Once I went to Turkey for a business trip, I was almost get killed in a restaurant. I told the waitress that I can't eat nuts, and guess what? The dish served contained nuts. My allergic reaction was so severe that my blood pressure quickly dropped and I couldn't breathe, I was rushed to hospital.... nightmare! "Life (almost) lost in Translation"!!
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Now when traveling abroad I always get myself more prepared. Last year, I went to Shanghai. I printed out a wallet size traveling Chinese aid (not really a guide, basically a piece of paper folded into a neat wallet size booklet). It contains all those emergency Chinese sentences such as "I am allergic to xxx", "Where is ....", it's very handy. This travelers Chinese language guide can be downloaded here:
Chinese Translation Guide (The translated Chinese-English guide book is found at the bottom of the home page)