Mx. Phrasebook is a compact, 190-page Spanish/English phrasebook customized for the Lake Chapala area.
The 2017 edition contains helpful Spanish/English phrases and general information for Lakeside visitors and residents looking to improve their communication skills with Spanish speakers. Along with covering a wide array of subjects, the book also includes a commercial and basic dictionary, a conversion table, a 2017 calendar, and a separate, fold-out map of Lakeside with corresponding numbers to locate businesses that are mentioned in the book.
This handy reference guide starts off with a brief history of Chapala, then goes on to list key things to know when in Mexico such as numbers, times and dates, and days of the week. Black and white illustrations or photos accompany much of the text throughout the book.
Compact enough to fit into a purse, backpack or back pocket, the phrase book covers everything from how to rent a car to how to get a bicycle repaired, coaching the readers on how to ask for what they need in the most direct way. All the translations into Spanish are also accompanied by a phonetic pronunciation, which will help those to whom your speaking better understand you. In addition, readers will find helpful lists of where to locate products and services at Lakeside.
When dining in a restaurant, you may want to request that your food order be boiled, deep fried, grilled or steamed. You can find those phrases under the “Where to Eat” section. You will also learn how to give compliments or complaints, order drinks and identify what’s on the table. Also, you can peruse the extensive list of local restaurants and refer to the fold-out map to find their locations.
For those readers challenged by small type, this book may prove slightly difficult to read, especially on those pages where the type is placed against a dark gray background. Considering that the majority of English-speaking readers at Lakeside are retirees, if the designer would have stuck to a white background throughout, it would have made for easier reading.
Lastly, the book is not without its share of typos, which is something a skilled proofreader could easily have caught before the book went to print.
If one is willing to overlook the typos and the occasional hard-to-read type, Mx. Phrasebook is the ideal reference guide for getting around Lakeside while polishing up on one’s Spanish, learning about the various businesses in the area, and locating those businesses on the accompanying map.
Mx. Phrasebook costs 195 pesos and can be purchased at Lakeside’s Walmart, Super Lake, Cafe Negro, Clinica Maskaras and various pharmacies. For more information, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..