Political adviser Chen Zhihong suggested the city government think of a complete and unified translation (统一翻译)rules for English signs in Shenzhen.
Before making the suggestion, Chen, vice chairman of Shenzhen Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, did a wide research on the English signs (标识) at major public areas in the city and service providers, such as Futian Railway Station, Shenzhen Book City, Shenzhen Concert Hall, Shekou Port and so on.
"There are a large number of unclear and wrong translations," said Chen. "The poorly-translated English signs have seriously harmed the image of the city."
Chen pointed out the main reasons behind this problem. First, there is not enough professional (专业的)guidance. Second, not having a deep understanding of English culture also leads to poor translation. In addition, it is difficult for the public to find ways to report mistakes.
As early as 2010, the Shenzhen Municipal Foreign Affairs Office made a guide for English translations for signs in public spaces in Shenzhen. It provided rules for translating place names and business activities into English. That guide, Chen thought, is no longer enough for the city today. "The guide needs to have more content(内容), such as the standardized translations for business areas, transport hubs and tourist attractions, " Chen said.
He also advised taking citywide action to clear up the wrong and misleading signs through collecting the examples from the public.
