I do a lot of international travel: South America, Europe, and Asia mostly. Since I only speak English, it's really tough for me to get around -- especially in countries that use Japanese or Chinese characters.

What I've found that really works is to get a Translation Device -- this handy doodads will do text-to-speech, work as a dictionary, and some of the best ones even do voice recognition. When you can't afford to hire a personal translator during your travels, this is the way to go.