Berlitz Chinese-Mandarin Phrase Book (Berlitz Phrase Book) [Paperback]

Berlitz Guides (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 2831562651 | ISBN-13: 978-2831562650 | Publication Date: July 1998

Fit every pocket -- and every traveler's need for a compact, easy-to-use, and dependable reference source.

Part language instructor, part tour guide, the world-renowned Berlitz Phrase Book series has been the ideal companion guide for millions of travelers worldwide. Providing a wealth of essential information and practical tips, this popular series, redesigned and with updated phrases and expressions and over 2,300 words covering just about any situation a traveler is likely to encounter, remains the unparalleled market leader.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Since 2000. Hammond, American Map, Langenscheidt Dictionaries, Insight Travel Guides, Delorme – the famous names in the Langenscheidt family. These represent the most authoritative, up-to-date, and extensive travel and reference products available. In January 2003, the renowned Berlitz Publishing became part of the Langenscheidt Group. The Langenscheidt Publishing Group, the premier group of map and travel companies, offers over 4,000 North American and international street maps, road maps, atlases, language-learning, bilingual dictionaries, and travel-related products covering countries, cities, and languages in every continent.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Berlitz Guides (July 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2831562651
• ISBN-13: 978-2831562650
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,000,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Chinese
  • #59 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Chinese
  • #83 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Dutch

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Book Stinks, April 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Berlitz Chinese-Mandarin Phrase Book (Berlitz Phrase Book) (Paperback)

This has to be the worst book I have ever come across and does a disservice to anyone attempting to learn Chinese. Learning Chinese can be difficult and it is important to pay attention to the subtle differences. Berlitz has it's own phonetic system different than the standardized Pinyin system to describe Chinese words. Thus if you use this book, and learn Berlitz's own phonetic system, then any other course, book, or mainland Chinese person, cannot assist in pronouncing correct Chinese.

Berlitz also refuses to consider using Traditional Symbols which are used in Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, California, and Taiwan. But in fairness, many other books refuse to offer Traditional symbols as well.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A poor choice - see Rough Guide, June 14, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Berlitz Chinese-Mandarin Phrase Book (Berlitz Phrase Book) (Paperback)

Berlitz made a poor choice by not including tones - they say it's too difficult for the beginner. Well, you can't speak a lick of Chinese without at least some tonal knowledge. Adding in tonal indicators would have made this book acceptable and would not distract anyone who chose to ignore them. As a result of Berlitz' poor choice, this book is also a poor choice for you.

Berlitz also chose to use their own tweaked pinyin system. This might actually be helpful for the beginner in pronounciation, since pinyin (the standard Romanization of Chinese) is a bit confusing at first. However, if you ever want to learn to read road signs (all in pinyin as well as characters) or use any other learning materials, you will have to learn the real thing anyway.

Fortunately, there is an excellent alternative - the Rough Guide. I looked at quite a few books, including Lonely Planet, and Rough Guide's is the best. It includes characters, pinyin, AND a helpful, more natural phoenetic spelling. Excellent for the beginner and casual learner - the target market for phrase books.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Get the "cassette pack with phrase book" instead, August 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Berlitz Chinese-Mandarin Phrase Book (Berlitz Phrase Book) (Paperback)

This phrasebook doesn't use pinyin or accents. This means no Chinese will understand you no matter how well you follow the book's pronunciation system. Mandarin relies on pronunciation more than anything else. If you enjoy the Berlitz series, then get the cassette+phrasebook pack instead (ISBN 2-8315-6270-8), so you'll hear basic Mandarin spoken. However, I've heard other audiocassettes packs are better.