Do you remember what it’s like to travel? You know, that thing you did when you wanted to explore a new place, experience a new culture, or encounter new people? I know. Me neither. But there’s a chance we’ll get to travel again in the future, possibly to foreign countries, and when we do we’ll have a new weapon in our arsenal. A symbol laden t-shirt that we can point to when we don’t speak the local language.
As Bored Panda puts it:
“IconSpeak is a useful T-shirt printed with 40 universal icons, perfect for those occasions when you don’t speak the local language and have forgotten how to sign “I think there’s a problem with my carburetor.” The shirt was thought up by three Swiss ‘pen-pushers’ over numerous drinks and after an adventure with a broken-down motorcycle, somewhere in Vietnam. Read a little bit of their story below:
‘Many times we were confronted with a language barrier that was only to be overcome by drawing signs, symbols or icons on a piece of paper, map, or into the dirt,’ explain George, Steven, and Florian. ‘We thought it would be great to have an essential set of icons with you, permanently, so that you could just point on whatever you need – and people would understand. Soon the notepad was pulled out again and we started listing more or less essential icons that would have been of great help during not just ours, but basically anyone’s trip.'”
Adds Peta Pixel, “In addition to the World Edition, there are also Country and City lines that feature icons that are more specific to those places (including local landmarks).”
Personally, I’m a big fan of this idea. Just think about how much money you’d save not needing to carry around a mini-dictionary, travel guide, or expensive translation device. You won’t even need to learn the local language. Just point to your shirt and you’re off to the races.
If you want to check out the shirts in greater detail be sure to visit their site and then start planning your next trip. You know, just in case you ever get to travel again.
Is IconSpeak the Greatest Idea Ever?
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