words to get close. I once lost my luggage at a small airport at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, and I had to rely on the help of a Zhejiang guy who spoke Swahili to get it back; and in India, the phone cards that are extremely difficult to buy were also provided by a The Sichuan brother who works in India asked someone to help with it.

Finally, I want to say that the weapon to defeat all little monsters is ultimately just two words, courage and patience. Nowadays, old ladies who can’t even read the alphabet are backpacking around the world. You, a young man who can at least speak a few words in English, have nothing to fear.

Today's author

Ye Jiang

Food travel columnist, once lived in Kyoto

Traveled to nearly 30 countries on three continents

Most of the time I go on the road for the delicious food in distant places

I am still eating and drinking around the world.

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