U.S. snowboarders have built-in English-to-Korean translations in their jackets
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Being in a foreign country can be disconcerting, especially one so far from home and with as significant a language barrier as South Korea.
So what’s one quick way to get important information? Put it on a sheet of paper and keep it in your coat.
That seems to be exactly what the U.S. snowboarding team did with its jackets, printing that information on the inside so that its riders can’t go anywhere without quickly being able to find out what time it is back home, the currency conversion from dollars to South Korean won and Celsius-to-Fahrenheit temperature conversions.
There are also some basic phrases like, “Which way to the Olympic Village?” translated into Korean, though that kind of thing seems to be passe in the era of Google Translate apps. Since it doesn't have a phonetic guide, the translations appear of little use to the athletes who cannot read the Korean alphabet.
Still, based on an image posted to NBC Olympics' Instagram account, it’s at least a creative way to make sure their athletes don’t go anywhere without knowing some of the basics.