8 ms·

Pretty sure 99 out of a 100 don't know what "文A" means. I've had the same complaint, - never once did it occurs to me that "文A" meant translation. This to me i

Pretty sure 99 out of a 100 don't know what "文A" means. I've had the same complaint, - never once did it occurs to me that "文A" meant translation. This to me is a testament to the fact that most buttons should actually be text unless extremely common like the hamburger menu, but even that's debatable.

webmaven 6y ago
> This to me is a testament to the fact that most buttons should actually be text unless extremely common like the hamburger menu, but even that's debatable. I agree, especially on mobile (even in 2020, many users — who often just got used to the hamburger menu — don't realize that the vertical ellipsis is a symbol for "menu" or "more options", it often just looks like a random decoration to them), although on a desktop website or app you (hopefully) have the option of hovering the mouse pointer (even accidentally) over any unfamiliar bit of UI gubbins to get a clue. I'll note though that the specific example of "文A" is, in fact, a text label. The first Chinese glyph even translates as "text".
- thaumasiotes 6y ago
  > I'll note though that the specific example of "文A" is, in fact, a text label. Only in the sense that those glyphs are used in certain writing systems. It's not text in the more important sense of expressing a linguistic message. It's just random characters. "文A" is a text label to exactly the same degree that ":-)" is a text label. Note in particular that the Chinese glyph does not translate as "language". That would be 语/語. As you accurately note, it translates as "writing".
  - Kliment 6y ago
    That's not quite true - 语 as in 汉语 is a spoken language or dialect. 文 is used for written language, and can mean a language in general, a writing system, or an entire culture, depending on what you combine it with.
    - thaumasiotes 6y ago
      > depending on what you combine it with It's standing alone here. I'm aware of words like 文明 and 中文, but here are the 14 glosses for 文 in the 现代汉语规范词典: 1. (verb) to tattoo or paint patterns or words onto a body 2. (noun, literary) a pattern, particularly as of wood grain 3. (noun) ancient rites/ceremonies 4. (noun) non-military affairs (opposite of 武) 5. (adjective) gentle; not fierce 6. (noun) indicating phenomena of nature or of human society 7. (noun) writing 8. (noun) an essay 9. (noun) the humanities and social sciences 10. (noun) an official document 11. (noun) Classical Chinese (the language that is to China as Latin is to southern Europe) 12. (measure word) used for the copper coins of traditional China 13. (verb) to cover; hide 14. A surname Most of these senses come from words that include the morpheme 文, not from uses it permits alone, but "language" is still not even listed.
      - Kliment 6y ago
        新华字典 has a gloss of "language" with "written language (文字)" and "foreign language (外文)" given as examples. That's where I'm getting it from.
MayeulC 6y ago
Well, it has one merit at the very least: regardless of the interface language, you will find that button.
- thaumasiotes 6y ago
  That isn't true either. The button has no borders nor any other indication that it's a button; it appears to be a simple decoration on the mobile page.

webmaven 6y ago

> This to me is a testament to the fact that most buttons should actually be text unless extremely common like the hamburger menu, but even that's debatable. I agree, especially on mobile (even in 2020, many users — who often just got used to the hamburger menu — don't realize that the vertical ellipsis is a symbol for "menu" or "more options", it often just looks like a random decoration to them), although on a desktop website or app you (hopefully) have the option of hovering the mouse pointer (even accidentally) over any unfamiliar bit of UI gubbins to get a clue. I'll note though that the specific example of "文A" is, in fact, a text label. The first Chinese glyph even translates as "text".

thaumasiotes 6y ago
> I'll note though that the specific example of "文A" is, in fact, a text label. Only in the sense that those glyphs are used in certain writing systems. It's not text in the more important sense of expressing a linguistic message. It's just random characters. "文A" is a text label to exactly the same degree that ":-)" is a text label. Note in particular that the Chinese glyph does not translate as "language". That would be 语/語. As you accurately note, it translates as "writing".
- Kliment 6y ago
  That's not quite true - 语 as in 汉语 is a spoken language or dialect. 文 is used for written language, and can mean a language in general, a writing system, or an entire culture, depending on what you combine it with.
  - thaumasiotes 6y ago
    > depending on what you combine it with It's standing alone here. I'm aware of words like 文明 and 中文, but here are the 14 glosses for 文 in the 现代汉语规范词典: 1. (verb) to tattoo or paint patterns or words onto a body 2. (noun, literary) a pattern, particularly as of wood grain 3. (noun) ancient rites/ceremonies 4. (noun) non-military affairs (opposite of 武) 5. (adjective) gentle; not fierce 6. (noun) indicating phenomena of nature or of human society 7. (noun) writing 8. (noun) an essay 9. (noun) the humanities and social sciences 10. (noun) an official document 11. (noun) Classical Chinese (the language that is to China as Latin is to southern Europe) 12. (measure word) used for the copper coins of traditional China 13. (verb) to cover; hide 14. A surname Most of these senses come from words that include the morpheme 文, not from uses it permits alone, but "language" is still not even listed.
    - Kliment 6y ago
      新华字典 has a gloss of "language" with "written language (文字)" and "foreign language (外文)" given as examples. That's where I'm getting it from.

MayeulC 6y ago

Well, it has one merit at the very least: regardless of the interface language, you will find that button.

thaumasiotes 6y ago
That isn't true either. The button has no borders nor any other indication that it's a button; it appears to be a simple decoration on the mobile page.