1 comments about Conversational Tagalog: Learn to Speak and Understand Tagalog with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur Conversational).

1. The half-hour a day is just the right amount of time -- it's not that much of a commitment if you really want to learn the language. At first I thought the repetition would make it boring but the interactive nature of the CD's keep it interesting and keep your brain engaged. Of course, like any other language, you'll learn only if you have the desire to learn it and are willing to put in the time. In this case, it doesn't demand much. Use what you learn with each lesson so you can make the imprints in your brain. Be honest with yourself and do not advance to the next level until you are comfortable with how much you've picked up. If I remember right, this program just asks for 70% retention. As I said, it's a great way to get started!

5 comments about Tuttle Practical Cambodian Dictionary: English-Cambodian Cambodian-English (Tuttle Language Library).

1. This book is amazing! Most Khmers books that i'd encounter just have an english word, then a khmer translation that's written in Khmer. This book gives a khmer pronunciation that's written in english, as well as Khmer. Somebody here gave it a bad review and I really don't understand why? That person said this book can cause embarassment but I disagree! If you can't play ball, don't blame the ball. Most of the words, if not all are accurate. What I think this book lacks is an audio CD that people can listen to. Otherwise, I think it's a great book. I got it at the library, I will buy it. Also, it's pocket size, very convenient.



2. This is a life saver for those who haven't yet learned Khmer script but must communicate immediately. The dictionary is in a class of its own because everything is transliterated in english. You can look up a word in Khmer via its english transliteration. This has actually helped me out tremendously when first starting out. The transliteration is relatively easy to get used to and there no funny characters, its all standard english alphabet. I would say about 80% of the time I'm able to find the english word I'm looking for to say in Khmer. You may have to be a bit savy with synonymns to find the english word you want to say, but otherwise there are enough entries in this dictionary to get by in most situations.
   
   I've bought a few dictionaries and I can say this is the one I use most because of its format, good print, english transliteration, and it literally fits in my back pocket.



3. The review made by "A Reader" couldn't have said it better. 9 times out of ten the word you want is not there and the translations are often bad. NOT a good reference under any circumstances.



4. This book is amazing! Most Khmers books that i'd encounter just have an english word, then a khmer translation that's written in Khmer. This book gives a khmer pronunciation that's written in english, as well as Khmer. I think it's a great book. I got it at the library, I will buy it. Also, it's pocket size, very convenient.



5. I have a newly arrived Cambodian college student in my home. We both use this dictionary to communicate while we teach each other how to pronounce words in the other person's language. It has led to many funny moments and great companionship!

3 comments about Basic Thai: Learn to Speak and Understand Thai with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur).

1. I travel by car roughly 10 hours every week and I was looking for a Thai language course that I could use while driving. Pimsleur turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. Agreed, you won't learn to read or write, but you will learn to speak. Good for a start. Recommended !



2. I purchased Pimsleur's Basic Thai 3 weeks before traveling to Thailand for a vacation with my husband. I listened to each unit three times before continuing to the next unit: first a quick preview, then a slow careful study, stopping and starting the audio to make sure I knew each part, then finally a quick review.
   
   After the first 2 units, I became frustrated with the lessons being catered toward an American male. Most lessons started with something like, "You are an American male, and you've just met a Thai woman." Well, I'm female, and because everything you say in Thai ends with something different depending on whether you're male or female, and often starts with a gender-dependent word as well, I was having to convert almost every sentence before repeating it. I do understand why they did this: Most American travelers to Thailand are male. So I stuck with it, and eventually I just got over it.
   
   It was worth the effort. On our first day in Bangkok we got lost in an area where there weren't many English speakers; it was noisy, hot and hectic and we just wanted to get out of there. I approached a tuk tuk driver, and directed him, in Thai, to take us to our hotel, even getting him to stop to buy beer en route!
   
   There were some silly things in the lessons, like learning to say "I am not Thai." Well, duh! But overall it was very effective. The cd's not only taught us useful Thai words and phrases, but they gave us the foundation to put together sentences with new words we learned while in Thailand.
   
   We didn't meet any other Western vacationers in Thailand who had bothered to learn Thai at all, and the Thai people were both surprised and pleased with our efforts. I'm very happy I purchased Pimsleur's Basic Thai, and I will buy their products in the future.



3. I am a visual learner (I would rather review a colleague's email on line than over the telephone), and this method is not meant for me! (Nor am I interested in learning to say something the way a woman would, since I am a man.)
   
   If you're an auditory learner, fine. If you're not, this will be a double challenge--new language and less helpful learning style.

2 comments about Tuttle English-Vietnamese Dictionary.

1. A Vietnamese ESL must have dictionary, Great for school use. I order one for my in-laws (just came to the U.S.) I have to order several more. The English words are highlighted in Blue and stand out, a very easy way to look up words, great font, and print. It has an excellent Vietnamese pronunciation description, preface, and how to use section written in English. However, it would have been nice to have an English pronunciation description, preface, and how to use section written in Vietnamese.



2. Of the 4 or 5 dictionaries that I have purchased over the last 2 years, I believe that this one is the best. I like the example phrases that are referenced including local idioms. If you are learning Vietnamese, consider purchasing the Vietnamese-English dictionary by the same author to have a complete to-from translation resource.
   
   It's too bad the dictionary can't pronounce the words for you! For that I have an electronic speaking dictionary and many Vietnamese friends. BTW, I prefer this paper dictionary to the electronic; it's easier to use, easier to read, has more definitions, and doesn't require batteries!
   
   One more minor but agreeable plus - the pages are printed on a satisfyingly stiff paper that makes it easy to turn or flip through when looking up a definition.

1 comments about Langenscheidt's Pocket Vietnamese Dictionary: Vietnamese - English / English -vietnamese.

1. Overall this is an excellent dictionary, easy to read, comprehensive, clear and meaningful translations in both directions. It is a nice size and a good price. THE FLAW: the publishers decided to ignore the accepted Vietnamese alphabetizing system, compound consonant beginning words are not listed in separate headings, it takes some getting used to.

1 comments about Tuttle Compact Vietnamese Dictionary: Vietnamese-English / English-Vietnamese.

1. Maybe not comprehensive, however it carries most essential words with sample sentences which impressd me most. Highly recommemded.

5 comments about Teach Yourself Thai Complete Course Audiopack.

1. The book/CD's are quite good. It is an introduction to the Thai language, similar to another pack which I already own.
   
   My only disappointment is that the item was represented to me as an intermediate learning guide to the Thai language. This was via a communication from Amazon saying that as I had purchased Thai for Beginners by Becker, I might find this publication helpful.
   
   I therefore find that I have purchased an item which is of no use to me.



2. I bought this book to learn a little Thai before taking a vacation in Thailand. A great introduction to the Thai alphabet! Also, I found the phrases and topics covered very useful for my trip. If you are looking to do something besides vacationing, then you might look elsewhere, but this was perfect for our needs. I loved having the CD with the book. They absolutely would not be useful one without the other. Being able to see what I was saying and listen to how to say it was very helpful.



3. This is a great product for those that already have some background in Thai speaking, and are trying to brush up on the language. This course might be a little more difficult for someone that is just beginning to learn the language. As a beginner myself, I found it very difficult to keep up with the dialogue, but could find it useful for people that already know the basics of Thai.



4. We tried this out and had great difficulty. The lessons presuppose some knowledge of the language, it seems, as the lessons cruise along way too fast. First given a scenario, then a dialogue, then asked questions....can't possibly keep up. Both of us speak several languages, and learn quickly, but this course didn't help us at all to pick up Thai.



5. This program does move very quickly, but one is NOT expected to play the CD straight through for each lesson... there is a lot of reading material between the initial dialogue and the exercises. The writing aspect of the course is GREAT... Thai is not a difficult language to read, and I'm disappointed at how few courses there are that teach you that aspect of it. The tones are covered in the very beginning of the lessons, and they are clearly marked on the transliterations.
   
   As it says right on the front of the book, it "progresses quickly beyond the basics". Therefore, this course might not be the best for those that have a hard time learning new languages (particularly people unfamiliar with tonal languages). But for those who already speak other tonal languages, or are at least familiar with how they work, or even have some thai friends to help you out, this course is very good.

5 comments about Vietnamese for Beginners.

1. This book is good, but you would need a tutor who speaks Vietnamese for it to be much help. It is impossible to know how to pronounce words in another language. It would be perfect for a classroom setting.



2. I have studied Vietnamese for several months now, and have tried several different materials. I find that this book, when used with the audio CDs (purchased separately), is a valuable resource.
   - The text is well-structured, with appropriate vocabulary for new learners.
   - Sentences and dialogs are applicable for everyday conversation.
   - Both text and CD have obviously been produced by persons genuinely familiar with learning a language, ie, spacing between words is clear, timely, and without any unnecessary flourishes.
   
   Vietnamese is a tonal language, and quite difficult to learn without audio (recordings or tutor). The publisher should consider packaging the CDs with the text.
   
   Other helpful materials are: Pimsleur Vietnamese: Learn to Speak and Understand Vietnamese with Pimsleur Language Programsfor quickly developing a basic conversational capability; Rosetta Stone Vietnamese Level 1 Win/Mac Personal Edition [Old Version], if you are disciplined enough to work through the modules regularly, and repeat phrases out loud; Teach Yourself Teach Yourself Vietnamese Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (Teach Yourself . . . Complete Courses)for a different vocabulary/dialog approach, and; you may want to keep a phrasebook Vietnamese: Lonely Planet Phrasebook handy, so you can review a phrase or two while waiting for a friend.
   
   Don't give up! Its a wonderful language. --C4PO



3. Every vietnamese pronunciation is repeated in English. That makes it
   very hard for me to focus on the vietnamese. It is alreasy written in
   English and I know what it means. Why they have to say it again in
   English? The vietnamese pronunciation is very hard. The English speach
   distracting me from focusing on the vietnamese part.I didn't buy these
   book and CDs to learn English. Major disappointment. I tossed them
   away after listening to the first few tracks.



4. This book is very thorough for learning written Vietnamese. You can order the accompanying CDs directly from the publisher, and they are a must to learn to speak and understand Vietnamese. The CDs don't give much time to repeat phrases and can be annoying. The sentences can be stupid (e.g. Is this a book or a pencil?), but there's not a lot out there if you want to learn Vietnamese, and this is some of the most complete information I have seen.



5. I really wanted to give this book 5/5 because I really liked the material that Paiboon has published on Thai, Lao and Burmese.
   
   But I had two major problems with this book:
   1. there is alot of vocabulary to memorize in each chapter, so you find yourself repeating a large vocabulary listing over and over again before you get to do any fun stuff...which I found very boring, I like to "get into" a language as quick as possible
   2. the grammar follows a formatted approach like "X__Y__Z"; "insert a verb in blank space 1 and a noun in blank space 2" - sort of thing
   
   My main issue was that I did not like how the grammar was both presented and explained.
   
   What I really like about this book:
   + it has a very good pronunciation guide for the Southern dialect
   + modern vocabulary
   + the audio cd's are good
   
   Final note:
   I would easily recommend this book + audio cd's over Colloquial Vietnamese.

5 comments about Teach Yourself Indonesian Complete Course Audiopack.

1. Like many in the teach-yourself series, this book is well thought out, presents a lot of manterial, and incudes 2 CDs. But like others in the series, it leaves many words unexplained. This happens not only inside the text, but also in the glossaries at the end.
   
   The CD dialogs try to make people speak, which is a pretty good idea. But while getting students to repeat 3-4 times various texts, the authors leave very important works inside exercises and leave it up to students to figure out pronunciation and meanings.
   
   Only buy this book if you have an Indonesian-Malaysian dictionary and if you have access to someone who can help you pronounce the words and put the accents in the right place.



2. My wife and I are being transferred to Indonesia in a few months. One of the first things we did was purchase the Pimsleur and Teach Yourself audio cd sets to get a head start on language training.
   I realize that every person absorbs this information differently, but I would not recommend the Pimsleur method. The conversations on the five discs provided - "I like the color of your baby kagaroo" (not really on the disc - though it may be buried somewhere in the 4th hour of useless conversations:-) were more like listening to a foreign radio station than actually being taught a language.
   The ever more useful "Thank you very much.", "Where is the bathroom?", "Do you speak English?" found on the two "Teach Yourself" discs and accompanying paperback have proven to be much more learner friendly.
   Regardless of your choice, I hope you have fun and enjoy the experience.



3. I'm a professional and personal linguist, and decided to teach myself Indonesian as my ninth language, mostly out of curiosity to learn something totally different. I've completed this book/CD lesson kit, having studied with it for about 3 months, and I'd like to offer some pros and cons for future students to make an informed decision (and thanks to previous reviewers whom I thought were quite accurate).
   
   PROS:
   
   -Set follows an expected progression of knowledge. You start with the main character Ken's arrival in Indonesia for an extended stay and progress up through working, eating, living, going out, shopping, hobbies and finally an excellent, useful final chapter revolving around a typical Indonesian phone call, complete with slangy, coloquial terms for common words. This is great, because so many language kits are afraid of slang...but think about how silly English would sound if you didn't learn ok, gonna, can't, won't, no way, what's up, etc.
   
   -Speakers' voices are clear, and they speak at a fair pace throughout. That is, maybe not as rapid as two actual young people might talk in reality, but not sloooooooow either.
   
   -Vocab lists offer lots of great words.
   
   -Highly affordable price for a full kit that will essentially give you a strong baseline of the language.
   
   CONS:
   
   -A lot of these are linguistic peeves, please bear with me...First, the ONLY lesson on pronunciation you get is a blurb at the beginning that "Indonesian is USUALLY stressed on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable." WOW! This is highly misguiding! First off, the speakers on the CDs do not sound like they're stressing the words there. In fact, about 75% of what they say is clearly stressed on the last syllable. After a little googling, I discovered the rule is actually: stressed on the penultimate syllable UNLESS that syllable contains the short-e sound. And indeed, about 60-70% of the words DO have that, so they really need to expand their explanations!
   
   -Be careful American learners! The alphabet lesson equates Indonesian sounds to BRITISH English ones...make sure you know what those sound like! For instance, if they say that the A's in the word "bagaimana" sound like the -or at the end of the word "doctor" an American might get thrown for a loop, not realizing that the Brits pronounce doctor "dok-tuh." Also, some words in the vocab are British. Remember, a biscuit=cookie and smart=handsome.
   
   -My biggest gripe is that they do not offer word-for-word pronunciations of the vocab. You just have to read them and figure it out from the dialogs! One extra CD would have allowed this important feature.
   
   -The audio lessons are comprised of two things: dialogs (2 per chapter usually) and "Over to You". I personally hated the Over to You. It's an exercise that goes on and on repeating the same sentences over and over. In them, you listen to a speaker, and then the English guide says "Now you reply, blah blah, etc." But they do not give you a pause! You have to keep pausing it yourself if you need more than 3 seconds to reply (which learners WILL, trust me). This makes it impossible to listen to them in the car.
   
   -As previously mentioned by reviewers, the book randomly chooses to omit vocab from the glossary, and leaves many words in the actual dialogs OUT of the vocab lists associated with them. But then it will sometimes give you the same vocab word in 3 consecutive lessons, as if you never learned them before. Bottom line: YOU DEFINITELY NEED A DICTIONARY.
   
   
   Well, all in all, this was a positive experience for me. I believe the affordability of this kit combined with being a FAIR language kit makes this a pretty good buy. Note: if you go on eBay there is a seller who offers his own Australian company's Indonesian kit for about $25 US. I have that too and am using it now.



4. I think it's a good item to start a self teaching or even as a support of a language course.
   It's very useful to memorize the native pronunciation exactly.
   Strongly recommended



5. I've owned this product for several weeks now, after having completed the only (introductory) course offered by Pimsleur. Sorry, guys, but this audio CD course presumes that one can master a dozen new words in 30 seconds, pushing you right into a real-time conversation after only having heard the parts once. You can learn some helpful phrases, if you listen to the same lesson 10 times (eventually, you can catch on). However, the method of learning is quite inferior. The only saving grace is that it does have a decent book that comes with the 2 CD's. If you study the book, you can learn a lot of words, and listening to the CD's will give you the proper pronunciation. I just wish Pimsleur would offer a complete course in all of their available languages, because they are the best! My suggestion - buy Pimsleur to get started, then get a good dictionary and an Indonesian friend.

5 comments about The Rough Guide to Vietnamese Dictionary Phrasebook 3 (Rough Guide Phrasebooks).

1. The book is a travlers phrase book and mini dictionary. Small enough to fit in the pocket.I think it's much better than the Lonely Planet Vietnamese phrase book and it costs a dollar less too! There are "cuss words" titled Coloquialism on page 142. I can't imagine why anyone would want to use them on a trip (i.e., don't do it). So forget that page, and enjoy the rest of the book. Plenty of tips for travelers, like using mosquito repellent after dark because of the possibility of Malaria.A very useful little book.



2. I would definately recommend this book to anyone traveling to Vietnam and wanting to converse with the locals. I took this book on my first trip to Vietnam, knowing only basic Vietnamese. I was able to have conversations with the people I met. The book is very easy to read, and the dictionary is English/Vietnamese & Vietnamese/English. The English/Vietnamese dictionary gives helpful phrases for each of the words too. There's also a pronounciation guide to help you say the words correctly. A must have!



3. Extremely useful and probably the first dictionary-cum-phrasebook for all Vietnamese learners (or just travellers in Vietnam) who can read English. A comprehensive English-Vietnamese word list covers all common words used in daily conversation, in some words simple dialogues are provided. The Vietnamese-English section is rather weak.

   This book is not as popular as the Lonely Planet phrasebook which is really a ptiy because it's much better. Whenever I met some other travellers using the LP phrasebook (Vietnamese) I showed them this one of mine, all of them were impressed and hoped to buy this instead!




4. I bought this book along with The Oxford Picture Dictionary: English-Vietnamese Editon by Norma Shapiro and Jayme Adelson-Goldstein to brush up on my Viet. From that perspective, I would recommend this book. I do not think that this book alone would be adequate though. But it would make a good companion to a lengthier reference.



5. This phrase and dictionary for Viet Nam has been invaluable to me during my 11 trips to Viet Nam. I lost it once and truly I was lost without it. The Lonely Planet version is more popular, but for me far less useful. It gave me the courage to try to conversion with the people when I first went and has helped me develop a fair size vocabulary. The cultural information is also unbelievable helpful especially for first trips to Viet Nam.
   
   The only down side is that most of the pronouciation guide is based on Vietnamese from the southern part of Viet Nam, but it does mention how to adapt. I would not go to Viet Nam without it.