This Translation T-Shirt Is Every Traveler's Dream Come True

    Talk travel to me.

    Alison Caporimo
    by Alison Caporimo

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Have you ever made an *ass* of yourself trying to communicate in a foreign country?

    NBC

    If you're shaking your head "no", then you're lying.

    Or maybe your lexicon is ~limited~ so there's a ton of important stuff you don't know how to say?

    ABC

    Let the stress-fest begin.

    Enter the Iconspeak tee ($33), a shirt that features important icons so that you can communicate non-verbally with THE WORLD.

    iconspeak.world

    The shirt came to be when George, Steven, and Florian — three travel-obsessed friends who had met in Bern, Switzerland — went to Vietnam on vacation. While on their trip, George's motorcycle broke down, and he had a hard time conveying this information to a local mechanic.

    How it works: Point to one or a series of the 40 key icons to depict your message.

    Iconspeak / Via Facebook: iconspeak

    You can say things like:

    - Is the water safe to drink?

    - I have an emergency.

    - Where can I rent a bike?

    There’s also the symbol for car, beer, tap water, tools, clock, camera, wi-fi, and a bunch of others that'll get you out of a traveling pickle.

    "Many times we were confronted with a language barrier that was only to be overcome by drawing symbols on a piece of paper," George said.

    Iconspeak / Via Facebook: iconspeak

    When you travel to a foreign country, you should show up prepared with a few words to help you get around and learn more about the culture. But sometimes you're lost or there's an emergency or you're just tired AF and you need a beer. That's when the tee comes in.

    So, in 2015, they made their first prototypes for the communicative icon shirt.

    Iconspeak / Via Facebook: iconspeak

    Their first task: To test it — and test it they did. They gave the shirts to travel-focused friends and critics.

    "If an icon or a combination of icons requires verbal explanation, we considered it a failed feature," George told BuzzFeed.

    Iconspeak / Via Facebook: iconspeak

    Just point and smile.

    "Often times our products are conversation-starters and help improve people's experiences while they travel the world," George said.

    Iconspeak

    "Many collaborations are being set up and we are trying to include customer feedback from all over the world," he said.

    Check out their shirts here.

    Go ~explore~.

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