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When I try to remember where I traveled or where I have to go to catch a bus, train or something else, I always have great difficulties to remember city names if they are in a foreign language. The name just doesn't sound familiar and so I think it is more difficult to remember.

As a small example: I don't forget the name Auschwitz (the German name), but I always forget the Polish name Oświęcim.

Is there any technique to decrease these difficulties?

2 Answers 2

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Use Wikipedia. The names of the cities have a phonetic transcription and very often an audio file. You just have to read, listen and practice. It is important that you practice aloud!

Here are some examples:

Stockholm

Oświęcim

Санкт-Петербург

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It's weird, but once I've been there and heard a foreigner say it - ie in their language, it makes more sense to me.

Perhaps it's the audio effect - reading it I have no idea how to pronounce it, but once you've heard something, you can at least make an (often horrific) attempt at saying it.

I especially found this difficult with Cyrillic, and often resorted to Google Translate - it has a great little phonetic button to sound it out, and then an audio for you to listen to. But sometimes nothing is better than just practising it with a local, then it'll stick in your mind :)

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  • I personally like to make a phrase that sounds like it in my head and remember it via that. Such as 'pangandaran' I just remember 'Pan gone, they ran". Obviously, it doesn't sound perfect, but it is a great reminder about the general way your mouth needs to move. When I was a kid and I moved to Europe, it was basically how I survived my first year.
    – Beaker
    Oct 26, 2011 at 1:39
  • Ooh totally, 'spaciba' (thank you in Russia) became 'Spicy butt' in my head :)
    – Mark Mayo
    Oct 26, 2011 at 1:46

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