When I arrived in Switzerland nine years ago I didn't speak a word of German (much less Swiss German!), so for a while I faced a very real and practical problem. I would encounter signs on the street, and have absolutely no idea what they meant. Does this sign mean I can pass, or I cannot? "Watch your step" or "Watch for the vicious dog"? During that period, I often wished for a gadget that I could point at the sign and would give me an instant translation.