An evaluation of pictograms for communication among Japanese- and Thai-speaking engineers working in manufacturing settings

The authors conducted a questionnaire experiment to evaluate a set of pictograms for communication in manufacturing settings. In the experiment, two questionnaires (Questionnaires A and B) were presented to two groups: one group of Japanese-speaking subjects and another group of Thai-speaking subjects. Questionnaire A contained the pictograms with the objects of the intended actions, and Questionnaire B had the pictograms without the objects. The subjects were asked to write the meaning of each pictogram and their interpretations were evaluated and given scores from 0 to 5. Both language groups interpreted the meanings of the pictograms with the objects more correctly than the ones without the objects. The results suggest that the pictograms with properly abstracted signs of the objects can be utilized effectively to help engineers with different language backgrounds communicate with each other at production sites or in maintenance work. The comparative analyses between the two groups show that the Thai-speaking group tended to comprehend the meanings of the tool pictograms less correctly, especially when they were presented without the objects. The analyses also indicate that the comprehensibility of a pictogram using a tool sign can be influenced by language or cultural backgrounds and a clear object sign for the tool sign can lessen the impact of those influences.