Warm Tip: Beijing Needs YOU to Correct Faulty English
With the clock ticking in the countdown to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the city has decided the time is ripe to do away with the old signs that were run through a first-generation machine translator in order to produce the English copy. With the launch of Foreign Language Signage Improvement Month, such defective translation methods are on their way out, and pure bliss of faultless grammar and spelling are headed in.
But anyone who’s ever visited, well, pretty much any public place in Beijing knows that this task will be a massive undertaking if done right, and city staff can’t go it alone. That’s why they need your help!
All you need is a phone and a WeChat account, and you’ll be on your way to achieving every Internet user’s dream: becoming a real-life amateur grammar police officer! Here’s how to do it:
- When you see a faulty sign, search WeChat official accounts for 北京外事 Běijīng wàishì and follow the account.
- At the bottom of the feed, tap the middle button that reads 标识纠错 (biāozhì jiū cuò signage correction) to enter the mini-app. The first time you enter, the app will ask to use your location.
- Take a picture of the error and upload it to the system, then hit 提交（tíjiāo submit).
When that’s finished, you’ve done your civic duty and you can be on your merry way knowing you’ve bettered Beijing’s signage. Good on you!
READ: 14 Emotions You'll Only Understand If You've Lived in Beijing
Images: Beijing Foreign Affairs, Reddit
