Thread: Beijing Officials Want To Ban Bad English

Beijing officials want to ban 'bad English'
Posted: 33 minutes ago



BEIJING (AP) - Along with spitting, run-down housing and bad manners, add unintelligible English to the list of things organizers of the 2008 Beijing Olympics want to ban.

Municipal officials promised Wednesday to crack down on awkward, Chinese-inflected English, known as "Chinglish," and asked the public to help police bad grammar and faulty syntax.

A Chinese man walks past a billboard for a new commercial development, part of Beijing municipal officials' plan to improve the usage of English across the city, before the 2008 Olympics begin. (Elizabeth Dalziel / Associated Press)

With 500,000 foreigners expected for the Olympics, taxi drivers who can't speak English - or signs that mangle the language - could be an embarrassment and distract from the US$40 billion (?29.8 billion) being poured into rebuilding the city for the Games.

Throughout the city, examples abound.

A store selling tobacco products advertises: "An Excellent Winding Smoke."

On the floor at Beijing's Capital Airport, a sign reads: "Careful Landslip Attention Security."

On a billboard this mysterious message: "Shangri-La is in you mind, but your Buffalo is not."

In an elevator, parents are warned: "Please lead your child to tare the life."

Liu Yang, who heads the "Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Program" for the city government, said 6,500 "standardized" English-language signs were put up last year on Beijing roads. But he acknowledged private businesses were not following the rules, which were handed to reporters - a stack of glossy documents weighing a kilogram (two pounds).

"We will pass the message on to authorities in the advertising sector," Liu said. "If English translation is needed it must be subject to the standards set forth in the regulations."

Liu said a language hotline may be set up for the Games to encourage the public to report nonsense English. China's diplomatic missions abroad are assisting, Liu said, "and our people working in foreign companies are helping with correct usage."

"In the future when we set up new signs in public places in English, we hope all these standards will be followed to avoid more additional mistakes."

Liu said Beijing taxi drivers must pass an English test to keep their license. But he admitted most speak only Chinese, and many are skipping language classes.

"The taxi training courses are not working effectively, and there is a problem of taxi drivers missing classes," he said. "Taxi drivers need to get their licenses renewed every year, and an English test is now part of that that exam. But the exam is not so difficult."

"Some taxi drivers do speak some English, and that's a big change from the past," Liu added. "But the overall level still needs to improve. Some taxi drivers speak no English, they understand no English."

Despite the problems, Liu said 33 percent of Beijing's 15 million residents speak some English, a claim that was challenged by a local reporter from China's state-run CCTV.

"I think 5 million is a big number," the reporter told Liu.

Liu stood by the figure, but acknowledged the vast majority of the English speakers fell into a category he labeled "low level."

"They can have very simply conversations, like: 'Who am I? Where am I going?"'



http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/story ... P&GT1=9331

Please, can someone tell me why Olympic games are being held in a communist country? Since when did the United States start finding communism so acceptable? As a child I was taught to regard anything communist with contempt or scorn. What's changed? They still run sweat shops, deprive their citizens of basic human rights, cheat the U.S. on trade issues, etc.

Originally Posted by MW

Please, can someone tell me why Olympic games are being held in a communist country? Since when did the United States start finding communism so acceptable? As a child I was taught to regard anything communist with contempt or scorn. What's changed? They still run sweat shops, deprive their citizens of basic human rights, cheat the U.S. on trade issues, etc.

This just smells of the 1936 Olympics. Not a good sign if you ask me.

We are no longer a law based country..we are an economy based country. Our philosophies go out the window when it comes to the bottom line. Coporated leaders no longer have any morals. They will shoot themsleves in the foot by parlaying with a communist country..all for an extra buck.. and our government officials are too weak to do anything else about it.

All American interests should pull out of China. Companies like WalMart and Google should be riened in and told that they are not dealing with China any longer. We don't deal with Cuba, why are we dealing with China?

Ditto Rockfish.

If we get Rep. Duncan Hunter in, he'll change this course immediately.

CCUSA wrote:

If we get Rep. Duncan Hunter in, he'll change this course immediately.

Amen to that!