on 3/9/02 10:00 PM, Eugene Dillenburg at [log in to unmask] wrote:

> when I travel internationally, it never occurs to me that my host country
should abandon their cuture

I agree with Gene, Diane and Beverly Serrell on the contraction issue. But
given their Chicago roots I wonder if there is a "Chicago Style" of label
writing.

Since this thread began I have been thinking about my experiences with
international travel. Folks in Europe know that their primary language is
not the only one that will be spoken or even understood by visitors to their
country. Even road signs are multilingual.

When visiting cultural sites in London you will find a large rack of
brochures in several languages - Spanish, French, Italian and English all
identified by the flag of the nation where the language is most predominant.
(Actually in West Minster Abbey they had two flags for English, one English
and the other American -- does this send the message that they believe
Americans are too dim to realize English is spoken in England. But I
digress.)

Perhaps we should be talking about how we can be more user friendly to those
who speak languages other than English without alienating those who do. Adds
a twist and offers a greater challenge than contractions vs. no
contractions.

Why don't the major museums offer more for non-English speaking visitors? If
they do where are they? Does the lack of effort in this area lead to lower
attendance among resident non-English speakers? among foreign tourists?

I have no answers, just questions and would be interested to see what you
all have to say on the issue.



Katie Bolinger
Exhibition development and design MA student

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