While its true some explorers (eg Lewis & Clark) came across peoples who had already encountered their own/known cultures, when other explorers made first contact what was the standard protocol for translation?
Did they rely on sort of pantomime? Did they select an indigenous representative to be trained in the party's language?
There are some previous discussions on this topic in our FAQs that you may be interested in. I answered a similar question, specifically concerning how de Soto's entrada communicated in the Southeast that's not in the FAQs, but will also be interesting for you.