Guangzhou’s government is demanding signage be translated into English alongside Chinese as the city becomes more global. The key here is this: the signs must be translated accurately. That means no Chinglish.
Officials are now pushing for suspect translations on public signs to be a thing of the past as new regulations come into effect on May 1.
That means signs like this one, which The Nanfang discovered at exit C of Baiyundadaobei Station on the Guangzhou Metro, need to be fixed:
Putting a stop to randy metro riders (c) Danny Lee
Li Yi, director of laws and regulations in the Guangzhou government, told China Daily:
“With the goal of developing Guangzhou into a modern, international metropolis, we recognize the need to set up bilingual public signs, especially in the public areas of hotels, scenic spots, airports, long-distance bus stations, passenger wharves, subway stations and urban roads.”
China Daily also reports the city’s government will fine administrators 30,000 yuan ($4,800) if signs are not corrected within two years.
One wonders if the government will now be hiring native English speakers to begin sorting through the city’s myriad of Chinglish signs.
