Guiyang moves to brush up on its foreign language signs

The Guiyang Foreign Affairs Office surveys foreign language signs at Penshuichi subway station. [Photo/WeChat account of Guiyang Foreign Affairs Office]

The Guiyang Foreign Affairs Office – based in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province – recently sent out a delegation to survey foreign language signs in public places, reportedly with the aim of improving the city's image and its business environment.

The delegation visited Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport, subway stations, Guiyang Railway Station, the Guiyang International Conference & Exhibition Center, the Guizhou Big Data Exhibition Center and the Hyatt Regency Guiyang, among other sites.

During the visit, members pointed out problems, such as the absence of foreign language signs and non-standard translations, requiring that changes be made.

Zhang Mingquan, the director of the Guiyang Foreign Affairs Office, said that standard foreign language signs provided convenient travel guides for overseas visitors and represented the city's level of internationalization.

Zhang required Guiyang's airport and subway stations to assign special teams to rectify the problems discovered during the visit, as well as the hiring of professionals to supervise the translation of new signs in the future.

The Guiyang Foreign Affairs Office is reportedly willing to recommend professional translation service agencies and provide guidance for installing foreign language signs.

Zhou Jie, dean of the College of Foreign Languages of Guizhou University, said the institution would give full play to its resources and provide academic and language services for the regulation of foreign language signs in Guiyang.