Paperless Phrasebooks, Anywhere

Useful phrasebooks can be found in the back of any decent guidebook, but for foreign-language phobes like me, roman spellings and pronunciation guides can only get a traveler so far. Rosetta Stone is great, except it requires a computer and selling my right arm. I don't usually carry my laptop when traveling abroad, and generally, I like my four limbs where they are.

Fortunately, I found an (affordable!) alternative for even the most cheapo travelers. Collins just came out with iPod phrasebooks. They've taken the phrasebooks from the back of their Collins Gem dictionaries (about 500 different phrases) in French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish. The phrasebooks are split up into sections (food, accomodation, emergencies, etc.), and iPod users can both listen to how the phrase is pronounced and see its spelling on the screen.

The best part? Each phrasebook is only about $10 (£4.99), which means you can afford to both say "Uma caipirinha, por favor" ("I'd like a caipirinha, please") and sip Brazil's national drink. The software is only available for iPod Classics and iPod Nanos, but are not compatible with iPod Touch or iPhones.

Photo: Courtesy of Apple

Comments

[Toffler]

That's fantastic! The first time I went to China, I couldn't remember how to ask for the bill. I spent 20minutes gesturing to get the wait staff to bring me the bill.

However, I don't have iPod.

For those like me (with no iPod), I suggest brushing up on the language before you find yourself in a foreign country at a loss for words. At www.italki.com you can find native speakers from more than 200 countries who will not only practice the language with you before you go, but may just help you use it in context when you get to your destination. italki also has files that you can download & print to study your foreign language when you're away from the internet, such as on the plane or overnight train.

[Christine]

That's even better than a phrasebook... I can never remember how to pronounce things properly and the phonetic guides just make matter worse!