We always applaud acceptance of cultures and people different to ourselves, but does that mean that we should change in order to accommodate them? In England in 2011 there was a reported 4.2 million (7.7%) whose main language wasn’t English and could speak English either reasonably well or not at all. And yet, the only bilingual signs you might find in this country are outside of tourist attractions and around the airport. This raises the question, should countries become more accommodating of other languages in their country?

We always applaud acceptance of cultures and people different to ourselves, but does that mean that we should change in order to accommodate them? In England in 2011 there was a reported 4.2 million (7.7%) whose main language wasn’t English and could speak English either reasonably well or not at all. And yet, the only bilingual signs you might find in this country are outside of tourist attractions and around the airport. This raises the question, should countries become more accommodating of other languages in their country?
Travelling is easier now than it has ever been and there are more cases of wanderlust now than there has ever been, too. So, there are millions of people at this very moment living in a country of which they don’t speak the language. This can lead to dangerous situations, especially on the roads. It’s incredibly important that all people using the roads in any country are able to read road signs. People that aren’t able to read these signs can potentially cause an accident or put themselves and the passengers of their vehicle in danger if they are unable to understand signs that might be warning them of obstructions or hazards.

The alternative to bilingual signs is clear and obvious road symbols. In most countries symbols are used to accompany text to inform drivers that might not speak the language and also have the additional benefit of being recognised at a glance by native drivers, saving them from looking at signs for a length of time instead of concentrating on the road ahead. While in most cases this is an excellent method of bridging the language barrier, there are many symbols that mean many different and very specific things that might not be so easily interpreted by non-natives or those that took their driving test in this particular country. In which case, one alternative that would save lives and make non-native drivers feel a lot more confident is to introduce a universal system of road symbols that can be recognised in any county. This way, foreign drivers will be warned of any serious hazards and signs would not need to be changed to accommodate the language of every possible driver that might pass it.

Another big question associated with this topic is where the line should be drawn in terms of accommodating additional languages. While it is a necessity for all drivers to be able to at least easily interpret the content of road signs, should all signs and public notices be bilingual as well? Surprisingly, there are certain towns and cities that use bilingual signs everywhere, but the rest of the country do not. The reason for this is because a considerable amount of people inhabiting or visiting this particular place might not speak the language fluently. Take, for example, popular tourists spots around the world. In most of these places you’ll find signs that include several different languages, covering specifically the most common languages amongst tourists and residents. Bilingual signs aren’t entirely necessary if the information isn’t vital, such as an advertisement. But, if signs are needed to direct people around a building then a bilingual sign could prevent accidents and misunderstandings. While this won’t likely be enforced by a government any time soon, business owners can make their own signs in order to improve the experiences of non-natives and make them feel more welcomed. Bilingual Wayfinding Signage isn’t expensive, but it could potentially save lives.