CHINGLISH POLICE ON PATROL
It was announced today by Shanghai's Language Commission that a new task force will be established to tackle a rampant problem in the city, that of the widespread use of "Chinglish" in English language signs in public areas. Foreign visitors to Shanghai, of which there were 2.7 million in 2002, are often amused and confused to find such classic Chinglish signs as this gem at a Shanghai hotel "Please leave your values at the front desk" or other favorites such as this sign at the local dry cleaner "Please drop your trousers here for best results".
The commission has been given a 1 million yuan budget to oversee the revamp of Shanghai's signs, which will begin next year. The task force will be comprised of experts from local universities, possibly with the help of some foreign experts who are familiar with Chinese society.
Part of the reason behind this push is undoubtedly the upcoming World Expo 2010, which is being held in Shanghai. As part of Shanghai's drive to be recognized as an international city this should go a long way to helping foreigners live and work in this city.
Historically, the use of English language signs in Shanghai is the most extensive of any Chinese city. In the early part of the last century, some local streets had English names placed before the Chinese names. Of course this all changed after the communist government took power and the use of English public signs was not encouraged. In recent years however, Shanghai has witnessed a resurgence of the English sign, often with interesting results. On that note, I will leave you with one of my personal favorites I noticed on a recent trip to Hainan. It was not until I had boarded the plane that I noticed the reassuring motto of Hainan arlines, 'We take your bags and send them to all directions'.
It still remains to be seen whether Shanghai can effectively tackle this issue and ultimately stamp out the use of Chinglish.
3:29:55 PM 
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