Getting by in South Africa without fluent English

Hi, Is it easy to get by in South Africa if you don’t speak English very well? What’s the best translator to use, please? Thanks and have a great day

Hello! You don’t need fluent English

Is it easy to get by in South Africa if you don’t speak very good English?

Hi, No more or less than in any other country you’ve already visited. Just use the same translator you used for those countries—it’ll work in South Africa too. ;)

Hello,

Yes, it's very easy—just speak to Black South Africans, as many are Francophone immigrants (Ivory Coast, Gabon, Chad, etc.). Plus, some South Africans are descendants of the French (South Africa was French for a few years).

I’ve been there several times and don’t know English.

Best regards, JPBRIERE

I have other info (for example, how to exchange money at cost price) phone 0389812641 best regards JPBRIRE

Hi, I think you still need to be pretty lucky to come across a French-speaking part of South Africa... Also, when you ask Black locals for info, they’re usually quick to help but seem quite surprised that someone would approach them. This isn’t an absolute truth—just the impression of a tourist passing through the country.

there are a lot of French-speaking Africans (often undocumented/illegal immigrants) by the way, they’re easy to spot by their appearance (if you’ve worked in Africa)

Population of South Africa: 64 million Number of French speakers: 6,800. I’ll let you calculate the odds of meeting a French speaker on a tourist trip in this country ;)

and how many stowaways???

It’s easy to exchange money at a good rate: just use an online bank with zero foreign transaction fees and pay by card for almost everything... (Make one big ATM withdrawal at the start of your trip for tips and small purchases).

Hi,

I don’t have a good level of English, and it wasn’t a problem for me.

However, it can be tough to understand everything during guided safaris.

Don’t hesitate to ask the guide to repeat or speak more slowly.

Learning the names of the most common animals beforehand is a great idea!

The chance of running into a French-speaking immigrant is pretty slim.

It only happened to me once in about fifteen trips (a street vendor at a gas station).

Maybe someone will speak French in private reserves if many of their clients are French-speaking.

Hiring a guide just to tell you, "This is a lion, this is a giraffe, this is a rhino," etc.?????

You should read the previous messages from the person who started this post. This person booked nights in a private reserve, so they have guided safaris.

The issue of animal vocabulary is less important when self-driving. Though...

When you come across a vehicle that signals you to stop to show you exactly where the leopard you’ve been searching for for 8 days is, it’s best to understand the person talking to you.😅

you just have to stop at watering holes and wait—animals pass by all day long. Then again, if you’ve got money to burn… why not hire a guide!

Everyone does what they want.

Personally, when it comes to self-drive, I don’t like it being organized or being guided.

The feelings are different.

As for watering holes, it’s a good spot, but there are others along the roads and tracks.

More face-to-face and potentially quieter.

Thanks Attila for this relevant feedback! See you soon, Dan

Thanks for sharing your perspective—everyone sees things differently, and of course, everyone does what they want!

We decided to do a self-drive and private trip, not because we have money to burn, but simply because we saved for years to travel and wanted to explore everything... just FYI!

Have a great day, Dan

Hi, Check out the blog: msiafricaroadtrip That’s the one—it’s got tons of info! Safe travels