[HUMOR] Re: Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness

[Laura Lemay <lemay -at- lne -dot- com>]

> So it looks like an *entire industry* has decided to use a set of
> symbols which are incomprehensible to their customers.  It would
> be fascinating to find out why they believed symbols would be better
> than words.  

Laundry symbols is another industry that uses complete incomprehensible
symbols (see http://www.planet-stuff.freeserve.co.uk/Standards/Washing.htm).
As best as I can tell, we're just supposed to memorize them.

US clothes don't use these very often, but anything made outside
the US usually does.  Lots of sport clothes do.  My husband
came to me with a bicycling jersey just the other week and asked
me to translate, and was very skeptical when I explained that the
symbols meant, in order, "Waterproof to 40 meters.  Do not look
out window.  Do not jetski."  

Laura
"What do you mean you don't believe me?  I am a professional
technical communicator!"



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