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By Carol-Roberts Spence
The international border (the
Rio Grande), Interstate Highway 10 and a railroad line lie less than 2,700
feet from the main gate of the Sun Bowl, our stadium. Our combined community
of El Paso, Ciudad Juarez and southern New Mexico is the largest
international metroplex in the world. We’re as close to an international
stadium as you can get here north of the border.
Bilingual signage and communication is not a new concept. Both U.S. borders
have prescribed to this practice for many years. The challenge with today’s
fans and customers is their tolerance for the copious amounts of information
blasted at them in different languages and their ability to sort out what’s
important to them as they enter our venues.
Picture This
¿Donde está…? (“Where is”) is a question we hear frequently at our guest
services stations. Way-finding is one of the primary functions of visual
information, as reported in Designing Visual information for a Global
Audience by Chris Jackson and Nancy Ciolek.
The use of universal icons to impart location information for English and
Spanish speakers has proven to be the most effective for space utilization,
as well as user friendliness. The use of pictures of icons for concessions
locations and type of food (a picture of a corn cob, for instance) with
arrows is more quickly recognized and understood than English/Spanish
verbiage. People of all cultures tend to respond to visuals rather than
text.
When it comes to the rules and regulations of the facility, you must be
precise and clear to leave no doubt in the mind of the customer as to what’s
permitted and what’s prohibited. In this binational, bi-lingual population,
it’s doubly important that the correct information is received and
understood by both communities. It’s imperative that all verbiage be clear,
concise and understood when it comes to dissemination of policies. The need
to be audience specific regarding rules and regulations of the event or
facility is important on many levels.
What Did You Say?
The attention to detail and knowing the correct idiomatic and regional
language is vital. The Spanish spoken in Ciudad Juarez is most certainly
different from the Spanish spoken in Oaxaca. The colloquialisms in Spanish
are just as diverse as they are in English. A sign stating “WC is on the
right” would mean nothing here in the Southwestern United States, unlike the
same sign on the wall of a venue in Southwestern England.
When in doubt, we use our own inhouse “perfectionist” to make sure the words
used in our signage are correct. Much to the vexation of the Spanish
professors here at the university, we have used “Spanglish” to convey
messages. “Dos Shows” gets the message across in both languages, maximizing
space and time.
Space for signage is the No. 1 challenge. Prime signage real-estate is at a
premium in all venues. That one spot that everyone will see upon entering
the venue is the most logical place for disseminating information. That
location is sought and fought for by many team members. The marketers and
sales representatives will argue, plead and cajole that they need that
space; they will die or be fired if they can’t sell that space.
We’ve come to a compromise that satisfies both sides of the house,
partnering up with our marketers to sell the signage.
They’ve been successful in tying culturally specific clients to the Spanish,
and in having mainstream sponsors ask for placement on the Spanish language
signage, as well as the English signage.
A concern that usually gets the least attention is the use of color and the
visual aesthetics of iconic and written signs. The look of the information
plays a part in its effectiveness. It’s very easy to ignore a plain, dull or
boring sign. An entire profession, graphic arts, evolved to address this
challenge.
In a bicultural community, the use of color and form are just as important
as the use of the written language. “Beware of negative connotations, avoid
image interpretations that could offend the audience for which it is
intended,” is sound advice imparted in Designing Visual information for a
Global Audience by Jackson and Ciolek of Rochester Institute of Technology.
There are many companies that specialize in the visual impact of
communication tools. A number of the allied members of IAAM and presenters
at the conferences specialize in this type of visual communication. Flying
Colors, a presenter at this year’s International Stadium Management
Conference in Frisco, Texas, brought together the functionality and
aesthetics of communication and gave food for thought.
“The most powerful, meaningful and culturally important messages are those
that combine words and pictures in equally respectful ways,” said Paul
Martin Lester, professor, California State University Fullerton. This
statement is a maxim that we strive to achieve for our bilingual,
bicultural, binational customers.
Carol-Roberts Spence is
director for special events at the University of Texas – El Paso. |
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