The top of a map is towards the North. So, to the left side of the map is towards the West.
west
Most maps have north at top, so left is west
rosecompas
up
at the compass rose
Southeast. Look on a map
SOUTHEAST hint: look at a map and then look at the compass rose
west
She turned left at the corner and continued straight down the street, following the intermediate direction given by the map.
mental map.. :)
Actually there is no difference in which side do you keep your compass as long it is going to show the north direction in any other side of the map. Usually there is a small print in the maps (left side/right side depends of the print) which shows the direction of north in the certain map position. So What you have to do is to use compass to get the right direction.
Look for the compass rose, it will point North. Also look for the table that shows map north, true north and magnetic north.