If you love to travel but struggle with language barriers, you might want to consider this icon language T-shirt. Covered in basic "pictograms" — from clocks to bathrooms — all you have to do is point to the icon that matches your need, and the other person will (hopefully) understand you. It’s way better than playing charades.
The idea of icon language was created by George Hohn and Florian Nast, two good friends. In 2013, while traveling in Asia, they found themselves in a remote village with “no infrastructure, no tourism, just locals.” They tried to communicate their needs but ran into problems. That inspired them to create a simple yet effective solution to bridge the language gap. Two years later, the icon language T-shirt was born.
The icon language series includes three types of T-shirts — long-sleeve, short-sleeve, and sleeveless — as well as tote bags and caps with a smaller selection of icons. Currently, people in various countries can purchase the products on their website. The founders have tested the T-shirts and say they work anywhere in the world. Hohn said:
I used it in Norway, and it was amazing — the person I asked could understand my need/meaning very quickly because, after all, they think within a specific context (depending on who they are or where they are). If you’re at a bus stop, for example, and you point to the bus and clock icons on the T-shirt, anyone will know you want to know when the next bus is coming.
Sometimes, the solution to a complex problem can be surprisingly simple, and icon language is a perfect example. Though I haven’t tried the T-shirt myself, I have no doubt about its practicality. It may not always help, but for common issues (like finding a phone, nearby hotel, or ATM), icon language seems like a highly effective solution.
