signage

今日は昨日のロスをとりもどすためにA30でがんばっています。

前々から外国人観光客の間で不満がくすぶっていた標識の英語名称に一定の基準が設けられることになりました。signageが集合的に「標識、記号、マーク」を意味するのはご存じの通りです。（UG）

Guidelines on foreign language signage in Japan

The Japan Tourism Agency has devised guidelines to improve signboards and make them easier to understand for foreign visitors.

Tourism officials are trying to turn Japan into a more tourist-friendly country by enhancing explanations of facilities and places in foreign languages.



The draft guidelines say names of facilities, such as parks and museums, will be translated. For example, "Hibiya Koen" will become "Hibiya Park."

But Japanese names which are widely recognized by foreigners will be specified in the Roman alphabet, phonetically. They will also have a translation for the type of facility, such as "Kiyomizu-dera Temple."

Japanese culture that is well-known abroad will basically be written phonetically in the Roman alphabet without translation.

Examples include "sushi", "onsen" and "samurai".

But terms which are less recognized and require some explanation will receive translated versions. "Sakagura" will have the translation "sake brewery" and "matsuri" will have the translation "festival".

The number of foreign visitors to Japan topped 10 million last year. The tourism agency has set an even more ambitious target -- drawing 20 million a year.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140131_36.html