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

Trial runs on subway for Beijing Olympics to start in June

BEIJING (AP) - Trial runs on a subway line that will serve the Beijing Summer Olympics start at the end of June, state media reported Sunday.

Construction of the No. 5 line, which cuts through the heart of the city, is finished with workers building the last station, Ding Shukui, deputy manager of the city's rail traffic company, was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency.

"Trial operations begin on June 30,'' Ding said.

The 27.6-kilometer (17.1-mile) north-south line runs through the eastern part of the downtown area. Construction began in late 2002 and cost 12 billion yuan (US$1.55 billion; euro1.14 billion), Xinhua said.

The subway cars will also be equipped with a wireless communication network so live broadcasts of the Olympics can be shown on televisions in each car.

Beijing has 95 kilometers (56 miles) of mass transit rail lines but by the Olympics, which start in August 2008, there will be nine lines totaling 200 kilometers (124 miles), Xinhua said, including the 28.1-kilometer ( 17.5-mile) airport extension from downtown to the new Beijing Capital International Airport which opens June 30 next year.-AP