Shanghai Targets Non-Standard Language Use on Street Signs
发布人:天津翻译|天津翻译公司|翻译公司|乐译通翻译 发布日期:2015-05-30 浏览次数:3044次 返回上一页
The Shanghai government has stepped up its
efforts to standardize and improve foreign-language translations of street
signs. After enacting the first government regulation in the country for
appropriate use of foreign languages in public on January 1, authorities opened
a hotline and an online service to encourage residents to report non-standard
translations. Translated signs are often comical but confusing for foreign visitors
to Shanghai. Since the build-up to the Shanghai World Expo, however, Shanghai's
government has been paying close attention to the informal use of foreign
languages on signs and advertisements in public. According to experts at the
Shanghai Commission for the Management of Language Use, the main mistakes on
public signs include incorrect grammar, misspellings, and inappropriate
wording. The government's regulation stipulates that all shop signs, cautionary
signs, and billboards be in Chinese in addition to a foreign language. In
accordance with national guidelines on translation, the meaning of words in a
foreign language should be the same as the Chinese words. Foreign translations
on public signs should follow international custom without ambiguity to
foreigners. Using foreign signs indiscriminately may lead to a fine or penalty
from the industrial and commercial administration. In recent months, Pudong's
district government has waged a campaign in the main shopping districts and
streets to correct poor usage of foreign language in public. Officials also
plan to set up an assessment system on the standardization of language on the
street. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Municipal Committee has formed a Municipal
Expert Committee on Translation Service to provide a standard translation for
guidance. Residents can read the online guidelines for English translation on
public signs and report poor translations to the website. "The
international image of a country always lies in the details. In order to improve
the level of translations on the street, we must strengthen the guidance and
enable more citizens to join the fight against bad usage of language,"
says Ling Xiaofeng, deputy of the Shanghai Commission for the Management of
Language Use.
From "Shanghai Targeted in
Non-Standard Usage of Language on the Street"
CCTV.com (China) (05/12/15)