Travel German - vocabulary for travellers visiting German

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Sprachinstitut TREFFPUNKT
Have you already had the embarrassment of travelling a country without knowing a word of the national language? Think about the completely new dimension of experiences that are available to a traveller when he can talk with the locals in their own language! Although most Germans can at make themselves clear with 'a few scraps' of a foreign language, usually English, French or Spanish, you will still benefit from being able to communicate in German. Here are a couple of tips for quick orientation:

German travel phrases and Words

• Talking Travel Dictionary on MP3 base:
• www.Reisewoerterbuch.com for German
• www.Dictionnaire-voyage.com for French
• www.Diccionario-viaje.com for Spanish
• www.Travel-dictionary.com for English
• At the service of travlang.com and its page Foreign Languages for Travellers a quick click on your mother tongue and then a click on the flag of the target language will take you to a choice of foreign word lists (structure words, numbers, shop, journeys, directions, places and times). Very easy, basic and open.
  You will also find similar lists with standard words and sentences on the following pages:
  • Essential holiday phrases from the BBC (also to listen!)
  • German Travel Dictionary from www.canuckabroad.com
  • www.parlo.com/de/german_basics_en.asp (also to listen!)
• If you want to get in into the foreign language more deeply, then we recommend buying a special travel dictionary/phrase book. Word lists and simple sentences are normally categorized according to typical tourist situations. If you already know how to speak some sentences in the foreign language, a 'classical' dictionary is recommended because you can finds a specific word to translate faster there. Here are a few further tips on online and offline ictionaries and - much more comfortable - information on the electronic Franklin BOOKMAN translator.
• Emergency guide: most important words
  Emergency help in a foreign country. Nervous that you may not be able to express yourself adequately? With these one page documents you will have the most important words and sentences at hand in case of an emergency (Acrobat pdf format)
  • >>> German-English (369kb)
  • >>> German-French (397kb)
  • >>> German-Italian (373kb)
  • >>> German-Spanish (408kb)
  • >>> German-Turkey (355kb)

Facts about Germany

Besides the classical travel literature a few online services are offering quick overviews about Germany. The information is thus often more up to date. Here are the most important sources in various languages:

• The independent and non-commercial site www.deutschland.de is organized by the German government and offers a collection of essential references to German information in 5 languages.
• www.germany-tourism.de: The German National Tourist Board (Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus e.V. / DZT) with its portal for tourism in Germany
• On the website of the Federal Foreign Office there is not only information about entry into Germany, consular services and customs, but also an event diary and Facts about Germany with information on The country and the people, History, The State, the Legal System and the Citizens, Foreign policy, The Economy, Education, Science, & Research and Society and Culture available in 5 languages.
• Here are some of the best of the other references written in English:
  • www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/germany/
  • www.german-way.com/
  • www.europe-today.com/germany/index.html
  • www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/germany_index.htm
  • www.informationeurope.com/germanypage.html
  • www.travelnotes.org/Europe/germany.htm
  • www.travelsthroughgermany.com/
  • Germany - Consular Information Sheet of the U.S. State Department
  • Especially for all, who love travel by train: http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml

Practical travel information

Here we have listed some overviews - mostly with German comments only:

• events, sights
• city maps, route planing
• phone services, emergency numbers
• German airlines, car rental
• hotels
• Tips for business professionals visiting Germany (book recommendation)
• Germany Travel Guide by German Places - Germany travel portal with information, sights, pictures and tips for tourists with destination Germany
• koenigcarforum Airport transfer from and to all German airports
  for privat and business, chauffeur service to hotels, train stations, sightseeing tours >> attractive conditions >> www.flughafenfahrten.eu >> www.chauffeurfahrten.eu
• Travel info written by City Comparator community members

Travel magazine

• Gemut.com : Gemütlichkeit: The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria & Switzerland, is published 10 times a year, the only English-language publication devoted solely to travel in these three countries.

A lot of new interesting information appears on the Internet every day. Searches with (e.g.) yahoo.com can help you find these. Suggested search words include:

"travel languages"- - - "German for travellers" - - - "Reisewörterbuch" - - - "Reise Sprache" - - -
"Fremdsprache Reisen" - - - "foreign language" - - - "travel dictionary"...