| Hi Jianshuo, i just read this article from the English newspaper in SG. Thought I'd share it with the rest here at your site.
actually i have another interesting article abt China which i'd like to share (perhaps i should start my own blog BUT that wld probably take me forever to create AND maintain! haha). should i email it to you instead?? to JL: i will try translating Wendy's blog (found it!) during the weekend if time allows :) ===================== Straits Times ~ Oct 21, 2004 English signs go up in Guangzhou TOILET and police are in. Cesuo and jingcha are out. English is displacing hanyu pinyin on public signs in Guangzhou, Guangdong's provincial capital. According to the local official committee that advises on the city's language policy, the Guangzhou government has asked several of its departments and organisations to use English words or names for local venues. The change will encompass Guangzhou's city streets, scenic spots, parks, residential areas, bus stops, metro stations, piers, museums and even public toilets. It is part of the government's effort to turn the city into an international metropolis. Currently, the Romanised words demarcating the city's public places are either in hanyu pinyin or transliterated from the local Cantonese dialect, both of which most foreigners find confusing. The committee will follow up with checks to ensure the replacements are undoubtedly English. New police cars are already Anglicised, with the pinyinised Chinese word for police, jingcha, replaced the word 'police'. These new cars started patrolling Guangzhou late last week. An English-speaking police hot line was also launched. And before the end of the year, police stations will have to include their English names on the signs hung on their gates. -- CHINA DAILY/ASIANEWS NETWORK |
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