1) Google Translate works surprisingly well. The photo option is especially useful for reading menus and simple signs.


2) If you're having a conversation in broken English, keep your grammar and vocabulary simple, use the elementary school synonym for words where multiple words apply. ("Do I turn right at the next street" is better than "You see that next block ahead, should I hang a right?"). You can also try writing things down in English to communicate, sometimes people know the written version of a language better than the spoken version.


3) For prices, etc...you can pull out your phone and type in a number into the calculator. This is especially common in "rural" China.


4) If you're in a crunch for time, instead of learning phrases you can just learn the key nouns you need for your trip. Saying, or being able to read, "Train?" in the preferred language works about as well as "Where is the train station?" You can also pick up "Water", "Toilet", "Hotel".....