Alphabet on airport destination screens

[davidjohnson6]

When flying out of UK airports, the departure screens (almost) always show destinations in the Roman alphabet with the English-language name of a city.
Paris has realised that the primary languages of some destination cities use other alphabets, and destinations on departure boards alternate between the Roman alphabet and the Arabic/Armenian/Greek/other alphabet depending on destination. Thus the departure board shows flights to the capital of Greece as both Athens and Αθήνα

Yes, Paris, where the French language is sacrosanct - but they can still manage to be multicultural.

Yes, everyone reading this post can read English to a very high level... but not doing this seems rather awkward for those from other cultures. In Athens for example, the departure board switches back-and-forth between the Greek and Roman alphabets.

The software is clearly available - what would it take for airports like LHR, LGW, LTN, STN, MAN and EDI to implement this ? Are there reasons not to do this ? It seems like a relatively easy win to show cultural sensitivity. Fear of what the Daily Mail might say seems a weak excuse not to do this.

[Asturias56]

" It seems like a relatively easy win to show cultural sensitivity."

They don't care - it might cost a tenner to implement......................

[golfbananajam]

Which languages would you like dis[played? I'll find the one you missed and call you a bigot or a racist ;-) that's what will happen here.

[Expatrick]

Which languages would you like dis[played? I'll find the one you missed and call you a bigot or a racist ;-) that's what will happen here.

Pidgin seems appropriate!

[rudestuff]

Surely the whole point of switching languages is to show the local language and English. Since English is arguably the local language of the UK, what would be the point? I suppose you could try Welsh. I guess a Chinese language would be statistically the most helpful?

[Skipness One Foxtrot]

When flying out of UK airports, the departure screens (almost) always show destinations in the Roman alphabet with the English-language name of a city.
Paris has realised that the primary languages of some destination cities use other alphabets, and destinations on departure boards alternate between the Roman alphabet and the Arabic/Armenian/Greek/other alphabet depending on destination. Thus the departure board shows flights to the capital of Greece as both Athens and Αθήνα

Yes, Paris, where the French language is sacrosanct - but they can still manage to be multicultural.

Yes, everyone reading this post can read English to a very high level... but not doing this seems rather awkward for those from other cultures. In Athens for example, the departure board switches back-and-forth between the Greek and Roman alphabets.

The software is clearly available - what would it take for airports like LHR, LGW, LTN, STN, MAN and EDI to implement this ? Are there reasons not to do this ? It seems like a relatively easy win to show cultural sensitivity. Fear of what the Daily Mail might say seems a weak excuse not to do this.
Cos it never ends. Standard English is something many people can take in at a glance.
Then you might wanna switch between that and local place names, Geneva and Geneve, Londonderry and City of Derry etc.
And some regions have disputed place names, some people get triggered by "Tel Aviv" for example.

It's just another never ending culture war chapter.

[OldLurker]

I’m mildly surprised that a Paris airport (I take it the airport referenced is CDG) shows only Athens and Αθήνα – English or Greek spelling – if they’re going to be ‘multicultural’, I’d expect a French airport to alternate between Athens and Athènes and Αθήνα …

Obviously this is trivial to implement, software-wise, but IMHO it’s merely cosmetic. English is not only the language of civil aviation, it’s the language of international travel. A Russian or Japanese person travelling to Athens, outside their own country, will expect to look for the word Athens as spelt in English, not Αθήνα nor Афины nor アテネ nor even Athènes.

[davidjohnson6]

Airport I saw it at primarily was ORY... but CDG seem to follow a similiar policy on some Algerian airports but not it seems for flights to Dubai. Both airports are managed by the same company, ADP or Aeroports de Paris

[jolihokistix]

This may be the root cause of the present war. Russians are tired of having to read airport signs in English on their holidays abroad. That must be what they mean by the 'old world order' of Anglo-Saxon domination, and Ukraine must be traitors for going over to bat for the other side!

It took time, but like a fluorescent strip light my brain has finally flickered on.

[PAXboy]

Sage words from jolihokistix. Best to notify NATO of the solution!

Noting your Location: As it happens, when travelling in Japan, what saved us was Roman Numerals. In 1991, we were on Kyushu and off the tourist track but the JTB had issued tickets and printed the times of trains. The display boards obviously had no English but used Roman Numerals. As the trains run on time - we just got on the the train at the right time!!

However, we also found the station staff to be unfailingly polite and asked to see our tickets - with their white gloves - directed us to the correct train without either understanding the other. Since that trip, I have looked for another opportunity to visit the country.

[jolihokistix]

Back when I first travelled around Kyushu in 1967 it was steam engines all the way. Some things have changed a lot since then, PAX.

In Hokkaido for example you can see many signs in Russian, and in stations and airports nationwide, there is much signage in Korean and two versions of Chinese, besides English. In the undergound shopping warrens in Tokyo, loudpeaker announcements are made in English, yes, but massively too in Chinese and Korean.

Staff continue to be polite and helpful almost everywhere, with no dragging of feet. They seem to have this strange notion that if you provide good service, people will want to come back again.

[Asturias56]

" They seem to have this strange notion that if you provide good service, people will want to come back again."

it'll never catch on.....................

[pax britanica]

From some British airports they might have to deal with natives who cannot read or cannot spell English let alone anifing furrin.
Down here in the S west tho' it might be nice if the Bristol Airport PA addressed passengers as 'My Lovely/Lovelies' which seems to survive as almost universal form of address and hasn't been PC'ed out of existence.

[PAXboy]

I did enjoy my 4 years in Bristle ... I never mastered the accent though.

Glad to hear that Nihonjin are still giving amazing service.

[farci]

From some British airports they might have to deal with natives who cannot read or cannot spell English let alone anifing furrin.
Down here in the S west tho' it might be nice if the Bristol Airport PA addressed passengers as 'My Lovely/Lovelies' which seems to survive as almost universal form of address and hasn't been PC'ed out of existence.
I agree!
Spoken as a Glaswegian!
Oh, wait a minute...

[PAXboy]

With Glasegian, it is not just the accent but that it is spoken at great speed ..... a Glaswegian pal of mine has lived in the south for 30 years BUT when comes back from seeing his family? We have to wait a week for him to slow down again to Southern speed. :}

[Asturias56]

For years Aberdeen had a lady who jabbered at 300 words a second in a strong local accent about things like gate changes, delays etc etc.

completely gibberish

[WHBM]

When flying out of UK airports, the departure screens (almost) always show destinations in the Roman alphabet with the English-language name of a city.
Paris has realised that the primary languages of some destination cities use other alphabets, and destinations on departure boards alternate between the Roman alphabet and the Arabic/Armenian/Greek/other alphabet depending on destination.
LAX had managed to do this by 1990 in the Bradley international terminal, when dot-matrix screens first came onto the market to replace Solari boards. Not just destination names but complete scrolling messages.

[Asturias56]

trouble with scrolling messages is that you have to have employees who can read and write................. think of the extra expense!!