Political adviser Chen Zhihong put forward a proposal at the annual session of the city’s political advisory body calling on the city government to work out a complete and unified translation code for English signs in Shenzhen.

Prior to his submission, Chen, who is vice chairman of Shenzhen Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, conducted extensive research on the bilingual signs at major public areas in the city and service providers like Futian Railway Station, Shenzhen Book City, Shenzhen Library, Shenzhen Concert Hall, Shenzhen Bay, Coastal City, OCT-LOFT, Shekou Port and Nanshan Museum.

“There are a large number of translations that are confusing and erroneous,” said Chen. “The poorly translated English signs have seriously marred the image of the city.”

Chen blamed the poor translations on a lack of professional guidance, a lack of deep understanding of English culture and a lack of channels for the public to report mistakes.

As early as 2010, the Shenzhen Municipal Foreign Affairs Office formulated a guide for English translations for bilingual signs in public spaces in Shenzhen, providing norms for translating urban place names and commercial activities into English. That guide, Chen thought, is no longer sufficient under the current circumstances. “The guide needs to have more content, such as the standardized translations for business districts, transport hubs and scenic sports,” Chen said.

He also suggested launching a citywide campaign to eradicate the confusing and erroneous signs through collecting input from the public.