Loading ...Beijing is cleaning up its act and getting ready to host floods of international tourists for the 2008 Olympics. Part of the preparations involve standardizing and correcting English-Language signs around the city.
The most recent change has been to the advertising for the loo.
The Beijing Morning Post reported that, “”In many Western countries they don’t use the term W.C. at all. Because in English, it’s equivalent to what we would call in China an outhouse, and is a rather crude slang term.”
Instead, all the signs pointing to the ‘water closet’ are being changed to ‘toilet.’
Road signs are also being revamped. Currently roads are transliterated from Chinese to English through the ‘pinyin’ system. Now the roads will be getting new, English names. Dong Changan Jie, for example, is being renamed East Changan Avenue.
The Beijing News reported that government experts are considering a list of food items which would be mandatory for all hotels and restaurants of three star caliber and above.
Food is perhaps the most challenging translating act of all. After all, what name can you give to a dish that’s known as ‘ants climbing the tree’ to locals, to make it appetizing to the average westerner. The dish of spicy vermicelli noodles fried with diced pork is delicious, but by what name will it be tempting to the world?
The question is getting heavy consideration and it is hoped that a standard translation for menu items can be introduced across the city in the future.