So sorry to see my friend and colleague move to Switzerland, but on the upside, Lawhaha.com has a great new source of pictorial instructional and warnings signs, which we love (as shown by a few examples here, here, here, here, here, here). Remember that the goal of a pictorial warning is to advise of risks or deliver instructions to persons who cannot read or understand the written warning.
Here we have a sign at a swimming beach for dogs and horses. That’s the first thing to note: Switzerland actually has swimming beaches for dogs and horses. A recent worldwide survey showed the Swiss are the happiest people in the world. The dogs and horses must be absolutely beside themselves.
As for the substance of the sign, it is instructing that dogs swim to the left and horses to the right. For non-Swiss readers, would you have known that is what the sign is attempting to convey?
–Thanks to Pat Crowell.
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