Beijing to clean up its language

April 29, 2007
BEIJING -- On the floor at Beijing's Capital Airport a sign reads: ''Careful Landslip Attention Security.''
On a billboard, this mysterious message: ''Shangri-La is in you mind, but your Buffalo is not.''

Beijing officials have promised to crack down on bad English in preparation for the 2008 Olympics and they've asked the public to help police bad grammar and faulty syntax.

With 500,000 foreigners expected for the Olympics, taxi drivers who can't speak English -- or signs that mangle the language -- could be an embarrassment and distract from the $40 billion being poured into rebuilding the city for the Games.

Liu Yang, who heads the ''Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Program'' for the city government, said 6,500 ''standardized'' English-language signs were put up last year on Beijing roads.

Liu said a language hotline may be set up for the games to encourage the public to report nonsense English.

AP