|
| |
Italian Survival Guide
by Elizabeth Bingham Ph.D.
A crash course for new travelers to Italy. Learn culture and very basic language to help you travel with confidence through a foreign country.
"Italian Survival Guide: The Language and Culture You Need to Travel with Confidence in Italy" is Elizabeth Bingham's second published book, the first book being "German Survival Guide." Bingham’s "Italian Survival Guild" intentions are to help the reader learn the basics of travel, language and culture in a little amount of time.
This is not a travel guide for landmarks to see or restaurants to eat at. This is a travel guide for language and culture. Bingham’s book is in seven sections, each one on an important topic of traveling. The topics are sorted well and in a useful order.
The vocabulary is bare basics and all of it essentials. Bingham doesn’t riddle the book with "the dog is on the chair" examples. The terminology is what a person would use when traveling. If you are fluent in Italian, you may find this book ineffective. This book doesn’t come with a CD and I don’t think it needs one. Every term comes with the meaning and the phonetics, so there is no question on how a word should be pronounced.
At the end of every lesson, chapter and the book is a review test to help keep what was just read in your head. Short on time? Bingham says you can skip the quizzes, but I feel you can’t really learn and retain the words without proper time on the subject.
It doesn’t look like this book would be hard to use in Italy, either. On the front and back covers is a survival summary of all the vocabulary, meaning and phonetics, all neatly characterized in labeled columns. Located in the back of the book is also a small Italian-English and English-Italian dictionary.
I did skim over some of the sections when I felt they didn’t apply to me and I didn’t feel I really missed anything. If there is anything Bingham had mentioned in an early section that she feels you should review, she does tell the reader where to refer back.
The Italian culture was also separated into each sections under the appropriate terms. Bingham has made the culture sections easy to read throughout the book and made the tips very practical. She talks about the differences that may be experienced between American and Italian culture. She teaches women not to be shocked at hollering men, differences in coffee and money. She gives safety tips to help the traveler stay aware of crime. Sometimes I wish she would have elaborated on certain subjects. For me, the currency only made me more confused and worried about what I may face in Italy. I also grew concerned about what attire is suitable for travel since I cannot change what is in my closet. I didn’t feel confident on the directions given on church attire, either.
Bingham’s book set out to give confidence to a new traveler with limited time to learn the language and culture of a foreign country. I think you do need at least a month’s time of everyday study to be confident in a foreign language completely. I do feel she taught a different culture with understanding and ease, and I do feel a little bit better traveling to Italy with some of the knowledge and words I have grasped from this book.
Title: Italian Survival Guide
Author: Elizabeth Bingham Ph.D.
Publisher: World Prospect Press
ISBN: 0970373449
Review written by: Marjorie Quinn
Reviewer's Rating:9
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
Talk to other readers about this story.
|
|
|
|
|
|
