A translated slogan and a bilingual slogan are not the same thing. The first says one thing twice. The second says something that only exists when both languages are present.
The difference in practice
Put "Welcome" above "Bienvenue" and you have a sign. Put a phrase that switches languages mid-sentence — the way bilingual households actually speak — and you have something that only makes sense to people who live in both. That is the design problem worth solving.
Most people who grew up bilingual do not translate in their heads. They pick whichever word is closest to what they mean, regardless of which language it belongs to. A good bilingual print reproduces that instinct rather than tidying it up.
What to look for
- Both languages should carry weight. If one is set small underneath the other, it reads as a subtitle. Equal size, equal position.
- Check the accents and diacritics. Missing marks are the fastest way to look careless to anyone who reads the language properly.
- Read it aloud. If the switch point feels awkward when spoken, it will feel awkward on a chest.
Why the demand is growing
More than half the world's population uses more than one language daily. In UK cities that reality has been normal for generations, but it has only recently shown up as something people want to display rather than manage quietly.
Where to start
Our Bilingual collection covers the pairings we get asked for most. It sits alongside the Pidgin collection, which works on a related idea — see Pidgin and Standard English for how the two differ.
The thinking behind the range is in language and identity. For families, the kids range carries some of the same designs. There is more on that in raising bilingual children in the UK.
Further reading: Wikipedia: Multilingualism