International toilets

There was a query on the CIR (Coordinator for International Relations) mailing list today about what word to use to describe the good old dunny in a context where the patrons will be overseas visitors to Japan for whom English is a second language. The options were: restroom, toilet and WC. My comments were as follows:

I think toilet is the most easily recognisable word for the context you
have. Restroom is the norm only in the States and WC is more often found in
the UK and Commonwealth nations. For people for whom English is a second
language, both restroom and WC lend themselves to being misunderstood - a
room for resting? What does WC stand for?

The toilet is the place where you....go to the toilet.

This is my opinion based on travelling and living OS, but I always like to
second guess myself co I did some Googling in various languages, of restroom
vs toilet. (WC brought up lots of cognate references like Linux programming
sites so I discarded it)

English
toilet 8,570,000
restroom 1,080,000

Korean
toilet 10,300
restroom 14300

Chinese (simplified)
toilet 15,100
restroom 354

Chinese (trad)
toilet 10,700
restroom 507

Indonesian
toilet 15,900
restroom 572

These figures suggest that apart from Korea, toilets have a clean sweep over
restrooms.

I also spent some fascinating minutes on the website of the World Toilet
Organisation, a Singapore based NPO which is comprised of a number of nations, principally from Asia.

* Restroom Association of Singapore
* Japan Toilet Association
* Korea Clean Toilet Association
* Taiwan Toilet Association
* Australia Toilet Association
* Beijing Tourism Bureau
* British Toilet Association
* Global Sanitet Club Finland (formerly known as Finland Toilet
Association).
* Gramalaya, India
* Indonesia Toilet Association
* Malaysia Toilet Committee
* Moscow Toilet Association
* Paruresis Society, USA
* Society of Continence
* Sulabh International
* Toilet & Toilet India
* Philippines Toilet Association
* Metroped Inc

In conclusion, if most of your visitors are Americans, Koreans and
Singaporeans then go for restroom. otherwise toilet has the floor.

And in case you are wondering, Parusesis is Shy Bladder Syndrome.

cheers

Will

Comments

[hage]

WC=washcloset

[Phoenix]

WC = water closet

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=WC

It's not exclusively a British term; we use it (albeit rarely) in America as well.