China cracks down on bad English in signs

Natalie Behring | Bloomberg via Getty Images

An English sign in a park instructs children how to play on a ‘bounce bed’ – meaning ‘trampoline’ – in Beijing, China, on April 11, 2007.

While many find them entertaining, they “damage the country’s image” while posing challenges for the “development of a multilingual society” and cause social issues, according to the state-run People’s Daily newspaper.

The new standard – jointly issued by the country’s Standardisation Administration, Ministry of Education, and General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine – will prioritize proper grammar and style, the People’s Daily reported.

Words and expressions that are rare, discriminatory or hurtful, or could “contain content that damages the image of China or other countries” will be discouraged or banned.

The policy also cautioned against direct translations, which have often been blamed for oddities.

Tian Shihong, director of the Standardisation Administration, described the new standard as an important public service aimed at elevating China’s soft power and international image, according to a government statement.