Guides prepare to help in many languages
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Multi-language services, tour guides and new signs around the city are just some of the preparations made for the influx of foreign visitors to Expo 2010 Shanghai.
More than 3.5 million foreign tourists are expected to visit the Expo, including those from Japan, Korea, Europe and the United States.
To ease potential language problems, the Shanghai Tourism Bureau and tourism bureaus in the Yangtze River Delta area will share resources with 1,000 tour guides to help visitors. The tourism bureau has also published The Guidebook of Shanghai World Expo and other teaching materials for city guides.
Foreign language teachers from tourism schools will help serve as interpreters.
"We estimate that the number of tourists will be double compared to the number of tourists in past years and 30 percent of them are expected to travel in groups. At the moment, we're short of guides who speak Korean, Italian, Indonesian and Thai," said Wang Hongping, chief of the affairs office of the Shanghai Tourism Bureau.
Shanghai guides are expecting to be busy. Wang Fusheng, 53, has worked as a Japanese language guide for Shanghai China International Travel Service Ltd for 32 years.
"We normally have one group of tourists a week. We've already received orders from over 3,000 Japanese tourists for Expo tours," Wang said.
New call centers are another outlet for assistance.
The Shanghai Call Center hotline (962288) is the first 24-hour multilingual international hotline service and the first special-service foreign language platform for taxi drivers.
The Expo Hotline (962010) was launched in conjunction with another foreign language service in February to provide Expo services in 12 foreign languages.
"In the past 10 months, more than 250,000 foreign exhibitors, journalists and visitors have used the two services," said Yue Di, chief of the Shanghai Call Center.
The Shanghai Call Center, with services in 17 languages, is responsible for information including travel, transport, education, health care and entertainment assistance for foreigners in Shanghai.
Chen Ye, 27, has been working for the call center hotline for more than two years.
"We normally take at least 2,000 calls a day on average," said Chen, the chief of the Western Language Service Department.
Chen said they are short of employees because the hotline's services are growing so rapidly.
The official Expo volunteer platform for foreign languages, which provides information inquiries and emergency language translation services, is also in operation.
The city's Language Work Committee has corrected misspelled words and incorrect phrases on more than 10,000 English signs.
Expo-designated hospitals have arranged for employees who speak fluent English and other major languages to help with translating for foreign patients.
Foreign-language volunteers will assist foreign tourists in Pudong and Hongqiao airports.
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