Chinglish Signs Puzzle Visitors

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来源：读者时分

Incomplete， misleading or strangely written signs have long confused foreigners in Beijing， but the problem has just recently captured the attention of authorities ， according to today's China Daily.

"There are too many Chinglish words out there ，" said one puzzled foreigner ， Beijing-based Canadian businessman Reg Handford， using a popular term coined to describe the strange mixture of Chinese and English that often appears on billboards， menus and signs throughout Beijing. "Sometimes you thought it was one thing ， but it turned out to be another."

For example ， a sign that reads "sex shop" or "adult shop" indicates a store that sells， not pornographic products， but medicine and equipment for reproductive health. And a Blindman Massage Garden is not as freaky as it sounds. It is simply a place where a massage professional with poor eyesight offers standard tension-relieving massage.

"The misinformation has become a headache for foreigners. Many expatriates and local residents are tipping off the lingual defects via phone calls and e-mails ，" said Xu Qiang ， spokesman for a municipal committee to promote English learning in Beijing.

Xu said problems range from obscure abbreviations ， word-for-word translation of Chinese characters into English， improper omissions and misspellings.

Lately， the city has been responding to this call.

Lai Yuan， an official with the English-learning committee， said information gleaned from the tip-offs will be filed and sent to a panel for evaluation. Signs discovered to fall short of the English standard will be changed.

The panel consists of English professors and expatriates living in Beijing.

"I think the clean-up will be great. I do not want to be duped by signs in the future ，" said Windy Ford ， a woman from Australia.

Handford also noted that incorrect signage is becoming less of a problem regardless of the clean up because there is a growing number of residents in Beijing who can speak some English.

Readers who come across an English sign in Beijing that is incorrect or confusing can report the offending sign to the English committee at 010-6519-2634.