Learning a new foreign langauge is always a difficult task, but if you're planning to travel to another country it really helps to be able to communicate with the locals. If you set this as a reasonable goal for yourself, the job of learning a new language becomes much more manageable. Essentially there are three areas you need to focus on separately: grammar, vocabulary, and reading the langauge.

    With the aim of becoming proficient enough to move around freely in a foreign country, vocabulary should be your top priority. Simply knowing the words will usually allow you to make yourself understood, even if you don't string them together perfectly. Lucky for you, vocab is also the easiest thing to tackle. The key to learning the vocabulary is simple: make flashcards. Start by searching the internet or looking through a phrasebook, and pick out some categories you want to learn. Dining, asking directions, using public transportation, and navigating through customs are usually the most important areas where you'll want to develop your language skills. If you don't have a lot of time, don't waste it by learning phrases such as "Do you speak English?".

    Make the vocab from each category into stacks of flashcards. At this point, the amount you have to learn may look intimidating, but you'll soon find that by breaking it up into chunks you'll quickly learn and retain the vocabulary. Pick a category to start with, shuffle the stack, and pull out about 5 cards to go through. Start by learning to recognize the foreign word, quizzing yourself on the English translation. When you have those down, flip the cards over and go through them again. By following this pattern you're less likely to have cards that you get eternally stuck on. Once you feel like you have a good grasp of these 5 cards, put them aside and grab another 5. Repeat the same process, then add your new 5 to the pile you've set aside, shuffle, and go through all of them. Keep doing this until you've conquered the entire stack. As you progress, you will be constantly reinforcing the words, making it very unlikely that you'll forget them.

    A smaller part of your language learning should be devoted to picking up some of the basic grammar. If you were studying the language in college, this would probably be the bulk of your work. Thankfully, though, you don't have to worry nearly as much about it since you just need to establish basic communication skills. Languages vary significantly in the complexity of their grammar, which means some will be much more difficult to learn than others. But, you need to make sure you know the basic word order. In English, the subject of a sentence goes before the verb, and the object goes after the verb. If I say "I kicked the ball", I am the subject, kicked （or "to kick"） is the verb, and the ball is the object. Some langauges, though, do funny things with this order. Japanese is subject-object-verb, which means the action comes at the very end of the sentence. And slavic languages like Russian don't have any fixed order at all, vastly complicating things. In langauges without word order, nouns have to be changed according to their function in a sentence. This is called gramatical case, and while it's a big portion of learning these langauges, it's not for the faint of hearted. For this reason, you can probably safely ignore it for now.

    Like grammar, writing works very differently for different langauges. For example, Chinese has fairly simple grammar, which might be a relief. But the written langauge uses thousands of different characters, each one representing a word or part of a word. Memorizing a lot of these is a task you'll have to decide for yourself if you want to undertake. If you are learning a language that uses the latin alphabet, however, you really should put in the effort to learn how each letter is pronounced. Often, letters are pronounced differently than they are in English, but they usually make only one sound. English is the oddball here, we have 5 vowel letters and about 12 vowel sounds. Spanish, Czech, German, etc… are much more consistent, which means their alphabets make the langauge easier to learn. Of course, there are many other systems out there. Arabic and hebrew generally only write the consonants, Japanese has a symbol for each syllable （about 50 in all） plus special Kanji that represent words. But remember, your task here is to learn just enough to read street signs and labels at the supermarket.

    If you've managed to master some of the language before you travel, you will be received much better in your destination country. Locals everywhere like knowing that you've made the effort to speak some of their language. Best of all, learning a new language expands your mind in a way that nothing else can. You never know when the knowledge you've gained might come in handy.

    學(xue)習(xi)一(yi)門(men)新(xin)的(de)外(wai)語(yu)始(shi)終(zhong)是(shi)一(yi)項(xiang)艱(jian)巨(ju)的(de)任(ren)務(wu)
，但(dan)是(shi)，如(ru)果(guo)你(ni)打(da)算(suan)去(qu)另(ling)一(yi)個(ge)國(guo)家(jia)旅(lv)行(xing)，它(ta)真(zhen)的(de)很(hen)有(you)助(zhu)於(yu)讓(rang)你(ni)能(neng)夠(gou)與(yu)當(dang)地(di)人(ren)溝(gou)通(tong)。如(ru)果(guo)你(ni)把(ba)這(zhe)作(zuo)為(wei)自(zi)己(ji)的(de)一(yi)個(ge)合(he)理(li)目(mu)標(biao)，學(xue)習(xi)一(yi)門(men)新(xin)語(yu)言(yan)的(de)工(gong)作(zuo)會(hui)變(bian)得(de)更(geng)加(jia)易(yi)辦(ban)。本(ben)質(zhi)上(shang)有(you)三(san)個(ge)方(fang)麵(mian)你(ni)需(xu)要(yao)集(ji)中(zhong)精(jing)力(li)，它(ta)們(men)分(fen)別(bie)是(shi)：語法、詞彙和閱讀該語言。

    weilechengweizugoushuliandizaiwaiguoziyouzoulaizouquderen
，cihuiliangyinggaishinidedangwuzhiji。jiandandizhidaozhiyanpianyu
，jishinimeiyouwanzhengdibatamenchuanzaiyiqi，yewangwanghuirangninenggoubiaodazijideyisi。xingyundeshi
，cihuiduiniyeshizuirongyichulideshiqing。xuexicihuideguanjianhenjiandan：製作抽認卡片。從查閱互聯網或者瀏覽常用語手冊開始
，並且挑選一些你想要學習的類別。就餐、問路、使用公共交通以及通過海關的導覽通常是你想要提高你的語言能力的最重要的範圍。如果你沒有很多的時間
，則通過學習短語例如"Do you speak English?（你會講英語嗎？）"來不把時間浪費掉。

    從cong每mei個ge類lei別bie製zhi作zuo詞ci彙hui表biao，放fang入ru成cheng堆dui的de抽chou認ren卡ka之zhi中zhong。在zai這zhe時shi
，你ni必bi須xu學xue會hui的de數shu量liang可ke能neng看kan起qi來lai有you些xie嚇xia人ren
，但dan是shi馬ma上shang你ni就jiu會hui發fa現xian，通tong過guo將jiang其qi分fen割ge開kai來lai，你ni會hui很hen快kuai學xue會hui並bing且qie保bao留liu住zhu這zhe些xie詞ci彙hui。從cong選xuan擇ze一yi個ge類lei別bie開kai始shi，洗xi洗xi這zhe些xie卡ka片pian，並bing且qie抽chou出chu大da約yue 5 張(zhang)卡(ka)片(pian)來(lai)過(guo)一(yi)過(guo)。開(kai)始(shi)先(xian)學(xue)習(xi)認(ren)識(shi)外(wai)來(lai)詞(ci)
，按(an)英(ying)語(yu)的(de)翻(fan)譯(yi)考(kao)問(wen)自(zi)己(ji)。在(zai)你(ni)走(zou)過(guo)這(zhe)些(xie)步(bu)之(zhi)後(hou)，將(jiang)卡(ka)片(pian)翻(fan)過(guo)來(lai)，並(bing)且(qie)再(zai)次(ci)通(tong)過(guo)它(ta)們(men)。遵(zun)照(zhao)這(zhe)樣(yang)的(de)模(mo)式(shi)，永(yong)遠(yuan)困(kun)在(zai)你(ni)手(shou)上(shang)的(de)卡(ka)片(pian)可(ke)能(neng)會(hui)越(yue)少(shao)。一(yi)旦(dan)你(ni)覺(jiao)得(de)你(ni)很(hen)好(hao)理(li)解(jie)了(le)這(zhe) 5 張卡片，就把它們擱在一邊並且抓取另外 5 張卡片。重複這個同樣的過程，然後將新的 5 張zhang卡ka片pian添tian加jia你ni放fang在zai一yi邊bian的de那na堆dui之zhi中zhong，洗xi卡ka片pian，並bing且qie它ta們men全quan部bu通tong過guo。堅jian持chi這zhe樣yang做zuo，直zhi到dao你ni征zheng服fu整zheng堆dui的de卡ka片pian。隨sui著zhe你ni的de進jin步bu，你ni會hui不bu斷duan增zeng強qiang對dui這zhe些xie詞ci的de記ji憶yi，讓rang人ren感gan覺jiao你ni不bu可ke能neng忘wang掉diao它ta們men。

    nideyuyanxuexideyigejiaoxiaobufenyinggaishizhilizhangwoyixiejibendeyufa。ruguonizaishangdaxueshixuexiguoyuyan，zhekenengshinidegongzuodezhuyaobufen。raner
，lingrenxinweideshi，nijihubuxuyaoduitanamedanxin，yinweinixuyaodezhishijianlijibendegoutongjiqiao。yuyanyintamenyufadefuzaxingerxianzhebianhua
，zheyiweizhemouxieneironghuibiqitadeneirongnanxuededuo。danshi
，nibixuquebaonizhidaoyixiejibendeyuxu。zaiyingyuzhong
，yigejuzidezhuyu（主題）在動詞之前，而賓語（對象）在動詞之後。如果我說："I kicked the ball（我踢球）", "I（我）"是主語， kicked （踢了）（或"to kick（踢）"）是動詞
， the ball（球）是賓語。盡管一些語言所作的是一些對於這個順序有趣的事情。日語是主語-賓語-動(dong)詞(ci)，這(zhe)意(yi)味(wei)著(zhe)動(dong)作(zuo)來(lai)到(dao)了(le)句(ju)子(zi)的(de)最(zui)末(mo)端(duan)。而(er)斯(si)拉(la)夫(fu)語(yu)言(yan)，例(li)如(ru)俄(e)語(yu)，則(ze)完(wan)全(quan)沒(mei)有(you)任(ren)何(he)固(gu)定(ding)的(de)順(shun)序(xu)，這(zhe)使(shi)得(de)事(shi)情(qing)大(da)大(da)複(fu)雜(za)化(hua)。在(zai)不(bu)帶(dai)語(yu)序(xu)的(de)語(yu)言(yan)中(zhong)，名(ming)詞(ci)必(bi)須(xu)根(gen)據(ju)它(ta)們(men)在(zai)句(ju)子(zi)裏(li)的(de)功(gong)能(neng)變(bian)化(hua)。這(zhe)被(bei)稱(cheng)為(wei)語(yu)法(fa)上(shang)的(de)格(ge)
，而(er)且(qie)盡(jin)管(guan)它(ta)是(shi)學(xue)習(xi)這(zhe)種(zhong)語(yu)言(yan)的(de)很(hen)大(da)的(de)一(yi)部(bu)分(fen)

，它(ta)也(ye)不(bu)是(shi)有(you)心(xin)讓(rang)你(ni)發(fa)暈(yun)。因(yin)為(wei)這(zhe)個(ge)原(yuan)因(yin)
，你(ni)大(da)概(gai)可(ke)以(yi)暫(zan)時(shi)忽(hu)略(lve)它(ta)。

    xiangyufayiyang，duiyubutongdeyuyan，shuxieyeshifeichangkunnandegongzuo。liru，hanyujuyouxiangdangjiandandeyufa，zhekenengshiyigejietuo。danshi，tadeshumianyuyanshiyongshuqiangebutongdezi
，meiyigezidaibiaoyigecihuozheyigecideyibufen。yaoshujixuduozheyangdezishiyixiangnibixuzijizuochujuedingnishifouxiangyaochengdanderenwu。raner，ruguonizhengzaixuexiyizhongshiyongladingzimubiaodeyuyan

，nishizaiyinggainulixuehuiruhefayinmeigezimu。tongchang，zimudefayinbutongyugaizimuzaiyingyuzhongdefayin，tamentongchangdouzhiyouyigeshengyin。yingyuzaizhelishiguguaide，womenyou 5 個元音字母以及大約 12 個元音。西班牙語、捷克語、德語等…zeyizhideduo
，zheyiweizhetamendezimubiaoshidegaiyuyanxueqilaigengrongyi。dangran，waibianhaiyouxuduoqitadexitong。elaboyuhexibolaiyuyibanzhixiefuyin，riyuyoumeigeyinjiesuoyongdefuhao（總共大約 50 個）,加上代表單詞的特殊日本漢字。但是請記住，你在這裏的任務隻是要學習到足以讀取街麵的標誌和超市的標簽即可。

    如ru果guo你ni在zai旅lv行xing之zhi前qian已yi經jing努nu力li掌zhang握wo了le一yi些xie語yu言yan，你ni在zai你ni的de目mu的de地di會hui得de到dao更geng好hao地di接jie待dai。每mei個ge地di方fang的de當dang地di人ren都dou喜xi歡huan知zhi道dao你ni作zuo出chu了le努nu力li去qu講jiang一yi些xie他ta們men的de語yu言yan。最zui重zhong要yao的de是shi，學xue習xi一yi種zhong新xin的de語yu言yan能neng以yi一yi種zhong沒mei有you別bie的de東dong西xi能neng夠gou做zuo到dao的de方fang式shi來lai擴kuo展zhan你ni的de頭tou腦nao。你ni絕jue不bu知zhi道dao你ni獲huo得de的de知zhi識shi在zai什shen麼me時shi候hou可ke以yi派pai上shang用yong場chang。