As the national language of nearly 20 countries in Africa and Asia, Arabic is the lingua franca of the Middle East. It is the fifth most spoken language worldwide, with approximately 250 million native speakers. This title uses modern standard Arabic helpful to those travelling all over the region. The emphasis is on commonly heard terms and phrases that are recognizable throughout the Arabic speaking world. Both the dictionary and phrasebook incorporate the Arabic script and its Romanized transliteration. The two-way dictionary contains important travel, geographical, and cultural terminology, while the phrasebook focuses on the needs of travelers and covers almost every situation from arrival to departure. For 45 years, Hippocrene Books has specialized in bringing the world to our readers. The series allows you be a traveler, not a tourist, by connecting with the local culture and people in their native language. Currently available in 86 languages, including Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Thai, Punjabi, Swahili, and Oromo.