Bilingual bay labels that mechanics actually read

Practical notes on English and Traditional Chinese labels for fleet maintenance displays in Hong Kong workshops.

Person reviewing documents and charts at a desk

Hong Kong workshops often mix English job codes with Traditional Chinese conversation on the floor. A dashboard that only speaks one language quietly excludes half the people who need it at 02:00.

What to translate first

Priority columns, asset class names, and the words for overdue / due-soon / parts-hold. Leave manufacturer part numbers alone. Translate status language that a night-shift lead shouts across the bay.

Test on the wall, not in a slide

Print a draft or project it in the actual service bay. If someone has to lean in and decode a column title, shorten it. Workspace Horizon includes bilingual label options in dashboard engagements when the depot needs them — decided during the walkthrough, not as an afterthought.

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