Monday, March 22, 2004
Making things easy: airport signage and remembering those who speak different languages
Having spent most of last week travelling between airports and train stations both in the UK and abroad, I noticed something that seems (sadly) indicative of the UK's atttitude to our neighbours. In Munich airport, the signs are in German and English. In Genoa, they are in Italian and English. At many other airports signs may be in 3 or more languages. At Genoa train station, I was able to use a ticket machine that offered Italian, English, French, and German text. In so many places, signs are available in multiple languages, with unambiguous symbols for those who do not know any of the languages used. I have never struggled to find a toilet in a European airport.
In Birmingham airport, I was looking for the toilet, and found signs only in English, pointing in the wrong direction past a corridor labelled "WC", with no other symbol to clarify this. I had nearly walked past when I remembered this quaint synonym for lavatory. Why do we make it so difficult for people? I'm sure there are many British people who aren't exactly sure what a "WC" is or at least what the letters stand for ("water closet", just in case it's puzzling anyone), and it must be even harder for anyone whose first language is not English, and it would have to be UK English at that.
I also noticed that the check-in machines for BA offered nothing other than English, so despite my little grumble about the Italian ticket machine below, I feel duty-bound to highlight the fact that although it had to remind me to take my card out, it did so in perfect English.
Having spent most of last week travelling between airports and train stations both in the UK and abroad, I noticed something that seems (sadly) indicative of the UK's atttitude to our neighbours. In Munich airport, the signs are in German and English. In Genoa, they are in Italian and English. At many other airports signs may be in 3 or more languages. At Genoa train station, I was able to use a ticket machine that offered Italian, English, French, and German text. In so many places, signs are available in multiple languages, with unambiguous symbols for those who do not know any of the languages used. I have never struggled to find a toilet in a European airport.
In Birmingham airport, I was looking for the toilet, and found signs only in English, pointing in the wrong direction past a corridor labelled "WC", with no other symbol to clarify this. I had nearly walked past when I remembered this quaint synonym for lavatory. Why do we make it so difficult for people? I'm sure there are many British people who aren't exactly sure what a "WC" is or at least what the letters stand for ("water closet", just in case it's puzzling anyone), and it must be even harder for anyone whose first language is not English, and it would have to be UK English at that.
I also noticed that the check-in machines for BA offered nothing other than English, so despite my little grumble about the Italian ticket machine below, I feel duty-bound to highlight the fact that although it had to remind me to take my card out, it did so in perfect English.
(c) 2003-2005 Russell Beale
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