# Why don't manufacturers use different fonts for different langauges?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-manufacturers-use-different-fonts-for-different-langauges/484309
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [February 3, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-manufacturers-use-different-fonts-for-different-langauges/484309 "2009-02-03T21:22:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@fandango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fandango)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-manufacturers-use-different-fonts-for-different-langauges/484309/1 "2009-02-03T21:22:42Z")
German used to use Fraktur fonts, Irish use to use its own insular Gaelic fonts. Now most languages that use the Latin alphabet all use pretty much the same letter forms. This makes it tough when you have a label that is written in a few different languages. in my experience I will be looking for instructions for an item and the English instructions are intermixed with Spanish instrucciones or sometimes they list the English instructions followed by the English warnings then Spanish. Often there aren’t signifigant spaces to indicate where one language begins and one ends.
I don’t mind the bilingual labelling, but it takes me a few words to figure out what language I am reading. Why can’t manufactures use distinct fonts for each language. If I see Fraktur, I know it is German without reading a single word–and I can immediately ignore it–even though it is still written in the Latin alphabet.
---
### Author:  [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2009, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-manufacturers-use-different-fonts-for-different-langauges/484309/2 "2009-02-03T21:41:35Z")
Because those fonts, while distinct and decorative, do not make for great readability.
---
### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2009, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-manufacturers-use-different-fonts-for-different-langauges/484309/3 "2009-02-03T22:11:11Z")
Great idea. Let’s start printing the English in [Old English](http://www.militarysabers.com/images/sword-etches/engravers-old-english-large.jpg)
---
### Author:  [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-manufacturers-use-different-fonts-for-different-langauges/484309/4 "2009-02-03T23:16:24Z")
Before computerization, it would have been a typesetting issue. It was easier to just do everything in gothic or roman. Now it’s convention.
---
### Author:  [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2009, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-manufacturers-use-different-fonts-for-different-langauges/484309/5 "2009-02-03T23:51:49Z")
> [@fandango](#):
>
> Irish use to use its own insular Gaelic fonts.
You mean [Uncial script](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncial), which was far more widespread than just Ireland. Before about 800 CE it was the predominant style throughout Europe.
---
### Author:  [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-manufacturers-use-different-fonts-for-different-langauges/484309/6 "2009-02-04T05:19:02Z")
Basically, the costs to the manufacturer don’t outweigh the benefits.
---
### Author:  [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-manufacturers-use-different-fonts-for-different-langauges/484309/7 "2009-02-04T11:18:24Z")
> [@fandango](#):
>
> German used to use Fraktur fonts, Irish use to use its own insular Gaelic fonts. Now most languages that use the Latin alphabet all use pretty much the same letter forms. This makes it tough when you have a label that is written in a few different languages. in my experience I will be looking for instructions for an item and the English instructions are intermixed with Spanish instrucciones or sometimes they list the English instructions followed by the English warnings then Spanish. Often there aren’t signifigant spaces to indicate where one language begins and one ends.
>
> I don’t mind the bilingual labelling, but it takes me a few words to figure out what language I am reading. Why can’t manufactures use distinct fonts for each language. If I see Fraktur, I know it is German without reading a single word–and I can immediately ignore it–even though it is still written in the Latin alphabet.
My first reaction to this – as a typesetter – was “Oh yeah, make my job harder!” But, thinking about it, it could work – at least in some situations.
In fact, in the old days before Unicode, it could have made things a good deal easier – some languages use variations on the latin alphabet that include special characters and accents that weren’t available as part of a font’s western european character set. So if I was setting instructions in English, German and Polish (for instance) the Polish was actually in a different font – even if it looked exactly the same. It would have saved a good deal of time and frustration if they _hadn’t_ had to look identical.
I wouldn’t go as far as using Fraktur or Uncial, because they’d be a) less readable, and b) ugly. But with some care … yes, it could work.
Why isn’t it done? Mostly because these things are put together by the lowest bidding sub-contractor for next to nothing in next to no time. If you’ve got a spare hour, I may tell you the tale of the Multi-lingual Car Manuals From Hell.
---
### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-manufacturers-use-different-fonts-for-different-langauges/484309/8 "2009-02-04T14:25:39Z")
> [@WotNot](#):
>
> … If you’ve got a spare hour, I may tell you the tale of the Multi-lingual Car Manuals From Hell.
Please do. Complete with most exerent Engrish I hope.
---
### Author:  [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-manufacturers-use-different-fonts-for-different-langauges/484309/9 "2009-02-04T15:20:26Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> Please do. Complete with most exerent Engrish I hope.
I should have said if _I_ can find a spare hour. And it’s not a funny story – I certainly wasn’t laughing at the time – more of a cautionary tale of how fucked up one job can get.
---
### Author:  [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-manufacturers-use-different-fonts-for-different-langauges/484309/10 "2009-02-04T19:06:37Z")
> [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](#):
>
> You mean [Uncial script](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncial), which was far more widespread than just Ireland. Before about 800 CE it was the predominant style throughout Europe.
I think more specifically they mean this
> **[Gaelic script](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_script)**
>
> Gaelic script may refer to:
I have a number of books printed in this script. It’s beautiful.