Authorities take aim at ‘Chinglish’
CHINA: The Chinese government is trying to stamp out comically bad translations of signs, with a new national standard for the use of English in public places.
Poor translations are known as ‘‘Chinglish’’ and have been tolerated for years. Among the examples spotted are signs for disabled toilets that read: ‘‘Deformed person exclusive use.’’
Beijing is concerned that badly translated street signs, menus and hospital names are damaging the country’s image and making China an object of ridicule.
New translation guidelines will come into force from December 1 and will be overseen by China’s Standardisation Administration and General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.
Translations of words relating to public transport, entertainment, financial services and medicine will be scrutinised by the government body. A list of officially approved translations includes culinary terms such as ‘‘spicy hot pot’’ and ‘‘rice noodles’’. Road signs such as ‘‘rough road ahead’’ and medical terms such as ‘‘dialysis’’ are also on the list.
State media reported that translators would be expected to prioritise correct grammar, ’’while rare expressions and vocabulary should be avoided’’. In addition, ‘‘discriminatory’’ and ‘‘hurtful’’ words will be banned.
Previous attempts to crack down on Chinglish in the public sphere have largely failed, however. The Chinese authorities gave hotels and shopping centres translation guides in the runup to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, yet a road sign for the capital’s Chinese Ethnic Culture Park managed to advertise it as ‘‘Racist Park’’.
– The Times