Kwikpoint was founded in the early 1990s by Alan Stillman, following a 15,000-mile, 28-country bike trip. While on his trip, Stillman cut out pictures from magazines to help communicate his dinner selection. On his return, he worked with a team of six designers, linguists and members of the diplomatic community to create a series of universally recognizable icons that make up the Kwikpoint visual translators.[2]
The resulting product, the Kwikpoint visual translators, include 1,000 visually recognizable symbols for use worldwide. Kwikpoint translators are used by the U.S. military and National Guard in Iraq and Afghanistan.[3] In addition, Kwikpoint Medical Translators are used by emergency medical personnel in the United States to help communicate with patients who do not speak English.[4]
