Reuters

Beijing, Apr 13: Beijing is unlikely to be totally free of Chinglish signs by the 2008 Olympics, but the government is increasing efforts to improve the capital's once lamentable English, a senior official said on Wednesday.

"You can't talk in absolutes," Liu Yang, deputy head of efforts to clean up Beijing's pre-Olympic language problems, told a news conference.

"We'll work as hard as possible to extinguish the problem and get more city residents involved," he added. "Of course, it will still happen occasionally, but I think we can ensure that once mistakes are found, they are rectified."

China is littered with wrong, embarrassing and sometimes plain rude signs in Chinese English, examples of which often end up on the Internet, such as writing "oil gate" for a petrol station, and "the slippery are very crafty" -- slippery when wet.

Liu said Beijing's road signs had already been standardised and mistakes corrected, and by the end of this year the tourist, business, medical and public transport sectors would get the same treatment.

Residents and foreign visitors are being encouraged to report mistakes online or by telephone to the 35-person committee of experts charged with addressing the Chinglish problem, or directly to the offending company or government office.

"I think that various departments pay great attention to this problem," said Liu, himself a fluent English speaker. "It's much more proactive than before. People pay more attention to image now."

Still, two areas stand out that will be challenging to address, Liu said -- advertisements and menus.

He said language experts suffer headaches trying to make sure that menus do not use tortured English. such as those at one well-known Beijing restaurant chain with dishes called "It is small to fry the chicken miscellaneous" or "mixed elbow with garlic mud".

"For sure we've hit a few problems," Liu said, as many dishes' names have unusual names that defy direct translation. "Translations must be simple, and we're recommending hotels and restaurants add pictures to their menus."

For adverts, Liu wants firms to first seek approval from the government before they come out with such mysterious enticements as "Myriad stretch golf, ethereally luxury home", currently on the side of a large Beijing billboard advertising real estate.

To this end, the government has published and made available on the Internet an enormous list of standardised signs and even announcements to encourage correct usage.

Still, even the list itself has failed to totally eradicate Chinglish expressions, including one meant for use on the subway system: "Welcome to take this line on your next trip".

Liu defended it, saying the list was drawn up after extensive consultations and trips abroad.

"Every country is different when it comes to English signs, like the US and Britain having varying standards," he said. "It's hard to say that a certain country is the only one worth relying on or considering."

But at least one sign that has caused giggles for countless foreigners has now been changed. Beijing's "Hospital for Anus and Intestine Disease", once lit up in garish neon lights in the central business district, is now the "Hospital for Proctology".