Cultural and Linguistic Issues Affecting Accessibility

General Problems:

Colors and symbols are the most powerful communication tools. They contain rich information. They have symbolic meanings. Appropriate use of colors and symbols can make it easier for audiences to absorb large amounts of information on content, layout, etc. However, each coin has two sides. Most colors and symbols have positive associations with them or negative connotations. For example, although black usually represents formality, sophistication and sexuality, it can also be a symbol of mourning. Cultural problems may arise because audiences from different cultural backgrounds perceive colors and symbols in different ways. It is possible that designers intend to adopt some colors or symbols to convey positive connotations but instead audiences interpret them negatively.

Linguistic problems may occur if designers without sufficient cultural background or linguistic knowledge translate one language into another. If web designers do not notice these problems, confusion or even failure to convey the right information will occur.Linguistic problems become a major obstacle to the success of conveying information to targeted audiences.

An accessible website should be adapted to the special characteristics of natural languages and the commonly accepted rules for their use, or of cultures in a given geographic region. This lab will discuss three aspects of cultural and linguistic issues: color symbolisms, animal symbolisms and linguistic problems. Each interactive exercise is designed to address one aspect. After the lab activity, answer the questions below.

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Introduction to Color Symbolism

Color communicate with an audience in a non-verbal way. In Western culture, they have symbolism and meaning. For example, dark colors (such as navy blue) generally represent formality and conservatism, whereas paler colors (such as pink) are regarded as feminine and informality. Likewise, Colors have symbolic meanings in other cultures or other parts of the world. Colors can also be used to trigger certain reactions or define a layout.

However, since colors would have entirely different meaning in other cultures, people from different cultures react to colors in different ways. Ignoring colors culturally symbolic meanings would result in a costly mistake. The appropriate use of color can make it easier for users to absorb large amounts of information and differentiate information types and hierarchies.

After the interactive exercise, you will have gained some awareness on the issue of color. As you design brochures, logos, and websites, it is helpful to keep in mind how the eye and the mind perceive certain colors and the color meanings we associate with each color.

What to Do:

1. To begin, watch the "Meaning of Southwest 4 direction colors" video.
   
   
2. Explore various color symbolisms in different cultures at the Sibagraphics web site.
   
   
3. Take the Color Symbolism Quiz and see how much you know about color symbolisms.
   

Related Guidelines on How to Use Color:

Several guidelines on how to use color [1] are listed below. You can use them as a reference on using color to increase communication effectiveness, speed, accuracy, and retention. Additional information can also be found at http://www.colormatters.com/chameleon.html

• Less Is More Useful and Understandable --- Use no more than three colors for primary information.
• Create a Color Logic, Use Color Coding --- Use a color scheme that reinforces the hierarchy of information.
• Context is Everything --- The amount of color will affect how it is viewed, as well as the best background choice.
• Contrast is Critical When Making Color Choices --- The desired contrast (of color, size, resolution, etc.) between what is being read (graphics, photographs, etc) must be clearly and easily differentiated from the background.
• Quantity Affects Perception --- In the smaller area, the color will appear darker, in the large area, lighter and brighter.
• Use Color as a Redundant Cue When Possible --- Call out the important information, like warning points, with a combination of color and a different typeface so that you do not leave anyone in the dark.
• We Live in a Global World, So When in Rome... --- Respect national and cultural variations in colors, where feasible, for the target users. Different colors have different connotations in different cultures, religions, professions, etc. For example:
  • in the U.S., on February 14th, red means love.
  • in Korea, red means death.
  • in China, red is used in weddings and signals good luck and fortune.
  • in many countries, red means revolution.
  • in sports competitions, red means first place.
  • to an accountant, red means a negative balance.
  • to a motorist, red means stop.
  • in emergencies, a red cross means medical help.

Introduction to Animal Symbolism

Introduction:

In this interactive activity, your goal is to understand the explanations of animal symbolism in three cultures and the stories behind them. This activity will provide you with an introduction to animal symbolism. The meanings of animals may be similar or very different in different cultures.

After this interactive activity, hopefully, you can use animal symbols appropriately while designing websites.

What to Do:

1. Watch the video Animal Wisdom by Jessica Palmer. 
   
   
2. Answer multiple choice questions to be aware of the difference in interpreting animals' symbolic meanings.
   

Introduction to Linguistic Problems

Introduction:

Linguistic problems may occur if designers do not have sufficient cultural background or linguistic knowledge to translate one language into another. A typical example is Chinglish, an English pseudo-dialect heavily affected by Chinese grammar and accent.

What to Do:

1. To begin, watch the "Chinglish-Lost in Translation" video. Wikipedia provides additional detailed information about Chinglish, including its definition, history, and presents examples.
   
   Note: Chinglish is an example of a linguistic problem that exists on web sites. Linguistic problems also occur when other languages (such as Japanese) is translated into English. This is called Engrish. Information can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engrish. 
   
   
2. Based on the research on Chinglish, some of the main reasons why so many mistranslations occur are summarized below:
   
   
   • Insufficient knowledge of English
     Specifically, unfamiliar with the following aspects of English:
     
     • Idiomatic English: Idioms are phrases or sentences that cannot be understood by analyzing the meaning of its individual words, but must be analyzed as a whole unit. For instance, those fluent in English would describe a person as "working like a horse", while the expression would be "working like a water buffalo" for a Chinese person learning English. The reason for the difference is that, generally speaking, the Chinese use water buffalo for farming rather than horses.
     • Informal English: Chinese is often translated into an overly formal, stiff, wordy version with many abstract words. Unnecessary words make a sentence wordy and undermine its expressiveness. For example, a magazine says that "The prolongation of the existence of this temple is due to the solidity of its construction." What it tries to express can be put in a simpler way, "This temple endures because it was solidly built."
     • Multiple/shared meanings: An English word may have different meanings (and many synonyms) and two or more different words may have similar meanings, both depending on context. For instance, a store which specializes in selling jewelry exclusively could be misnamed "Jewelry Jadeware Monopoly Shop". Although Chinese words for "monopoly" and "specialty" both share the meaning of "exclusivity", there is still a subtle difference between these two words. "Specialty" is an item of a distinctive kind or of particular superiority. "Monopoly" is something that is exclusively possessed or controlled. In such cases, the proper word must be chosen depending on the context.
     • Varieties of English: American usage has adopted some elements of British English (not just spelling and idioms, but also different cultural and contextual meanings). Canadian spelling combines American English and British English rules. For instance, Canadian spellings retain British spellings (colour and centre) as well as American spellings (tire and curb). Canadian vocabulary features American vocabulary, British terms, and local variations. Designers must "know their audience" and consistently use the appropriate version, both for spelling and forms of expression.
     
     
   • Sheer carelessness or sloppy translation
     This unprofessional approach shows itself in the following ways:
     
     • Direct translation: Taking words straight from the dictionary in the Chinese character-by-character sequence regardless of the proper word order required in English. Verbatim translation often fails to convey the intended meaning because English syntax is different. For example, Chinese "dou-fu" is literally translated on restaurant menus as "bean curd". "Tofu" has become a routine part of English food menus (just like the French "crepe" or Italian "ravioli"), which the Westerner finds appetizing. However, "bean curd" sounds unappetizing to the Westerner because of the association with curdled (or sour) milk. Sometimes direct translation generates humor, for example, "people mountain people sea" actually means "a sea of people" or "a huge crowd".
     • Linguistic habit: Using Chinese-thinking rather than English-thinking habits but not recognizing, or being ignorant of, linguistic grammar rules. For instance, "Bob asked Bob's father to lend Bob money.". According to the rules of English, we avoid repeating nouns by using pronouns. Thus, the correct translation should be "Bob (antecedent) asked his (possessive pronoun) father to lend him (pronoun) money."
     • Over-generalization: Applying the "rules of English" without considering their exceptions. One example is the use of the possessive "'s". In China, people tend to translate "Bob's pencil" correctly. However, they tend to over-generalize the rule and translate "Map of Canada" incorrectly into "Canada's map".
   
   
3. Take the Linguistic Problems Quiz and see if you can identify the causes of certain linguistic problems.

What to Hand In:

Hand-in a report that

1. Answers the following questions:

   For the Colour Symbolism interactive activity:
   

   1. Compared with your personal colour symbolism associations, which culture/country colour symbolism associations surprised you?
      
   2. In the Colour Symbolism Quiz, how many did you get right?
      
   3. What are your suggestions on choosing colors for a web site?
      
   
   For the Animal Symbolism interactive activity:
   
   1. Compared with your personal animal symbolism associations, which animal symbolism association surprised you?
      
   2. In the Animal Symbolism Quiz, how many did you get right?
      
   
   For the Linguistic Problems interactive activity:
   
   1. Provide some suggestions on solving the problems mentioned in this exercise.
      
   2. What aspects should website designers check when they review the finished text?
      
   3. What are some other reasons for linguistic problems besides the aforementioned ones?
      
   4. Is it good or bad to use idioms or colloquialisms on websites? Justify your answer.
      
   
   
2. Feedback
   1. What were your expectations of this ADE?
   2. Did this ADE meet your expectations? Provide a rating between 1 and 7, where 1 means not at all, 4 means somewhat, and 7 means absolutely. Please explain your choice.
   3. Did you feel that the video(s) for this ADE was appropriate? Why or why not? Provide a rating between 1 and 7, where 1 means not at all, 4 means somewhat, and 7 means absolutely. Please explain your choice.
   4. Do you have any suggestions for other possible videos?
   5. Did you feel that the questions above got you to think about the real and serious issues regarding this ADE? Provide a rating between 1 and 7, where 1 means not at all, 4 means somewhat, and 7 means absolutely. Please explain your choice.
   6. If you have any suggestions on how to improve this ADE, please include it here.

References