Being abroad or travelling, especially alone, can be lonely – and it can be difficult to build and maintain relationships with others when you don’t speak the same primary language. Modern day technology has made it much easier for us to connect in new ways with people all over the world but being able to communicate in real-time can be the biggest struggle.
Translating conversations
We’re aware of the difficulties of communicating with others across language barriers. That can be particularly challenging if you’re a student studying abroad, and your classes are taught in a language you don’t understand fluently, for example.
Much of the time when we’re travelling or studying overseas, we rely on other people to speak English for successful communication. However, although most of the world can speak and understand English to a certain level, over 75% of the world’s population is not fluent, and will often struggle to understand or communicate more complex sentences.
If you’ve friends or family living around the globe, who are native speakers of a language different to your own, you might have tried to use readily available translation software to enable conversations. Or, you may have enlisted another family member, who’s able to speak both languages fluently, to act as a third-party translator. However, both of these solutions can lead to miscommunication, and they can also hinder the development of independent relationships and conversational flow.
Limiting opportunities
Language barriers – wherever you are in the world can limit opportunities. For example, research highlights that 10% of adults are reluctant to travel due to language barriers, with an independent YouGov survey citing frustration and embarrassment as the top emotions when we’re unable to speak the local language abroad.
It’s also highlighted that language barriers often affect a tourist’s choice of destination, due to fears of not being understood or conversations getting lost in translation.
When we can’t communicate, we can’t experience things in the same way.
For example, we can’t immerse ourselves in the beautiful cultures around the globe, we can’t build strong relationships with distant relatives, and we often can’t travel with confidence.
Overcoming language barriers, with a new solution
Palaver offers a new, innovative solution – via a free to download app – to help you overcome language barriers and communicate with confidence across the globe:
- When communicating with family with a different primary language to your own, all you need to do is pick up the Palaver app and call your contacts, our instant phone call translation will do the rest. You speak in your preferred language, they’ll hear what you’re saying, as you say it, in theirs.
- If you’ve made new friends while travelling, you can stay in touch easily with Palaver’s instant text translation tool. Simply type your message, and we’ll translate it for you before they receive it, smoothing your interaction.
- When holidaying abroad, you can easily translate restaurant menus, signs and tour guides into your native language using Palaver’s instant image translation. If you’re studying abroad, you can also translate text books or lectures at the click of a button using the same feature.
Palaver is your portable language translation tool – helping you to break down language barriers and communicate seamlessly, wherever you are in the world, regardless of the language you’re using.
With over 30 different languages to choose from, let Palaver guide you – so you can build and maintain relationships with ease, without language barriers holding you back.
