Need to get through a checkpoint, or find an ancient monument? Then this is the book for you.

Iraqi Phrasebook, Essential Language Guide for Contemporary IraqThe only language guide of its kind, Dr. Yasin Alkalesi's Iraqi Phrasebook provides the Arabic neophyte with the Iraqi-Arabic phrases need to communicate effectively in general travel, medical, and security situations, as well as with ordinary Iraqis on the street. The book separates content by topic, focuses on conversational language, and presents Arabic phrases in easy-to-read transliteration. It features phrases addressing needs of military, aid, business, and construction personnel.

From the Introduction: Arabic is a Semitic language written from right to left. It has two forms: classical (also known as Modern Standard Arabic [MSA]) and colloquial. Many other languages also have similar divisions between formal and informal registers. Modern Standard Arabic is the standardized language of reading and writing throughout the Arab world. Colloquial Arabic, the spoken language of everyday activities, varies from one country to another and has many dialects—Egyptian, Moroccan, Lebanese, Iraqi and so on. The main differences between these dialects are found in pronunciation, everyday expressions, and idiomatic phrases.

Dr. Yasin AlkalesiYasin Alkalesi, Ph.D. lives in Los Angeles, where he has taught classical and colloquial Arabic for many years. His company Arabico provides language, translation, cultural and consulting services on the Middle East to a wide-ranging clientele, including travelers, companies and diplomats. He holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Archaeology and Languages from Yale University and Bachelors and Masters degrees in Archaeology and History from the University of Baghdad. He is a senior lecturer of Arabic and Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and has also taught Arabic at Yale and at California State Fullerton.