If you are studying or traveling abroad, you should already be relatively proficient in the language(s) of the country(ies) to which you will be travelling. In the event of an emergency, you need to be able to communicate and understand effectively. You need to be able to ask for help if injured, and ask for legal protection if your rights are in jeopardy. If you have a specific health condition, a special need, or if you are allergic to any medication, know exactly how to say so in the native language. Regardless of your language proficiency level, there are a few basic words, phrases, and questions that you should be able to pronounce fluently. You should fill out our Words To Know Sheet and take it with you for reference.

Each student should develop his or her own personal list of essential words and phrases to know. You may encounter many other helpful and important phrases you would like to include on your own list. For instance, you may want to look up specific phrases pertaining to your host country. Use our list as a guide, or starting point; then add your own additional country-specific phrases. In addition, you should also know how to dial a country's 24-hour emergency phone number (equivalent to a 9-1-1 system).

You may find it helpful to print and cut out our Service Icons Card that you can carry with you. The card contains a series of simple images that represent services you may require—services like a telephone, post-office, taxi, and hospital. If you don’t remember, or don’t know, how to say a certain word in your host country's language, you can point to the picture on the card that represents that word. For example, if you need to find a telephone, you can show someone the picture of a telephone on the card and they can assist you. It is better to already be able to comfortably communicate in your host country's language when studying in abroad. However, you should keep this card with you just in case you forget how to say a certain word, or, in the case of injury, you become physically unable to verbally communicate.