Italian at a Glance: Phase Book & Dictionary for Travelers

This phrase book is my top pick on the shelf of Italian language books. It serves as an excellent (and surprisingly broad) resource for travelers and students alike. There is a wide range of vocabulary, common phrases, mini maps and such for practically any situation you may encounter. Plus, it comes with a nice clear plastic sleeve to withstand your travels. Students may enjoy this book as a quick vocabulary source and cheap alternative to larger manuals. It includes all the vocabulary from my level 1 and 2 college Italian courses. For the price, this is a real gem. Highly recommended!

I borrowed this book from a friend when I went to Sicily on a business trip. Another friend also let me borrow a much larger Lonely Planet book and a pocket-sized (like this Barron's product) and after flipping through the three books on the plane ride over, I chose to carry the Barron's At A Glance book with me due to the wide range of topics and the useful cultural guides and hints, such as social etiquette for monetary tips for taxis and restaurants. There's even phrases for a section on car trouble, which turned out that I did use when my car broke down on a highway and I didn't know where I was. I called the rental car agency and the customer rep spoke English, but since I didn't have any sense of what town I was in (I was kind of in the middle of nowhere in between towns), I flagged down a car and was able to use the book to explain that my car broke down and need a tow truck, and to ask where I am. I didn't understand his answer, so I was able to get him to speak to the customer rep for me. After that event, I became even more sure that this kind of book was the way to go for foreign travel. I once stayed in Japan for over two months and used to carry an English-Japanese/Japanese-English pocket dictionary everywhere. Next time I go, I'm bringing the Japanese At a Glance book with me instead.

I bought both the Berlitz and Barron's phrase books. This review is a comparison of the two. They are both small enough to fit in a pocket. The Berlitz is 220 pages, the Barron's 320 pages -- the Barron's is marginally thicker. The Berlitz page seems slightly denser, with more lines per page, although I believe the font sizes used are almost identical (Berlitz sans serif (Arial-like), Barron's serif (Roman-like). The Barron's comes with a plastic cover which seems durable. Both are sorted into sections, for example, travel, eating out, etc. Berlitz has a 12 page menu reader. The Barron's covers a little more in 26 pages, including a guide to regional specialties. Barron's has a 47 page Italian-English and English-Italian dictionary. Berlitz is about the same. Both show Italian pronunciations in a phonentically English spelling. Barron's has a larger section on Italian grammar. Both have a good table of contents; only Barron's has an index as well. One small complaint with the copy of the Berlitz I received -- the print flows into the gutter (the spine of the book) too far, so that one has to really bend open the book to read the entire line. I think this will make the book fall apart sooner. One small complaint with the Barron's -- in a few cases they print black font on a dark color background for page headings (e.g., "Telling Time," "Months of the Year") which makes the headings difficult to read. They are very comparable and both will do the job. Both can server not only as a travel guide, but also as a vocabulary builder for an Italian class. My overall impression is that the Barron's is marginally better.

I gave this book 5 stars because when I was in Sicily visitng my best friend, it really helped me tremendously. I was fortunate that the staff in Rome and Catania airports spoke English. In the neighboring towns I had to use it frequently. Later on I remembered certain phrases and used it with ease. I couldn't believe that this book was sectioned well with the food descriptions,emergency medical,pharmacy, and in case of auto accidents. At the end of my trip, I was reluctant to give away this book, but she being in the service, I knew she needed it more than me. No sooner than I returned home, I bought a new one for my return trip back. I took this little book everywhere with me along with my passport. I'll be sure to get one for my trip to Paris next year.

This book is an excellent resource for travelers in Italy. Not only is it compact enough to carry with you everywhere - at 3.75 x 6 x .5 inches it's small enough to carry in a purse or coat pocket, and if you're traveling really light, the accompanying phrasebook is even smaller, not much bigger than a folded up sheet of letter-sized paper - but it covers nearly every conceivable situation. I used it, along with the companion cassette tape, on my recent first-time trip to Italy and got along fairly well, whether I was buying a train ticket, asking for an all night pharmacy or trying to decipher a menu. In addition to the phrases and a small dictionary, the book also has handy little sidebars on stuff like tipping, sightseeing and selecting Italian wines. Throw in the travel tips, maps, guide to road signs and grammar guide, and this book is an excellent value and well worth the (miniscule) space it will take up in your luggage.