Translation apps plus a handful of learned phrases genuinely cover most travel situations now, with a few refinements that separate smooth trips from frustrating ones. The critical preparation is downloading the offline language pack before you need it, since the moments you need translation most, rural areas, basements, dead zones, are exactly where data fails. Camera translation for menus and signs, and conversation mode for back-and-forths, both work impressively well for major languages, somewhat less for minority ones.
The phrases worth actually memorizing are few: hello, thank you, excuse me, how much, where is, and numbers one to ten. They open interactions warmly, and warmth is half of communication. Beyond that, preparation beats vocabulary: your hotel's address saved in local script for taxi drivers, screenshots of key requests, photos of things you need to buy, and a pen for writing numbers during price discussions, which works in every market on earth.
Non-verbal habits matter too: speak slowly in simple words rather than loudly, drop idioms entirely, watch what locals do and copy them, and smile through the fumbling, since nearly everywhere rewards visible effort. And in a genuine pinch, find the nearest teenager, hotel desk, or pharmacy, three places where some English hides in almost every country.