point and shoot
Kwikpoint makes translation cards for military servicement in Iraq and Afghanistan; the notion is that you don't need translation when you can just point at the cartoons on the cards. The cards themselves are worth a look, though: some of the meanings seem dangerously confusing, and some attempt to express what I think are quite abstract concepts. And they are not without, ahem, "representational issues." Note the depiction (above) of the arrest suspect--a sort of crazed Arab Beavis, with either a lolling tongue or blood-stained lips (it's hard to tell).
Now, what do you think the ideogram for "General Dostum just strapped one of our men to a tank-tread" looks like?
* joshua, 2/04/2005 01:44:43 PM
