When you travel abroad you do not only need to take language barriers into account but also body language barriers. Different cultures use different body language e.g. the distance between two persons when they have a conversation. One part of body language is hand gestures. Hand gestures mean different things in different countries. Some people realize this the hard way. Do two fingers in the air mean two beers or is it considered an insult?
Take a common sign like thumbs up. In the USA it usually means 'great, awesome or whatever. It is also used to sign approval, but stronger than an OK sign. Now this is a very common interpresation, but it is far from the only one. It may have the same meaning in Australia, but if you move it up and down it can be a very grave insult. In Turkey it is not used at all.
Making a circle with your thumb and index finger in the USA means OK, alright, good. You can use it to signify approval. In Turkey it means that someone is homosexual. In Australia it means zero. In Germany it can mean job well done or a grave insult, it all depends on which region you visit. In New Zealand it is regarded as a cheesy way of saying OK but is not much used.
Please note that even though the above interpretation is correct for a large part of the population the meaning of gestures varies among various parts of countries and also among cultural groups and between generations.
Find out the meaning of common hand gestures in your next destination by visiting Hello Backpacker.
Peter Siljerud is an experienced world traveller and co-author of the Backpacker's toolbox. He regularly contributes to Hello Backpacker - practical advice for new and experienced backpackers for all trip stages:
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