I just downloaded an iPhone application named Taxi-Book which help foreigners to get around in Shanghai and also other cities in China.
The app is made to help you navigate through a city by listing key locations. You just choose a location and show its name and address, along with an instructional phrase, to a local taxi driver.
The app also features dialogue options for communicating with locals in their language: All phrases are written in Chinese and can be pronounced via Text-To-Speech Synthesis. Some phrases also feature likely answer options that the dialogue partners may choose as a reply. An English-Chinese dictionary containing more than 12,000 words can be used to fill gaps in some phrases.
It's just a tip, but very useful one
