3 February, 2006

Talking up talking down

The BBC reports that Barclays Bank is refitting signage in its branches to make them more 'customer friendly' by replacing 'jargon' terms with colloquialisms.

Hence, 'Bureau de Change' will become 'Travel Money' and 'ATMs' will become 'Holes In The Wall'. What's wrong with 'Foreign Currency' and 'Cashtills'? It's a reasonable objective to make banks a little less formal and forbidding, but it's essential to retain a sense of sense of professionalism, implying efficiency and financial probity. That's compromised by hideously patronising signage which suggests the bank is run by and for obsequious children.