Visual Language Guide: Ingles » (Bilingual)

Hispanic travelers to the United States, English-speaking Canada, and other English-speaking countries will value this quick-reference vocabulary and phrase builder. Hundreds of color photos and cartoon-style illustrations present visual images of words and phrases that travelers typically need when they are getting around in English-speaking countries. Here's how to ask for gasoline when driving into a service station—with pictures and bilingual phrases and answers to dramatize the situation. Here too are words and pictures depicting all kinds of food and drink—a pineapple, a mug of cold beer, a sandwich, a fresh apple. The book is color-coded along page edges according to topics to help travelers find what they're looking for in a hurry. General topics include transportation, accommodations, food shopping, department store shopping, furniture and appliances, sports and recreation, and many others. This good-looking book also makes a handy reference source for language students.

Criticas

Ten sections arranged by topic form the core of this compact paperback dictionary: conversation; transportation; short-term lodging; food and drink; shopping; beach, sports and nature; culture and entertainment; offices and institutions; health; and business trips. These are preceded by three short chapters that provide a summary of English grammar, a review of high-frequency vocabulary, and a reference section on numbers, measurements, dates, and pronunciation. The book also features limited but useful background on U.S. customs, as well as detailed Spanish-English and English-Spanish glossaries. More than 800 b&w drawings and high-quality color photos allow both Spanish and English speakers to find quick translations of words and phrases. Although the manual offers general pronunciation guidelines on two separate pages, these don't include the detailed phonetic spellings of individual words. English learners will not only want to identify terms and phrases through pictures but also to pronounce the words themselves. Not an ESL course, this dictionary will better serve short-term travelers rather than immigrants already living in the United States. Recommended only as a supplementary reference guide for ESL or language reference sections in public libraries. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.