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The NYRIUS Global Talking Translator offers 8400 programmed phrases in 12 languages.  The unit has a speaker so that it can say the phrases for you in the language you choose.  In emergencies, this could be quite helpful since you wouldn’t need to worry about miscommunication due to mispronunciation.

The form factor is small—small enough to fit in a shirt or pant pocket.  However, the sacrifice for such a convenient size is the lack of a keyboard to type in phrases, leaving you tied to the unit’s less than convenient menu tree of phrases.  Access to the menus is via dedicated buttons on the unit, such as Emergency, Transportation, and Restaurants.  The unit does come with a paper reference guide that maps the phrases by the menus.  Finding a phrase this way is a bit quicker than doing it through the unit, but it means you’ve got one more thing to bring with you.

The screen, which has green backlight, is not much more than your standard calculator.  This adds to the difficulty in quickly finding the phrase you need via the unit.  You often have to scroll to see the full phrase, since it is a one-line display.  There is an option to save your favorite phrases, but there are no dedicated, assignable buttons for them.

Overall, the translator seems like a good option for someone who wants to be a frugal world traveler—the unit will set you back about $50, which is on the cheaper end of translators (some units go for upwards of $150-200), speaks phrases for you, and will take up little space in your pack.