This past December, I was traveling through Munich and Rome, both cities that do not primarily speak English. Despite a clear language barrier, I never found myself completely lost or out of the loop. Why is that? As for me, I am lucky that English is present in numerous forms of signage across the world. However, for non-English speaking people in a place with a language barrier, there seemed to be a reasonable understanding of where to go and what to do. The key reason why was clear: visual signage.
Visual signage, especially in multi-lingual places like an airport, is incredibly necessary for bringing a sense of knowledge to everyone despite what language they speak. While everyone may not know the same language, a picture of a piece of luggage is universal. Airports are known to be stressful with factors like time crunches, delays, exhaustion, and language barriers. Written communication can be helpful, but with small fonts and only the most common languages usually written on them, these signs can only help so many. It is imperative to have communication – especially in a place like an airport – be readily available for everyone.
At an airport, it is vital that information is quickly accessible. Reading a sign that is long and in numerous languages is time consuming. Having universal signs and icons for basic information is imperative for all travelers.
According to Travel Wayfinding, sign manufacturing companies are working on creating the most effective ways to spread airport information fast. One idea was color coding different languages on signs where the font is all the same size. For example, blue would represent English on all signs across the airport while red represented Italian. This would reduce confusion and allow for quick finding of pertinent information. Another idea was to use digital signage that can be changed according to the most predominant language present in the airport. Furthermore, if a flight from Germany was going to be landing in the US, having a digital sign with information in both German and English that could be changed would help cater to individual flights and needs.
Overall, quality communication in airports is vital to helping travelers reach their location in a timely, less-stress way. By thinking about efficiency in signage by using universal logos and images, we are helping an already difficult language barrier. Signage and communication is important, so it’s important that what is communicated is accurate, brief, and well understood by as many people as possible.
