I spent my entire career shooting assignments around the planet, and most of the time I had been fortunate enough to have an interpreter with me. Someone from the company I was shooting for would go with us and if I have someone in the photograph, they could explain to the subject exactly what I wanted him to do.
Occasionally, even with the interpreter explaining to the subject, it could still lose something in the translation. If I only have a few minutes of great light left, it can get a little on the stressful side of normalcy.
So, what did I do when I wanted to set up a photo with a person that didn’t speak English, and I was losing the light? If I was lucky enough to have a translator, I simply told him to tell the subject to change places with me, and tell them to “do what I do”. Then, I actually would act out what I wanted them to do. It’s a lot easier than you might think. 
In my online classes with the BPSOP, I will often tell a photographer to try doing that when he or she is trying to get their subject to do something and there’s a language barrier.
It ‘s easier to explain (by a demonstration) when I’m walking alongside someone in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct all over the place.
Just kidding!
So, my fellow photographers, If you don’t have a translator, which is usually going to be the case, give it a try. I will tell you that it will be a whole lot easier if your camera is on a tripod, and you’re shooting either at sunrise or at sunset.
They will get it immediately!!!
Visit my new website at www.joebaraban.com, and check out my upcoming workshops at the top of this blog. come shoot with me sometime.
JoeB
