Lonely Planet Burmese Phrasebook

WARNING!! There is no substantial difference between the 3rd and 4th editions of the Burmese phrasebook. Calling it a new edition is a bit of a misrepresentation. The page numbering, titles, subtitles, phrases, and dictionaries are unchanged, only the 4 pages on whether to visit Myanmar at the end of the 3rd edition has been replaced by 3 pages of sustainable travel phrases by San San Hnin Tun in the 4th edition. So if you have the 3rd edition, save your money. If you don't, then buy the 4th edition.

Here's what it comes down to: If you're going to Myanmar/Burma and don't have a phrase book, then get this one for yourself and tell everyone else you're going with to get it! I lived in Myanmar for a while and found this quite useful, especially back when I knew only a few words of Burmese. I would stumble through and try to pronounce the text and fail miserably (though not the fault of the book as they do a good job trying to discuss pronounciation). Then I would point to the word or phrase in the book. The person I'm "talking" with would then stare at the page for a moment, see the Burmese script, then understand what I was trying to say. Now that I can do basic conversation and basic reading/writing, I've found it to be a good resourse to keep on hand. So, if you're going to Myanmar/Burma, take this phrasebook along, you won't regret it, even if you do have to point to the text because of your poor pronounciation!! My only complaint is that there were times where it seemed additional phrases should be included in this type of phrasebook to make it as comprehensive as other ones. By the way, just about everyone I showed this phrasebook to wanted a copy so they could learn more English. You might even want to order a few extra for your trip to give away.