Chantelle's Emergency Spanish

Are any of my fellow Personal Passport’s fluent Spanish speakers? If so, you will have to bear with me through this next blog. I realize I am not fluent in Spanish, never claimed to be. When I travelled to Costa Rica this past summer, I was able to indulge in my personal language discovery (which I refer to Spanglish summer 2012). 

Spanglish 2012

While I was abroad I realized that the basics in Spanish really could get me by.  However, Basic Spanish wasn’t my only survival for translation. Here are my top 3 suggestions for getting through a Spanish-speaking environment.    

1. Spanish Speaking Friend(s)    

2. Spanish Phrase Book    

3. Gestures; use your body (Think Charades).

Spanish Friends:

Here is the thing; you cannot become wholly dependent on one Spanish friend. You have to be willing to master the basics, and you have to be open to trying to speak for yourself. I was lucky enough to have four fluent Spanish speakers on my travels, which were all more than helpful. However, you don’t want your friends to think that they are only around as your emergency translator.  Ask your friend(s) for suggestions on pronunciation, and context of basic words.  Bounce your Spanish off of them, and create a balance for your Spanish independence.

Survival Pocket Book:

            Buy one, download one, make your own. Whatever you do, if your first language is not Spanish you will not be set back with the investment of a pocket book. I had a small phrasebook, and it carried me through all my basic conversations (in Costa Rica). If you invest in a phrasebook, my suggestion is to buy a journal too.  I used the journal to keep track of my own frequently used words. I developed personal mnemonics for certain words, and it really helped personalize my immersion in Spanish.

Gesture:

            If for some reason you are unable to rely on basic Spanish, move your body. Seriously, it can feel uncomfortable to turn a basic conversation into a game of charades; go with it. If you want to show something, point to it. If acting out what your trying to convey feels silly, it’s only temporary.

Here’s a story to help you through if it’s just too uncomfortable. On my third day with my host mom, my Spanish was still basic (and what I call awful). There was a spider the size of my fist in the bathroom. I marched out into the living room, and did a terrifying rendition of the itsy bitsy spider while pointing to the bathroom. That alone was enough to get my host mom to save the day, and kill it with a can of raid. If I had been too afraid to act a fool, that spider would have eaten me in my sleep.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is if you can’t speak Spanish it's not the end of the world. You really just have to be open to trying to learn. Spanish is a beautiful (and in my opinion complicated) language. It was so much fun partaking in my Spanglish adventure, and I fully guarantee with my tips you’ll be able to gain the same joy I did!