Notes on being understood.
On travel, language, culture, and the small human moments that happen when the barrier finally disappears.
Eating out with a food allergy abroad, without the anxiety
A serious allergy shouldn't shrink your trip to hotel breakfasts. How to communicate it clearly in another language, and be certain you were understood.
ComparisonsGoogle Translate is fluent now. It still isn't native.
Google Translate now speaks out loud in real time, and it's fluent. Here is the gap it still doesn't close in a real conversation: fluent is not native.
TravelGetting around Thailand when you don't speak Thai
Bangkok markets, island boats, street food, and tuk-tuks. How to move through Thailand and actually talk to people, with no Thai beyond sawasdee.
RelationshipsMeeting your Thai in-laws when you don't speak Thai
The first meeting with your partner's family is a lot, more so across a language. A calm, practical guide to showing warmth and respect when the words aren't yours yet.
RelationshipsFalling in love across a language barrier
Two people, not much shared language, and a whole relationship to build. On loving someone before you have the words, and the moments that need to land.
TravelHow to talk to locals in Japan without speaking Japanese
Japan rewards the traveler who tries. A practical guide to real conversations, from the konbini to the izakaya, when your Japanese stops at konnichiwa.