Mobile phrase books to offer holiday help

Travellers heading off on Spanish holidays or to other popular summer destinations no longer need to worry about the language barrier thanks to the launch of new phrase books for mobile phones.



Developed by CoolGorilla for lastminute.com, the books can be downloaded onto mobiles and allow users to search for the phrases that they need.

The phone can then speak the phrase aloud in a foreign accent, as well as providing a text translation on the screen, in a choice of six languages - French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Greek.

Mark McCulloch, head of brand development at lastminute.com, said: "Instead of you having to flick through the pages of a phrase book to find what you want to say, you simply click your phone menu, select the phrase you need and voila!"

Those on trips including German holidays and Greek holidays will be able to benefit from 250 to 300 sound files covering subjects as diverse as travel and flirting.

Mr McCulloch added that as well as improving pronunciation, the books would make sure travellers were understood, which would lead to "a more enriching holiday experience".

The Association of British Travel Agents predicts that 2007 will break all records for customers travelling abroad.

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