Travel: Lost in translation

RECENT discussion on phrase books prompts David Bittiner of London to draw my attention to Burmese Self-Taught, by R F St A John, published in 1936 and still available in Rangoon. Useful phrases include: 'You have hit a red deer, Sir,' and 'You cannot hunt tigers without elephants.' A section for planters includes: 'How many coolies have you?' and 'Muster the coolies near the bungalow. . . . Each man must dig 40 holes a day]'