ABSTRACT
Imagine this hypothetical situation: ABC Security Systems Inc. spends thousands of dollars, four months of company time, and the expertise of two technical communicators developing documentation for their new security software products. Research in anthropology, cognitive psychology, linguistics, and writing theory has identified several factors that affect the way readers read and interpret texts, including cultural differences in processing graphics. As technical documentation expands to fill needs throughout the world, the development of a universal, neutral visual language has implications for technical communicators. Technical communicators who create visual elements within documents prepared for translation or export or technical communication professors who are preparing their students for international audiences should understand many of the common visual elements about which hold graphic assumptions. Religious symbols that carry non-religious meaning have long been used in North America where it is common to use a + as a symbol for “First Aid” or for “Hospital.”.
