JUMPING OVER THE CHINESE LANGUAGE
China,  The Blog,  Traveler Story

JUMPING OVER THE CHINESE LANGUAGE BARRIERS

January 7, 2019 / 33 Comments

China is not comparable to any other country in the world; it has its own trait. Only a few hours after I landed in Beijing airport, I decided to return back to the airport and take the first flight to anywhere in the world. The reason is that I found myself lost in Beijing. I have no idea what to do or where to go, and obviously, no one to talk to. Jumping over the Chinese language barrier was challenging. Even though in modern Chinese cities like Shanghai and Xi’an many Chinese people can speak fair English, the settings are different in Beijing and the rural areas. If the walls and the streets can talk, defiantly it will speak in Chinese.

Beijing Zoo, all are in Chinese, no English
Beijing Zoo, all are in Chinese, no English

The Universal Language

Have you ever heard about the term ‘the universal language’? I believe you had. The universal language refers to a few famous words that you can understand no matter what your language is. Words like “mama, papa, no, Taxi, doctor and metro” all are friendly to any language in the world whether you are Indian, Italian, Japanese, African or Latino you must have heard of these words. Surprisingly, this rule does not apply in China. People in China don’t understand these simple words, even if you try to repeat it or speak slowly. Using fingers and signs is not always helpful, because some signs are not familiar to people.

Signs in China are not like the rest of the world
Signs in China are not like the rest of the world

Two words

The language is an actual barrier for anyone who visits China, especially in Beijing. You could spend many days without hearing one English word. I visited China with 2 words in my pocket “Nǐ hǎo” which means Hello and “Xièxiè” which means thank you. And after my trip finished I failed to add even one more word.

Chinese Cola
Chinese Cola

Could it get any worse

I was lucky on my trip to China because it didn’t get any worse. I remember when I was at the bus station, and I missed my bus. Unfortunately, it was the last bus. Another situation when I lost my bag at the train station. In the two cases, I was literally helpless. I am really grateful to the Chinese people for helping me to pass the two situations.

In the first situation, a man in the bus station called a woman by phone who can speak English perfectly, and she explained to me what to do and where to go. In the second situation, I found a man who can speak English perfectly, he talked to the officer, and I could find my bag at the end. By some miracle, I could find a Chinese man in Beijing who can speak English. Just at the right time.

Train station board, all written in Chinese. I managed to find my train only by train number

Jumping over the Chinese language

The good news is it is not very difficult to survive in China without the Chinese language. Online translation apps are practical and pretty helpful. But remember, in China, you need a VPN to use Google and most of the non-Chinese phone apps. Most of the signs in the train and metro stations are translated into English. Most restaurants have an English menu; you don’t have to ask for the English menu as your non-Asian face is enough.

A photo to the nearest Metro station to my accommodation in Beijing, so it is easier when I show it to the Taxi driver
A photo to the nearest Metro station to my accommodation in Beijing, so it is easier when I show it to the Taxi driver

Western supermarkets in China are few. All goods in western supermarkets have stickers in English. However, all the crew doesn’t speak English. Once, I was in a western supermarket in Beijing, I managed to find a box of tea packets. Then, I was searching for sugar. But none of the crew could help me, because of the language barrier. In the end, I had to scan the whole market to find some sugar. Bargaining is essential in China, if you don’t, you could buy at a higher price and very expensive. Fortunately, all the sellers use calculators show you the price they sell, and then they give you the calculator to type the price you offer.


Booking.com

In brief, jumping over the Chinese language is not so difficult and yes you will jump over the language barriers in China. Adjusting your translation app and VPN before you travel to China is a must. Otherwise, you have to wait for a miracle to happen

Hello, My name is Yahya. I am 39 years old and soon will be 40. I was born and lived in the historic city of Cairo, Egypt. I Work as a doctor; cardiologist. Traveling is my passion. I am proud to be the owner and creator of Traveler78 website. If you like the material on my website, please subscribe to my website and share it with your friends. Also, you can follow me on your favorite social network. For further information, please contact me either in the comments or via E-mail.

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