Beijing residents get down to some serious language learning before the 2008 Olympics.

On her way back to the hotel from a basketball stadium in Athens, Du Jie felt helpless in her taxi. Having showed the driver three different Greek maps, the English-speaking Chinese reporter was frustrated to find her driver still unable to pinpoint where she wanted to go. Not understanding a word of English, let alone Chinese, the driver seemed to be at his wits'end. He tried to seek help from his wife, whose English was no better than his, but to no avail. The police officers there did not speak English, either. Finally, an English-speaking passerby came to Du's rescue.

"At that moment, I came to realize the necessity of Beijing's ongoing campaign to promote foreign language speaking," recalled the China Sports Daily reporter.

The campaign Du mentioned is actually called "Beijing Speaks to the World Program." It has been in full swing for over two years. The Beijing Speaks to the World Program Organizing Committee serves as program coordinator under the Beijing Municipal Government.

Ever since its founding, the committee has been closely cooperating with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games (BOCOG) of the 29th Olympiad to create a good language environment in the city.

The committee has formulated an action plan for the period from 2003 to 2008, vowing to "improve the cosmopolitan environment of the city, elevate Beijing's image in the international community and optimize Beijing's development environment."

Promise to be language friendly

Liu Yang, Deputy Director of the Organizing Committee Office of the Beijing Speaks to the World Program, says, "The Chinese Government is the only government that has made a promise to eliminate language barriers during the Olympics, and Beijing has been doing its best in this regard."

The program was formerly known as "Beijing Speaks English," dedicated to making English, the de facto world language, popular in the city. In March 2002, the scope of the program was broadened, ambitiously aiming at familiarizing residents with all major languages in the world, including French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The committee consists of government officials involved in the campaign, among whom are officials from the municipal government, as well as leading officials in Beijing's 18 districts and counties. Vice Mayor Zhang Mao acts as the committee chairman.

Its pilot, the Advisory Group of the Beijing Speaks to the World Program Organizing Committee, was set up in November 2002. The group is composed of foreign language professors from Chinese universities, as well as native speakers eager to offer their help.

The committee sponsors a variety of activities to encourage foreign language learning among Beijing residents, such as foreign language contests, festivals, free lectures and training classes.

From May 1 to 3 this year, the Beijing Foreign Language Week of 2004 was held in the Working People's Cultural Palace, which used to be the imperial ancestral temple in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. It is the third large-scale foreign language promotion organized by the committee. As many as 100,000 visitors flocked to the venue to improve their knowledge of languages. Various activities, such as public lectures on English and other languages, an English corner, a book and video fair, presentations by foreign language schools and overseas study agencies, were staged.

Beijing language days

Liu says that the preparations of another foreign language event, which is scheduled for October 16-17, are now underway.

According to Liu, Beijing is "going crazy," with an unprecedented passion for learning foreign languages. People from all walks of life, civil servants, drivers, salesmen, students and police officers, are all enthusiastic about foreign language learning.

Zhang Shaobo, an eight-year-old schoolboy living near the future Olympic Village, north of Beijing, has been learning English for nearly two years. Having quite a number of English expressions at his command, he is eager to show off his English before others.

Pan Rijuan, the boy's mother, cannot hide her pride in her son. "I hope he will become an English talent and can talk with English-speaking people fluently in the near future."

Granny Xu, a lady in her 70s living in Dachaye Jie, Xicheng District, has formed the habit of practicing English with her grandson in his spare time. She believes that she will be able to help foreigners find their way around her neighborhood with the English she has learned.

"We are now recruiting volunteers from the international students in Beijing's universities to help Beijing residents improve their foreign languages, but the number of volunteers is too limited. We hope more foreign friends will join us in the foreign language promotion campaign," Liu says.

Road signs upgrade

Apart from calling on the residents to learn foreign languages, the committee is also devoted to nurturing a foreign language-learning environment in the capital city. It has drawn up a set of rules for translating road signs into English. Bilingual road signs can now be seen in many places of the city.

Chen Jianjun, a taxi driver, welcomes the move. "Although I needn't look at the road signs when driving, I think the bilingual signs will be helpful to foreigners. This shows Beijing is coming closer and closer to the international community."

Under the arrangement of the committee, all bilingual (Chinese and English) signs at large scenic spots, museums and parks throughout Beijing will be edited by Chinese or foreign language experts.

Up to now, the bilingual signage and brochures of 10 major parks, such as the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and Fragrant Hill Park, as well as 60 A-level scenic spots in Beijing, have been standardized.

According to Liu, the problems of the current English versions mainly lie in the following four aspects: translation errors, failure to convey the cultural connotations, misspelling and mistakes occurred in the making of the signs.

Liu says the committee will step up its efforts in this respect so as to finish checking all the signs at Beijing's tourist attractions before 2008.

"Beijing is an international metropolis. Its residents are expected to have a high sense of international communication. By constantly enhancing their ability to communicate with foreigners, I'm confident foreigners will feel more and more at home in the ancient city of Beijing," Liu notes.

(Beijing Review September 10, 2004)