Product Description

The HarperCollins Language Survival Guide covers every aspect of foreign travel: from traffic signs to menu items and bank machines, plus practical know-how such as how to weigh your own fruit in the supermarket and punch your ticket at the train station. The book also provides essential vocabulary and grammar.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #820483 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-01
• Released on: 2003-05-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

About the Author

HarperCollins Publishers is one of the world's leading English-language publishers with headquarters in New York. The company is part of News America Publishing Group, a division of News Corporation. The house of Mark Twain, the Bronte Sisters, Thackeray, Dickens, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Maurice Sendak, HarperCollins was founded in New York City in 1817 by the brothers James and John Harper. The worldwide book group, which was formed following News Corporation's acquisition of the British publisher William Collins in January 1990, has significant publishing interests in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia.

Customer Reviews

Great compact guide for practical tourist information!
This is not your ordinary phrase book or travel guide. Unlike the other guide books I have purchased on Italy that only focus on landscapes and museums, this book is packed full of photographs of all kinds of handy "need to know" information. It is more of a picture - reading guide book that illustrates social customs, a whole array of signs-and what they mean-(i.e. street/HWY, bank machines, open/close, tickets, schedules, etc.), and food and shopping sections. Throughout out the book, there are yellow "information" boxes that give you more indepth hints about the subject it is highlighting (ex. driving...legal driving age in Italy is 18; if you get a ticket, you'll be fined on the spot, etc.) Also, there are pink "Keywords" boxes and green "talking" boxes that help you with words or how to ask questions and are reflective to whatever the subject matter that is being highlighted on that page. There is a whole alphabetized section of menu items, some with pictures, and it gives you details of what you are ordering or how to read a wine or beer label. The last half of the book is the Italian-English, English-Italian Dictionary. Overall, a very useful book that gives you handy pictorial information on how to manuever around Italy without language being a barrier.

Get this Book!
If you are going to Italy, you MUST take this book... The pictures are invaluable! Especially when there is no one around to ask questions! We used this book more than we used our dictionary!

We have used the one for France too!

Trip to Italy - Language Survival Guide
Recently I visited Italy and wanted a language guide. I chose this book and was very happy with the purchase. It was easy to use and because it was divided into categories; i.e., public transport, banks and money, shopping, dining, etc., getting what we needed on the trip was easy. The phrasing was appropriate and the guide to pronunciation, fantastic. It also includes a dictionary with words in English to Italian and Italian to English. Very helpful. I would recommend this book highly for people traveling to Italy. A great resource.