Abstract:

The presenter has collected domestic and international data of postings and signages in local and international languages as semiotic landscape surveys, primarily using them as teaching materials in tourism studies and Japanese-English interpretation classes.

Pictograms are visual symbols that are designed or intended to convey meanings without words. While some, like emergency exit signs, follow international standards, many are unique to specific countries or cities or organizations. In Japan, responding to the rapid increase in inbound tourists about ten years ago, “map symbols for foreign visitors” were established. This involved not only introducing new symbols but also modifying existing Japanese map symbols.

However, it is often observed that pictograms do not sufficiently cater for the needs or presuppositions of a particular recipient or recipients, such as cultural and linguistic differences, societal expectations and/or preferences and familiarities. When pictograms themselves are not functional, supplementary explanations using text are necessary, yet multilingual labeling remains scarce.

Should pictograms, which should be simple, require supplementary explanations? Alternatively, should multilingual supplementary explanations be increased?

In today's world, where immigrants and inbound tourists are increasing globally, clear explanations that consider linguistic and cultural differences are essential.
This presentation explores the educational potential of pictograms to simultaneously address language education, cross-cultural understanding, and tourism education, using real-world examples.

Keywords:

Pictogram, language education, cross-cultural understanding, tourism.