By Kate Thorman
1. Hello
This may be obvious, but it's important. Greeting someone in their own language makes a good first impression and shows that you're interested in their culture. Greeting them in English is just gauche, especially because it is so easy to learn the local way — not least because you'll hear it around you all the time. If you want to give yourself some extra homework, find out if there are complete phrases and different responses to greetings; for example, in Arabic, the first person says, "as-salaam aleikum" in greeting, and the second responds, "wa-aleikum salaam."
2. Please/thank you
Again, straightforward, but not to be missed. Many cultures are more linguistically formal than English, and you can accidentally offend someone by omitting the equivalent of "please" from a question or even a restaurant order. Similarly, neglecting to thank someone can be quite the faux pas. Note that, in many languages, "please" is a phrase rather than a word.
3. Yes/no These two are overlooked surprisingly often, in large part because the sentiments can usually be conveyed by facial expressions and hand gestures. But I find them especially useful in continuing the illusion in basic interactions that I do, in fact, speak the local language. Also, if you're a woman traveling alone, being able to say "no" very loudly can be quite important. .............. >> http://snip.ly/PLq4
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