Typical office signage includes many phrases that we have come to accept as standard within a work environment. Some phrases, especially those related to security, are often translated into graphical representations to make sure everyone understands them, regardless of any language barriers that may exist.
Examples may include “Emergency Exit,” “High Voltage,” “No Smoking,” “Toxic Material,” “Flammable,” and “Radioactive.” We are conditioned to understand what these icons represent when we see them.
However, other office signage phrases are not assigned a standard iconic image representation. If the work environment hosts multicultural visitors, important office signage may need to be translated into commonly used languages to ensure messages are heeded.
Keep in mind that if you’re replacing a small sign with one that will accommodate multiple translations of that phrase, the new sign will likely take up much more space. You may need to relocate the existing sign to make room for the new, larger one.
One of those phrases that is ubiquitous in most work environments is “Do Not Disturb”. The “Do Not Disturb” sign can be seen in many situations, but generally does not have a common graphical representation. Some places that require a Do Not Disturb sign may include conference or meeting rooms, research laboratories, dark rooms, movie studios, recording studios, interview rooms, and executive offices.
If you need a multicultural office sign for the common phrase “Do not disturb,” here are 12 translations to get you started.
English: do not disturb
English: do not disturb
Spanish: Do not disturb
German: Nichtstoren
Dutch: Niet Storen
Italian: do not disturb
Polish: Nie przeszkadzać
Portuguese: Nao Pertube
Hungarian: Ne zavarjanak
Latin: Opera non perago
Swahili: Usinisumbue
Vietnamese: Khong disturb
Of course, the languages you choose for your office signage will largely depend on the employees and visitors who frequent your site. If you’re not sure which languages are prominently used on your site, have all visitors and employees fill out a very short form when they arrive at the workplace for a set period of time. A week is usually enough for a survey of this type. Once you have a sufficient number of forms to analyze, you will be able to determine the languages into which you will need to translate your office signage.