On a related note, I downloaded about five language packs from Microsoft Translator on to my handheld and have used those quite extensively while travelling. My favorite experience with it was doing cold sales calls with the engineering department of a cement manufacturer in South America..... surprisingly, it went way more smoothly than I would have expected. It wasn’t perfect but it was close enough that we could easily say we understood each other.
I asked an old German guy who spoke german, English and Spanish, and likely other languages how to learn Spanish? He told me to get a horizontal dictionary! His terms for a Spanish speaking girlfriend!!