How do missionaries communicate to people in foreign countries without previous exposure?

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We don't know how Saint Thomas managed to communicate with the Indians. God might have given him the knowledge without the need to learn, or he might have used his spiritual gift of tongues.

However, I believe that even Saint Thomas was not an exception, who did not need to learn the language of the targeted people. Missionaries who go to foreign countries need to learn the language of the people before they can start preaching the Gospel. Here are some examples.

William Carey, an English Baptist missionary, who was a missionary in India, translated the Bible into Bengali, Sanskrit, and numerous other languages and dialects. Wikipedia says -

During the first year in Calcutta, the missionaries sought means to support themselves and a place to establish their mission. They also began to learn the Bengali language to communicate with others. A friend of Thomas owned two indigo factories and needed managers, so Carey moved with his family north to Midnapore. During the six years that Carey managed the indigo plant, he completed the first revision of his Bengali New Testament and began formulating the principles upon which his missionary community would be formed, including communal living, financial self-reliance, and the training of indigenous ministers.

Adoniram Judson was an American Baptist missionary, who served in Burma(Myanmar) for almost forty years. He translated the Bible into Burmese, and established a number of Baptist churches in Burma. Wikipedia says -

Judson, who already knew Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, immediately began studying the Burmese grammar but took over three years learning to speak it. This was due, in part, to the radical difference in structure between Burmese and that of Western languages. He found a tutor and spent twelve hours per day studying the language. He and his wife firmly dedicated themselves to understanding it.

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