English-French translation book recommendations?

Has anyone successfully used an English-French translation book while exploring Paris? It needs to be lightweight, and very easy to actually use. When I am %26#39;in the moment%26#39; and quickly need help expressing something - there%26#39;s that feeling of time pressure... Any suggestions?

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Lonely Planet has a good line of quick reference languages pocket books. They are small enough to fit in a purse or even your jacket pocket.

They are not complete dictionary%26#39;s but are really easy to use and have categories for different subjects, like Food/Menu, Transporation, etc. They are made specifically for travelling.

You can buy them directly from lonelyplanet.com, amazon.com, and probably your local chain bookstore.

Good luck and happy travels!

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Another vote for the Lonely Planet series of phrase books - well laid out in contextual sections, accurate, small and there is even a limited French-English dictionary. Also very cheap.

Enjoy!

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The very best I%26#39;ve found is Barron%26#39;s %26quot;French at a Glance%26quot;. (Now %26quot;Traveler%26#39;s Language Guide%26quot;) For one thing, it includes phonetic pronunciations for all French words, rather than a pronunciation guide. No one will understand you if you mispronounce everything.

I found Lonely Planet to have lots of phrases you%26#39;ll never need (unless you are arrested for drugs) and missing common phrases you will need.

If you%26#39;re going to carry something around, it may as well be the most comprehensive one you can find.

Same goes for food glossaries. Most translation guides do not have enough entries to be of much use in a restaurant. While the better food glossaries are thicker/heavier, there%26#39;s not much point in dragging one around that%26#39;s missing four of every five words you look up. For example, just because you can determine that %26quot;veau%26quot; is veal, doesn%26#39;t mean you won%26#39;t be ordering liver, kidneys, or worse!

If you have a PDA, IPhone, SmartPhone, etc., highly recommend Ultralingua.

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Another vote for the Lonely Planet guide.... rode in my back pocket the entire time.... I was actually expecting to get arrested for drugs, but it never happened.... oh well.... lol

amazon.com/French-Lonely-Phrasebook-Michael-…

Also helpful, especially before you go.... the HarperCollins Language Survival Guide France: The Visual Phrasebook and Dictionary....

amazon.com/HarperCollins-Language-Survival-G…

Good if you are a visual learner.... loads of photographs, broken down into easy catagories....

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Hi -

Take a look at the Berlitz phrase books, as well as Rick Steves%26#39; one. Remember, you don%26#39;t need to say all the phrases, you can just point to the one that says what you want, and let the Francophone read it. That takes away all the time pressure, and gives you a moment to gather your thoughts.