Word for the Travel Wise (11/23/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on


Today marks the day of my all-time favorite holiday where year-long stories are exchanged with family and friends over warm plates of turkey, ham, stuffing, and veggies. As people from all corners of the country either relax in the comfort of their own homes or dine out at some fabulous restaurant there will be many toasts, cheers and wishes for good-health over their good meal. It is for this very occasion that I pass this small fruit of knowledge your way to whoever may be reading at this hour.

Today I leave you with various ways to say Bon appetit!

  • Croatian – Dobar tek!
  • German – Guten appetit!
  • Hebrew – Bete’avon!
  • Hungarian – Jó étvágyat!
  • Korean – Mani deuseyo!
  • Persian – Noosh-e jan!
  • Polish – Smacznego!

For a complete list as found on the New York Public Library site in their World Languages Collection follow the link found here. Happy Thanksgiving all!

Word for the Travel Wise (11/22/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

It was the eve before Thanksgiving and some American was off abroad in a land where people spoke Vietnamese. They searched for turkey, but no one understood; they asked for gravy, but received phô instead and to make matters worse they were dirty from toe to head. If there was one word the poor tourist could remember it was the word for laundry place.

Today’s word is a Vietnamese word used in Vietnam:

phòng giat (fom zuht) – laundry place

To continue learning Vietnamese online start with phrase list found at the NY Public Library. This Wanna Learn / Geocities page has some free words and phrases listed. It was one of few I could find online for free though you won’t get far. Rosetta Stone offers audio and web courses for a fee and there’s always the opportunity to take a Vietnamese language class in Hanoi, Vietnam with CIEE. For those flying through the country for just a few short days pick up the phrasebook.

Past Vietnamese words: Xe Ðap, xinh xinh, cam hut thuoc, tam biêt, bàn dô

Word for the Travel Wise (11/21/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Over the last few weeks we’ve blogged quite a bit about traveling for Iran and for various reasons. If you’re wanting to check out the so-called dangerous nuclear sites that could very well land on your travel itinerary or if you’re an agent looking for some extra pocket cash – try generating a buzz for travel to Iran. I have no real special reasons for wanting to visit Iran other than it’s incredibly cool and packed with tons of ancient history to be explored. One of these the timing will be perfect and you will receive postcards from Persia. I’m hoping that time comes sooner than later.

Today’s word is a Farsi (Persian) word used in Iran:

safar kardan – to travel

Excellent sites for learning Persian online include a personal favorite called Easy Persian and Farhangsara. Both sites have an excellent beginner’s guide into the language and use images, sound and music to assist you in the process. Check out Lonely Planet’s Farsi (Persian) Phrasebook for a shorthand guide at the ancient lingo.

Past Farsi words: be salamati, toot farangee, kheyli golabi, tazeh, dovidan, khastam

Word for the Travel Wise (11/20/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Ladies shouldn’t experience too much confusion when hearing this word in Papua New Guinea. I’d have to find out if it applies to all women or strictly European women, but I’m willing to guess most women might hear this one at some point or another during their stay.

Today’s word is a Pidgin (Tok Pisin) word used in Papua New Guinea:

misis – European woman

As noted in Wikipedia the word ‘tok’ means word or speech and the word ‘pisin’ means pidgin and is a Creole language spoken by about 4 million people as a second language and over a hundred thousand as a first. It is spoken in the northern mainland of Papua New Guinea. If you scroll down further you’ll find a nice list of words and some pronunciation examples. As an added bonus you can learn even more words by venturing into the online Tok Pisin phrasebook, also provided by Wiki. They’ve actually got a great handful of links which I suggest going through them all if you’re really into learning this lang. One last site I’ll note here though is Robert Eklund’s Tok Pisin page. It had pictures of signs, people and some audio clips. Looks a winner to learning the very basics.

Past Pidgin (Tok Pisin) words: natnat, kaikai

Word for the Travel Wise (11/19/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Hmm… I’m not sure how you can squeeze this word into some conversation, but if the opportunity should present itself, use it! Use it over and over again, until they go from impressed to annoyed. That way no one can say you never made an effort to speak the local lang!

Today’s word is a Danish word used in Denmark:

tillykke – congratulations

Danish is part of the North Germanic language family, also known as a Scandinavian language. Speak Danish dot com has a ten day intensive online course that provides you with lesson one for free and the rest at a charge of $75 USD. Learn Danish is a good source for all the facts regarding the language, but points us back to the Speak Danish which gets a bit dizzy if you’re looking for an alternative site to visit. For learning abroad in classroom settings click here.

Past Danish words: svimmel