BEIJING: Beijing will try to stamp out embarrassingly bad English on bilingual signs as part of the Chinese capital s image make-over in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics, state media said Sunday.
The municipal government will issue translation guidelines for signs in hotels, shopping malls, public transport and tourist attractions by the end of the year, Xinhua news agency reported.
The drive is to prepare Beijing for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games by creating a better language learning environment, and more importantly, enhancing the nation s international image, an official told the agency.
Translation gaffes in the capital have long drawn giggles. The Park of Ethnic Minorities is identified as Racist Park, while emergency exits at Beijing s international airport read, No entry on peacetime.
