Language Interpreters?

[Royalqueen]

My family and I are about to book a cruise for this summer but had a question and wanted to see if anyone else has run into this. My MIL's sister (75ish) is coming to visit from Korea for a few weeks and one of the things she wants to do while in the U.S. is a cruise. She does not speak any English and my MIL would have to translate literally everything for her. My MIL gets overwhelmed by this and can't process 2 languages at once for too long. (Went to Korea and she stopped talking for a few hours bc she was so overwhelmed and just couldn't get the words out in either language.) I hope to avoid that as I don't want her to be stressed while her sister is here just trying to have a good time. Now the rest of us know some Korean, mostly pleasantries and stuff, but we can't hold a conversation.

So, my question is, are there language interpreters (preferably Korean) onboard? How will she order food, ect? I know we can use the translator apps but they are both not tech savvy and hoping I can get recommendations on how to go about this cruise without it being frustrating for all involved. Am I able to ask for a Korean speaking waiter? Can they speak Korean at the help desk? If she just points at something she wants will they be rude or will they help her? (We are going to help in everyway we can but this is in case we are somehow not around) How is customs going to go? Will they have someone asking her questions in Korean or will my MIL have to help? Do I call in advance of the cruise and see if they will have a Korean speaker on board or can I request one? (I guess I'm the one being overwhelmed at the moment lol)

This is completely different than an American going over to Korea because they have English translations on almost everything, whereas here it's completely different. It will be a complete culture shock so (other than learning more Korean) I'm trying to find the best possible solution of her having nice vacation within her vacation. 

[ZBrady]

I have seen mentions of an International Ambassador on ships that can help with language interpretation, but I'm not sure if this is something that is on every ship.

Technology was going to be my best suggestion, but you already alluded to that maybe not being an option. I would be willing to bet there would be a Korean speaker in the dining room - RC does a good job of accommodating you as best they can, so I think it would be worth calling to put that request in if it is possible. 

I would anticipate some struggles at times, but I would not expect anyone to be rude. 

As far as customs go, all of my recent experiences have been simply walking through facial recognition. I'm sure that's not the experience for everyone, tho.

[FireFishII]

Here is an off the wall idea (feel free to shoot it down).  What about coming up with a series of flash cards with phrases that she may need - in both Korean and English.  

You can also print out some menus that have been posted at this blog site and have someone translate the menu into Korean with the English right next to the Korean words.  This way she may be able to navigate the menu herself. 

Good luck! 

[ZBrady]

That's a good shout - you will know what the menus are ahead of time, so if that is one of the biggest worries you can front load all of that before the cruise.

[Royalqueen]

Thank you guys for those options, I will stop worrying now lol. I really like the 'flashcards' idea for all the dining menus, I'll have to try that out! Hopefully I will know more information after I call and book it and afterwards I call tell you all how it went and what I would or wouldn't do differently.