We’ve all been there – in a foreign country desperately trying to ask someone where the nearest toilet is while relentlessly flicking through a microscopic phrase book.
Well, this item of clothing could spell the end for those awkward communication issues, reports Bored Panda.
The IconSpeak T-shirt is printed with 40 universal icons, perfect for those occasions when you don’t speak the local language and have forgotten how to sign: “If I eat fish I will quite literally die.”
The idea was thought up by three Swiss guys after an adventure with a broken-down motorbike somewhere in Vietnam.
George, Steven, and Florian explained:
Many times we were confronted with a language barrier that was only to be overcome by drawing signs, symbols or icons on a piece of paper, map, or into the dirt.
We thought it would be great to have an essential set of icons with you so that you could just point to whatever you need – and people would understand.
So the guys put their heads together and came up with a list of 40 more or less essential icons that they feel would be massively helpful to people during their travels.
Great work guys – it’s always nice to try and learn a few key phrases to help you get by wherever you’re going of course.
But for those situations where communication breaks down completely this will be incredibly useful – although it might be an idea to buy two, as wearing the same T-shirt everyday for four months could put people off communicating with you at all…
