Jump to content
Linguaholic

What should I take with me?


Recommended Posts

I am planning on visiting China in the late summer early fall and I am wondering what to take with me to help me communicate?  I have been reading books and learning the language with my friend who is going with me but I don't want to go over there and not be able to understand the basics.  Should I take a dictionary or will Google Translator be enough?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Study With Us on Discord for FREE!

Google translator will just messed everything up.  :grin:

Better take this so-called "travelers dictionary" with you.  I have a Mandarin Chinese Dictionary for Travelers (Publisher: Barrons) that I find very helpful.  It's basically a phrase book and dictionary where you can find almost all of the frequent questions/phrases that you need when traveling.  Maybe you can find one in your local bookstore.  :smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd recommend bringing along a traveler's dictionary as well instead. I don't think Google translator would prove to be very effective, as that's probably only mostly used for rough translations to get an idea of what's being said, but otherwise, it will most likely not be able to paint a good enough picture for some of the instances you need to communicate. I'm sure there is one or two free apps out there, so I'd just recommend finding those instead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Google translate is awful! Please don't rely on it, especially for longer translation. And when using any translator, always write as simply as possible. I don't recommend things like Rosetta Stone. It's more for extroverted people I think and it takes a lot of dedication. Plus, once you get to more complicated ideas, you'll need outside help anyway.

Get a good paper dictionary and textbook, and use an app like Scritter to study. I'm old fashioned. I keep language notebooks and don't use apps. Either one is fine, but most people will probably prefer apps these days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...