If you’re getting ready for a trip abroad and you want to connect with the locals, learning a bit of the language can be a great way to show your respect and sociability.
Without a long-term grounding in that language, though, speaking to a foreigner in their mother tongue can be an intimidating proposition.
Your prep time may be better spent learning a few regional hand gestures.
The beauty of hand gestures is that you can say so much with one move: unlike a spoken language that requires multiple combinations of vocab, grammar and tone, you don’t have to be an expert to communicate with your hands.
That said, it is well worth brushing up on the basics before you leave the hotel room.
For example, while much of the western world understands crossed fingers as a wish for good luck, in Vietnam the same gesture is, shall we say, an anatomically-themed insult.
Over in Europe, Italian hand gestures might be just as useful as their spoken language.
They have a gesture for pretty much everything, and they don’t hold back when demonstrating them. The classic swipe of the chin – meaning “I don’t give a damn!” makes for a familiar, if unfriendly starting point.
In order to not embarrass yourself leaving you red faced on your next trip abroad check out this ‘handy’ new infographic.
Around the world in 42 hand gestures [Infographic] by the team at Work the World
