Word for the Travel Wise (07/25/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Last week some time I spotted the coolest collectibles at this Japanese toy store in Los Angeles. I’m not really the type to collect a lot of anything, due to my changing digs so often, but these toys were off-beat. Certainly not like the Ken and Barbie dolls I had as a young girl with pig-tails. I know it’s a little early to start thinking about it, but I might go ahead and tack one of these odd plastic creations on my Christmas list. Just one…

Today’s word is a Japanese word used in Japan:

omocha – toy

Spoken Japanese comes smoothly for those who either practice or submit themselves to hours of Japanese pop music, but either way one can learn this language in through several avenues. Japanese Online is a VERY good FREE site to start learning. They have audio and a great conversation lessons. The lessons get more in-depth as you become a registered user which is still free of charge. Takese.com has a list of over 2000 words worth checking out. Those on the road already may want to pick up the LP Japanese phrasebook or check into a school for a few weeks of learning. Study Abroad has a list of school located all over the country. If you’re seeking help with written Japanese best of luck to you!

Past Japanese words: hajimemashite, dewa mata, tomodachi

Word for the Travel Wise (07/24/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

The best thing about traveling sometimes is the return home after you’ve made incredible lifelong friends across the globe. From time to time they’ll only be other backpackers exploring the same terrain, but if you’ve made a good effort to meet more locals than tourists you’ll always have a connection, contact and place to go back to on your return one day. Such is the case with one of my dear old pals in Romania who I try to touch base with whenever I have a free moment. With that being said I’m off for the night and to shoot her an email! La reverede.

Today’s word is a Romanian word used in Romania:

buna – hi

If you’d like to know some real practical basics visit this Easy Romanian site. They offer proverbs, months, numbers, and days of the week. As usual Pimsluer offers great audio methods and Lonely Planet has a pocket sized phrasebook for Eastern European langs. BBC has the quick fix holiday downloads with the very, very, basics of the language worth looking into.

Past Romanian words: ciocan, no roc, multumesc

Word for the Travel Wise (07/23/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Here’s a cool festival to check out if in Malta this time of year -The Farson’s Great Beer Festival runs from July 28, 2006 – August 6, 2006 from 7:30 PM onwards in Ta’Qali Park. The event features folklore and music and is free of charge. Even if you’re not into beer sounds like a cool way to meet other traveling folk and locals as well.

Today’s word is a Maltese word used in Malta:

xorb – (sh-orp) beverage

BBC Languages Quick Fix allows one to download essential holiday phrases like this to store in your mp3 player for the big trip ahead. You can hear audio of some very basic words on their site as well. For a full run down on the history and a thorough section on survival Maltese head over to aboutmalta.com. I’m not too certain how much the survival Maltese will be needed considering the country’s other official lang happens to be English and they happen to have around 40 English learning language schools.

Past Maltese words: Fejn huma t-tojlezz?, sahha

Word for the Travel Wise (07/22/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Now that I’ve got my invitation letter from the Habitat affiliate in Tajikistan I ready to roll out and hit the country, but not without practicing a little more of the local language. So tonight it’s another Tajik word for the road.

Today’s word is a Tajik word used in Tajikistan:

rahmat / tashakkur – thank you

Tajik is the official language of the country and is closely related to the Persian (Farsi) language spoken in Iran. According to Wiki the most important Tajik-speaking cities of Central Asia are Samarkand and Bukhara which are located in present-day Uzbekistan. In addition to giving interested language learners a taste at some commonly used words and phrases, the Great Game Travel Company has excellent info and short trips for touring the city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Be sure to check out the list of words first. If you’re near the University of Washington look into their Near Eastern Language Programs. Lonely Planet has a pocket-sized phrasebook on Central Asian lingos worth packing along and several other book picks can be found by clicking here.

Past Tajik words: rohi safed, mailesh

Word for the Travel Wise (07/21/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Coming smack dab off the menu pages from the Tongdang restaurant I mentioned only moments ago is your word for the day. You can read the same story I read about their Thai kitchen by visiting their website. I guess you can call it food for thought.

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

dang – red

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