What countries have bi, tri (or even more?!) lingual signs?

[scott125]

I remember a sign at a services near London that had French , Spanish etc but also it had albanian . Never met any albanians here

Clacket Lane? English, German, French and Czech.

Quite why Czech rather than Polish I don't know.

Was a sign like that but in the services ,not yellow ,services near to Stansted Airport . Need to look for it on Streetview .

[Osthagen]

Finland has signs in Swedish.

[JohnnyMo]

I remember a sign at a services near London that had French , Spanish etc but also it had albanian . Never met any albanians here

Clacket Lane? English, German, French and Czech.

Quite why Czech rather than Polish I don't know.

What is the point of that sign, a clearway on a motorway. Also any European driver should know the rules of a motorway.

[KeithW]

Singapore has signs in English, Chinese, Malay and Hindi where Space permits. Top of the list and in the biggest font is the English version

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@1.329274 ... authuser=0

On smaller signs they usually settle for English and Chinese
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@1.282955 ... authuser=0

The default is English
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@1.281480 ... authuser=0

[Chris Bertram]

Singapore has signs in English, Chinese, Malay and Hindi where Space permits. Top of the list and in the biggest font is the English version

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@1.329274 ... authuser=0

Is the bottom font on there really Hindi? It looks more like Thai to me.

[Glen]

What is the point of that sign, a clearway on a motorway. Also any European driver should know the rules of a motorway.

It's a reminder not to park on the hard shoulder of the sliproad.

[RichardA626]

Singapore has signs in English, Chinese, Malay and Hindi where Space permits. Top of the list and in the biggest font is the English version

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@1.329274 ... authuser=0

Is the bottom font on there really Hindi? It looks more like Thai to me.

Is it Tamil, which is one of the official languages of Singapore?

[WHBM]

Is it Tamil, which is one of the official languages of Singapore?

Most of the (substantial) Indian ethnic population in both Singapore and Malaysia are from Chennai/Madras etc, the Tamil Nadu speaking part of India which is nearest to them. Hindi speaking is from other parts of India.

India itself has a wide range of its language combinations on signs, including in English which is regarded as the common interchange language between different areas. There is also extensive use of pictograms due to illiteracy.

[WHBM]

What is the point of that sign, a clearway on a motorway. Also any European driver should know the rules of a motorway.

It's a reminder not to park on the hard shoulder of the sliproad.

Due to extensive hard shoulder abuse by parked European HGV drivers just outside the service area boundary (or its cameras) staying more than 2 hours, who do not want to pay service area parking charges.

[Conekicker]

What is the point of that sign, a clearway on a motorway. Also any European driver should know the rules of a motorway.

It's a reminder not to park on the hard shoulder of the sliproad.

Due to extensive hard shoulder abuse by parked European HGV drivers just outside the service area boundary (or its cameras) staying more than 2 hours, who do not want to pay service area parking charges.

So why aren't the local boys in blue out there giving the drivers the good news? Word would soon spread.

I'll refrain from asking if whoever erected the sign even considered getting it authorised - a black on yellow sign is not an excuse to erect such a beastie and DfT won't authorise such things.

[Chris Bertram]

Is it Tamil, which is one of the official languages of Singapore?

Most of the (substantial) Indian ethnic population in both Singapore and Malaysia are from Chennai/Madras etc, the Tamil Nadu speaking part of India which is nearest to them. Hindi speaking is from other parts of India.

India itself has a wide range of its language combinations on signs, including in English which is regarded as the common interchange language between different areas. There is also extensive use of pictograms due to illiteracy.

Yes, perhaps Tamil is more likely than Thai.

My relatively limited experience of India suggests that signage is generally local language + English, with possibly Hindi added if space allows. So in Mumbai, it's Marathi (in its Devanagari script) + English, whereas in Bangalore it's Kannada (a very different-looking language, the script reminded me somewhat of Georgian) + English.

[Bryn666]

It's a reminder not to park on the hard shoulder of the sliproad.

Due to extensive hard shoulder abuse by parked European HGV drivers just outside the service area boundary (or its cameras) staying more than 2 hours, who do not want to pay service area parking charges.

So why aren't the local boys in blue out there giving the drivers the good news? Word would soon spread.

I'll refrain from asking if whoever erected the sign even considered getting it authorised - a black on yellow sign is not an excuse to erect such a beastie and DfT won't authorise such things.

It's dynamic, and thrusting, and solves all problems because #signmakeitbetter...

[Conekicker]

Due to extensive hard shoulder abuse by parked European HGV drivers just outside the service area boundary (or its cameras) staying more than 2 hours, who do not want to pay service area parking charges.

So why aren't the local boys in blue out there giving the drivers the good news? Word would soon spread.

I'll refrain from asking if whoever erected the sign even considered getting it authorised - a black on yellow sign is not an excuse to erect such a beastie and DfT won't authorise such things.

It's dynamic, and thrusting, and solves all problems because #signmakeitbetter...

...also an unlawful obstruction...

[Bryn666]

So why aren't the local boys in blue out there giving the drivers the good news? Word would soon spread.

I'll refrain from asking if whoever erected the sign even considered getting it authorised - a black on yellow sign is not an excuse to erect such a beastie and DfT won't authorise such things.

It's dynamic, and thrusting, and solves all problems because #signmakeitbetter...

...also an unlawful obstruction...

Nah, I reckon back when the HA could authorise such junk it was pushed through as 'safety essential'... but yes, it's utter rubbish given the start of motorway sign 3 yards before it tells you the same thing.

[Conekicker]

It's dynamic, and thrusting, and solves all problems because #signmakeitbetter...

...also an unlawful obstruction...

Nah, I reckon back when the HA could authorise such junk it was pushed through as 'safety essential'... but yes, it's utter rubbish given the start of motorway sign 3 yards before it tells you the same thing.

Trust me, the HA guys would never authorise anything bi-lingual. They are very aware of DfT's position on that subject.

This will simply be a "good" idea that someone locally dreamt up and didn't run it past the appropriate people before doing so. Had they done so they would have been told "No" in no uncertain terms.

[Glen]

Due to extensive hard shoulder abuse by parked European HGV drivers just outside the service area boundary (or its cameras) staying more than 2 hours, who do not want to pay service area parking charges.

It's more that there is a chronic lack of HGV parking, so drivers regularly can't find a space in the MSAs, even for a 45 minute driving break.
Camera enforced charges from the likes of CP Plus aren't going to concern the drivers of foreign registered vehicles.

[WHBM]

You will notice in the Google view that not only is there the warning notice, but the hard shoulder has been physically barriered with concrete blocks.

I can recall some years ago the chain of parked European HGVs would stretch right out onto the hard shoulder of the main carriageway. Eastbound was always more affected than westbound.

[Bryn666]

...also an unlawful obstruction...

Nah, I reckon back when the HA could authorise such junk it was pushed through as 'safety essential'... but yes, it's utter rubbish given the start of motorway sign 3 yards before it tells you the same thing.

Trust me, the HA guys would never authorise anything bi-lingual. They are very aware of DfT's position on that subject.

This will simply be a "good" idea that someone locally dreamt up and didn't run it past the appropriate people before doing so. Had they done so they would have been told "No" in no uncertain terms.

Better not send anyone down the A2 then given multi lingual signs are all over it...

As ever it seems there are always these unquestionable rules until it's inconvenient to have them then they're quietly ignored for that particular issue.

Then someone like me comes along and points out the inconsistencies...

[Conekicker]

Nah, I reckon back when the HA could authorise such junk it was pushed through as 'safety essential'... but yes, it's utter rubbish given the start of motorway sign 3 yards before it tells you the same thing.

Trust me, the HA guys would never authorise anything bi-lingual. They are very aware of DfT's position on that subject.

This will simply be a "good" idea that someone locally dreamt up and didn't run it past the appropriate people before doing so. Had they done so they would have been told "No" in no uncertain terms.

Better not send anyone down the A2 then given multi lingual signs are all over it...

As ever it seems there are always these unquestionable rules until it's inconvenient to have them then they're quietly ignored for that particular issue.

Then someone like me comes along and points out the inconsistencies...

There were those who authorised the signs at the national level and those at the local level in the area teams who supposedly kept things lawful and didn't let such stuff be installed. If the local HA guys didn't talk to the national ones, would it be any surprise that things weren't then and aren't now as they should be? It wouldn't surprise me if the national guys pointing out the error of the local guys ways was met with a loud silence either. Pointing out others errors is not often welcomed.

But what do I know...

[Viator]

Finland has signs in Swedish.

Also in the various Sami languages and Norwegian in the north of the country. It limits the number of languages on any one sign to two, however.

Here, the top sign on the right is in Finnish and Norwegian; the others are in Finnish and Inari Sami.

Norway has a similar policy in the north of the country. Here, a sign with bilingual indications in Northern Sami plus Norwegian, Finnish plus Inari Sami: