National standards set for China's public service use of English

China released its first national standards on the use of English in public service areas on Tuesday, in an effort to check misuse of English in public services and provide better services to English speakers.

The standards include principles on the use of English, including translation from Chinese to English, in 13 public sectors, including transport, tourism, entertainment, sports and education. The principles include avoiding word-for-word translation, avoiding the use of rarely used vocabulary, and avoiding expressions that damage the image or interests of China or other nations.

The standards were jointly released by China's Standardization Administration, the Ministry of Education and the State Language Commission, and will be adopted on Dec 1.

The standards also include more than 3,700 recommended English translations for Chinese commonly used in public service sectors.

"With deepening reform and opening up, and intensified international exchanges in China, foreign language services for public sectors are still inadequate, and misuse and mistranslation happen frequently," Tian Shihong, head of the Standardization Administration, said. "Improving standardization in languages is necessary for us to promote opening up at a higher level and improve China's international image."

Du Zhanyuan, vice-minister of education, said the standards are expected to improve China's ability for foreign language services and regulate Chinese-English translation in public service sectors in China.