Word for the Travel Wise (12/26/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Considering the type of luck some people have with street food or food found in foreign dining establishments this one should come in extra, extra handy if what you eat now doesn’t agree with you later.

Today’s word is a Thai word used in Thailand:

tórng sêea – diarrhoea

Learning Thai dot com is a great starting point for some basic Thai words and referrals to additional resources. For a brief history of the language, Thai alphabet, and pronunciation guide go to Omniglot. (A pretty clean and simple site with good details.) Another good source would be the Pimsleur language audio CD’s. I used these to prepare for my trip and they worked great! Before making the purchase look into your local library. There are several libraries carrying these audio CD’s and many more.

Past Thai words: hàat sai, wan sao, sawatdee khrab, dang, pák, wîng

Word for the Travel Wise (12/24/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Still running around the town searching for the last fixings to liven up your holiday dinner? It’s a mouthful to say, but start by heading to one of these…

Today’s word is a German word used in Germany:

lebensmittelgeschäft – grocery store

You can find audio and German slang at BBC Languages, who continue to impress on the online scene. They probably have one of the BEST FREE German language guides on the net. Make no mistake in passing this one up! When it boils down to it there are several good sites to learn the Deutsch lingo. Deutsch Lernen and German for Travellers are two other good picks. First Step World offers study abroad courses in Munich and Berlin.

Past German words: vorglühen(s), krieger, bolzen, durchgeknallt, ankommen, geist

Word for the Travel Wise (12/23/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

As the last few days of Christmas creep up on me and everyone else celebrating I’ll be getting in as much quality time with the family as possible and to do so I’ll have to be short here, but not so short where I can’t provide you with your nightly dose of foreign language. So without further delay…

Today’s word is a Yoruba word used in Nigeria:

ewa – beauty

English is the official language of Nigeria, which means any traveler should be able to converse and navigate their way from Lagos to Jigawa with ease. (Unless you don’t speak English.) The country’s three main languages include: Yoruba, Ibo (Igbo), and Hausa. Each of the three main languages are named after the people they belong to and carry several dialects within themselves. Motherland Nigeria has an incredible intro to the three languages, Nigerian slang and even a few examples of common Pidgin English spoken. Some audio samples are available as well.

Past Nigerian / Yoruba / Igbo words: ikun, feran, kedu, odabo, gabdun, jo, joko

Word for the Travel Wise (12/22/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

It doesn’t surprise me a whole lot that About.com also has a word of the day feature for foreign languages, but what was does surprise is how long it took me to stumble upon their cool little lessons. After thumbing through some of the archives I decided to borrow this word from their teachings to pass on to you guys here. Go check out their feature.

Today’s word is an Italian word used in Italy:

mondo – world, humanity, mankind

Seeing how popular the language is there isn’t much difficulty finding learning resources on the web. I’m a little unsure about what’s going on with this June29 site, but they have three very simple lessons to get your learning motors going. You might find the BBC your one stop shop in handling your needs. Dictionaries, lessons, audio, and slang are all included. Distance learning is always recommended in my book. Check out some of these programs abroad where you can study in various cities across the country and even Lugano, Switzerland. A few links to study abroad are as follows: Amerispan, World Link Education, and ILUSS. Head over to this Italian Book Store for suggested text.

Past Italian words: qualcosa, dov’é, congratulazioni, un riccone/una riccona, sono strafelice, sono al verde

Word for the Travel Wise (12/21/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

It has been yet another long and grueling day of driving. If you’ll excuse me I’ll keep from my pre-word babble and just give it straight to you.

Today’s word is an Afrikaans word used in South Africa:

baai – goodbye

For learning Afrikaans online check out this Afrikaans.us site and Ominglot guide with additional links. Aviva has a nice list of words with their translations you may hear most commonly during your visit in the country. Parties with some knowledge of the language may wish to do some reading over at this blog all in Afrikaans. I haven’t a clue what the content is about, but it could come in handy. Note that the name Afrikaans is simply the Dutch word for African where Afrikaans is the African form of the Dutch Language.

Past Afrikaans words: bly stil , plakkies, woestyn, dof, dagga