I'll do graffiti if you'll sing to me in French

[venta]

Following on from my earlier claim that you can get by in a foreign country by smiling, being enthusiastic and saying "thank you" a lot, I wondered about the possibility of compiling a bare minimum phrase book for use by people who know nothing of the language they're going to be floundering in.

My BMPB should be small enough to fit onto a piece of paper considerably smaller than most phrasebooks. It assumes general goodwill on the part of the people to whom one is speaking, and isn't intended to cover any specific circumstance.


Yes
No
Please
Thank you
Thank you very much
Hello
Goodbye
See you later
Great [*]
It doesn't matter
1-10, 100
Can you write it down, please? [mostly for numbers not covered above, or placenames]
What do you call this?
I would like... [**]
I need... [**]
I have lost... [**]
I would like to go to (here) [points to map, or points to written-down placename]
... something
... that one/this one.
... one like this.
Where are the toilets?
I don't feel well

So, what have I missed for a BMPB ? What have I included that isn't really necessary ?

[*] A range (fantastic, brilliant, etc) also useful if you're going to be asked lots of questions
[**] Obviously an extensive list of nouns would be useful here. But you can do a lot with gesturing if necessary. I managed while in Italy to mime such things as "butter knife", "lens cap", "man who plays the melodeon", and "wine bar near the mask museum" without too much trouble.

Comments

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

I can't remember where I saw it, but someone or other took several photos on their phone before going to, I think, either China or Japan, to use instead of a phrase book; they included things like a toilet, a bus, and so on. It saved mangling the language (which makes me think it was probably China, because Chinese is tonal, and therefore more difficult for your average Westerner to pronounce correctly), while still being adequately clear.

(Also, your "current music" is very excellent. Huzzah. They should tour the UK soon.)

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Can you say it again more slowly, please?
Can you point to it in this phraselist, please?
Right, left, straight on.
My hovercraft is full of eels.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Mm, I saw that too, good idea. It was either someone on my flist, or one remove further, I think.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

I would add 'I don't speak much [language]' and also 'help!'

[venta.livejournal.com]

Plus it has the advantage that it would work in any other country, too :)

(Er, photo phrasebooks, that is. Not Billy Talent. I'm not sure yet how convinved I am overally by BT. I paid £2 in Zavvi's sale for a double album, mostly because I wanted Red Flag.)

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Sorry. It is the word I often want to say when trying to do things in a foreign country where I don't know the customs or my way around and therefore do the wrong thing a lot.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Oh yes - 'slow down' is another thing I often want to say. Followed by 'no really, separate the words, it will help'.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Can you point to it in this phraselist, please?

What sort of uses do you envisage that having ? I'm not sure what sort of things I'd expect someone to point to in a phraselist.

My hovercraft is full of eels.

Don't be silly, that's easy to mime.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Good one, can't believe I missed that.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yup, definitely.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

The best piece of equipment I found while getting around in Japan was a pen and a piece of paper on which I could draw what I meant. Another thing that would have been useful was a character dictionary so I could translate the monolingual sign saying "breakfast is 1000 yen, pay at the desk in the restaurant" instead of looking like a thief until a Japanese friend explained it...

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

Billy Talent are phenomenally good live; they did a short set at Give It a Name last year, and were just superb, I thought.

photo phrasebooks

[addedentry.livejournal.com]

And, of course, you can buy pocket books on the same principle, to save spending the weeks before your holiday tracking down a rickshaw and a yam (-:

Point It uses photos; ICOON uses icons.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Me: please tell me where the toilet is
Person: gabblegabblegabble
Me: please speak more slowly
Person g a b b l e g a b b l e g a b b l e
Me: I'm sorry, I don't understand, please repeat
Person: gabblegabblegabblegabble
Me[thinking: I bet this is a regional accent ho ho, if I can at least make out one word I will know where the gaps come and can guess at some of the others also why can you not just point, you mentalist, I am bursting]: can you point to it on this page, please? *shows book*

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

The numbers, and left / right etc, I was thinking.

(Yes, I am obsessive about directions and the whole not getting lost thing.)

Could also be useful for the pleasantries, I suppose: it might be a relief to learn that the phrase they just barked at you was really just "thank you" in an unexpected phrasing or accent.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Oh yes! The word for "map". Veryveryvery useful.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

And here's that exchange translated:

Me: blahblahblah
Person: Sorry, I don't understand a word you're saying
Me: blahrhubarbrhubarb
Person: Sorry ... I ... can't ... under ... stand ... you!

[floralaetifica.livejournal.com]

'no really, separate the words, it will help'.

Yeah, I often wanted to say this in Argentina.

I was guilty of this mistake myself before travelling - I never realised how much my Argentine friends needed me to moderate my speech for them, how much we run things together and miss bits out, till I had to cope in a foreign language myself.

If other people are anything like me they're reluctant to really break it down because they don't want to sound patronising. So something like 'Seriously, one word at a time, please' would be really helpful.

[sea-of-flame.livejournal.com]

Also, Excuse me (as in, as a preface to an enquiry, rather than an apology - we use the two somewhat interchangably in English, but other languages don't always do so!)

That's mine/for me - comes in v handy when identifying who ordered what/that it's your luggage, etc

Beyond that - sometimes some imperatives can be a good idea - help! Stop! - etc. An Egyptian guidebook I was looking at recently actually bothers to advise the vocab for "shame" (ie, -on you) & "leave me alone" for female travellers...

[paste.livejournal.com]

pointy book thing for lazy travellers!

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

My postillion has been struck by lightning!

[taimatsu]

"I only speak English/don't speak [language]."
"I'm allergic to..."
"I don't understand."
"Does anyone here speak English?"

[taimatsu]

Oh, and question words are useful because they can usually be understood even without a correct full sentence. So where/when/who/which/how would be good. 'how much/long/far' might also be useful.

[glamwhorebunni.livejournal.com]

Hehe, I remember making my students decide which 10 words were most important to know in a foreign language, and making them translate them into English.

And then invent a new alien language, and talk to each other in it :D

It was an excellent lesson plan. Didn't work at all, obviously. We just spent the lesson translating insults.

[secondhand-rick.livejournal.com]

I agree with both 'sorry' and 'excuse me'.

Also, "Where are the lady-boys at?"