A system and method for teaching a speaker of a primary language the basic tools necessary to communicate with a speaker of the a secondary language in an accelerated and concise manner, including a base set of phrase or word cards and a profession-specific set of phrase or word cards, each of the cards including: a phrase or word in a primary language; a translation of the phrase or word in a secondary language; and a pronunciation key written in the primary language to aid a speaker in pronouncing the phrase or word in the secondary language. The cards can also include a visual depiction of a scenario which can aid the speaker in remembering both the pronunciation and meaning of a particular word or phrase.