Dealing With the Language Barrier in Russia

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Traveling in Russia is difficult when you don't speak the language. In St. Petersburg, there are some people that speak English, but in Moscow, it is much more limited. More so than in other countries. So traveling there with the language barrier may seem like a shock at first. But here are some tips on how to deal with it.

The hardest thing about navigating in Russia is the Cyrillic alphabet. It is hard to recognize street signs when you don't even recognize the alphabet. But it's even harder to ask for directions when you can't pronounce the letters. So learn the alphabet, with isn't that hard, so that you can at least sound out the name when trying to figure out where you're going. 

Learning hello, please, and thank you goes a long way in any country, but it is necessary in Russia. Most people do no speak English, so learning a few phrases here and there will really help when asking for directions or ordering food. In Moscow, even the ticketing agents didn't speak English, so with a few phrases, we were able to get what we wanted. 

Sometimes, we like to eat where the locals eat and have an authentic experience. But if you can't read the alphabet or speak the language, you have no clue what you are ordering. So maybe look at those recommendations in guidebooks or online. At least you know you will be getting a staff that speaks the same language, or at minimum, a translated menu.