City Seeks to Rid Itself of Bad English, Chinglish Signs (Again)
If you’ve lived in Beijing long enough, you’ve most likely seen them: signs in public spaces in need of an update in regards to their English. Now, per an announcement from the city’s foreign affairs office (北京外事), they’re once again trying to fix the issue.
The announcement, released on the Foreign Affairs Office’s official WeChat on Sep 26, is inviting Chinese and foreign residents in Beijing to help “standardize foreign language signs in parks, scenic spots, shopping malls, museums, airports, railway stations, stadiums and other public places.”
Photos of signage in need of change are being collected via a new mini program set up by the Foreign Affairs Office. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of submitting your photos there, though, we’ve set up a special WeChat group to help.
All you have to do is scan the QR code below to join (if the group is full, add TBJButler on WeChat and request to join). Then, send us your photos of signs with the date taken (must be no more than six months old), plus where you took it in Beijing, and we’ll send it along to the platform on your behalf!
A few rules for submitting photos in the WeChat group:
Only post signs and errors that you’ve found in Beijing
Must be public service signs only, no silly t-shirts or restaurant menu items
Every picture submitted must include a date and location (if you don’t have a specific address, drop a map pin with your submission)
This isn’t the first time Beijing has made an effort to improve its English signs. The last push took place in 2021, when the city government released a list of guidelines for the improvement of public service signs and directional signs.
A list of guidelines was released by the city in 2021 for improving English signs
Under the guidelines, the once commonly used “Escalator Handrail Disinfect Every Half An Hour” will become “Escalator handrails are disinfected every half hour." The slightly confusing "Keep Closed Exit Door" will become “Keep this door closed”.
Have you seen any awkward public service or directional signs around the capital as of late? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to submit photos via our WeChat group!
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