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& Cheryl Imboden'sEurope for Visitors europeforvisitors.com |
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Worldwide Multilingual Phrase Book
Worldwide Multilingual Phrase
Book: Phrase books are handy when you're traveling, but if you're visiting more than a country or two, they can add bulk and weight to your tote bag. And if you're on a tour or cruise where you'll spend most of your time with English-speaking companions, paying 8 to 10 dollars or euros for a book with thousands of foreign-language phrases and words may seem like overkill. Eric Dondero Rittberg's Worldwide Multilingual Phrase Book offers a convenient alternative to traditional phrase books for linguaphobic tourists who just want to say "Hi," "Thank you," "How much?", and a few other easy-to-remember phrases in the local lingo before switching to English or sign language. The 247-page book is small enough to fit into a coat pocket or purse, yet it contains very basic introductions to 40 languages from Arabic to Zulu. The book emphasizes survival skills, not fluency. Dondero points out, quite reasonably, that--while fluency is a desirable goal--becoming fluent in another language takes more time than most people are willing to invest, and fluency isn't necessary for most English-speaking people who travel abroad. About the author: Eric Dondero Rittberg is an interpreter and language instructor who is fluent in five European languages and has taught himself to speak several dozen other languages with varying degrees of proficiency. Verdict: If it's Tuesday and you're in Belgium, Eric Dondero's Worldwide Multilingual Phrase Book will help you meet and greet the locals before you rush to your next destination. (It's also a useful book for your reference shelf, and the preface has many handy tips for language learning.) For more information, or to order the book from Amazon.com, visit the Portside Language Services Web site. |
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