Book excerpt: This is a unique learning aid for making rapid headway in the acquisition of comprehension and speaking ability in Khmer, the language of Cambodia. In recent years, Cambodia has moved from a society menaced by war to a society orientated to commerce. With this shift in attention from military to social and economic matters has come an increase in the numbers of foreign visitors and residents in the country for the purposes of tourism, aid work or investment-related activities. Many of these foreigners or 'chun bor-tay' speak English as a first or second language, but know little of written or spoken Khmer. This dictionary is designed to enable residents and visitors to better understand both the country and its people through speaking to Cambodians in their own language. With more than 6,000 key word entries, the "English-Spoken Khmer Dictionary" has the distinctive feature of presenting Khmer words in an all-new easily grasped Romanized writing system. Incorporating phrases is essential for tourists, business travellers, scholars and long term Cambodia residents who wish to become more familiar with a country poised to play an increasingly significant role in the area.