Customer Reviews

Turkish Phrase Book (English and Turkish Edition)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I went to Istanbul for a week, speaking no Turkish whatsoever, with a group of people who also spoke no Turkish. So, for me, this book was tremendously helpful, mostly because of the breadth of topics covered, the easily navigable structure, and the phonetic pronunciations provided.

One situation basically sums up my experience with the book: We were trying to eat at a non-English speaking restaurant (as most are) and one of my company insisted on trying to explain that he was lactose intolerant. While he tried various methods of gesturing and speaking (including a few other languages), and several staff members were brought over to help add to the confusion, I had time to discover that Berlitz had thought to include the phrase "I am... lactose intolerant" (_breadth_). Everyone was happy, and we could continue ordering. I also had time to look up how to order my food and drink in Turkish (_phonetic pronunciations_) before it came around to me (_navigable_), which seemed to relieve the already stressed waitress.

I feel I should also mention that it was excellent when I needed to visit a pharmacy. I simply pointed to various "I need medicine for... [ailment here]" phrases which, to be honest, was less embarrassing than trying to say what I needed.

In the end, I only learned two words of Turkish (water and excuse me), and both were learned independently of this book. So I don't feel that this was particularly helpful in learning Turkish, but it was certainly very helpful for someone with no long term interest in the language who just needed to get by for a week.

The Berlitz phrase books are always excellent, as is this one. With color-coded sections and a short dictionary (I always find I could use a larger dictionary when traveling, but none of the phrase books have extensive ones), it is a very useful item to have. The delivery was quick, as always.

I spent two months in Turkey working and also living with a host family. I had no prior Turkish experience and brought only this book. The phrases it contains are surprisingly accurate and useful. I had no problem shopping, navigating, and asking for help. Sure, the dictionary in the back is not too extensive but it did the job. I recommended this to anyone who is wanting to develop basic Turkish communication skills. For grammatical concepts, look elsewhere.

I found this book to be a nice pocket sized book good for travel but I found that its pronunciations were inaccurate.

I was so surprised that this little book could hold so much. It does more than teach you phrases, it helps you understand verb endings and grammer. It really is a great first step!

This little book came in handy in restaurants and using taxis in Istanbul. Most of the people we came in contact with understood enough English and with the help of this little phrase book we were able to communicate our needs clearly. The small size of the book made it easy to carry around.

Other reviewers have covered the basics, but I want to give special praise to Berlitz's great idea of beginning each section with "Essential" - words and phrases a traveler needs most often. Particularly if you don't have a lot of time to master an elementary level of spoken Turkish, these brief sections give you a shot at communicating from the get-go. I also really like two unusual sections Berlitz laces throughout this handy, pocket-sized book: "You May See" boxes help you understand what important written signs and instructions mean, and "You May Hear" boxes help prepare you for what people may say to you. Very cool! Finally, I appreciate the inclusion of a useful dictionary.

This is not helpful for someone who really wants to learn the language. No grammar, a poor dictionary, poor pronunciation guides and thick pages which makes the little it offers less portable