Shanghai: Every public place in this metropolis will soon have an English name.

A newly established special committee will be in charge of developing names in line with international conventions.

Anticipating the city will see sharp increases in the number of visitors from abroad, the committee is busy working out standards and codes for naming places to eliminate any possible confusions.

Experts with the committee are still working to strike a balance between American and British usages and trying to decide who should have the final say in setting the names.

Zhang Ripei, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Language Commission, said the committee will follow international rules in naming but more consideration will be given to American-style usage.

The 26 experts on the committee include linguists, translators, lawyers and sociologists. Four are expatriates, three from the United States and one from Germany.

One of the goals of the committee is to review and standardize English versions of public signs in the city, targeting the removal of confusing expressions.

The committee is developing rules on English usage in public places and will correct wrong, awkward or confusing English expressions on public signs and billboards.

"There are lots of English signs in the city and in the country which caused us big confusion, most of which are 'Chinglish,'" said Phil Boyle, a university student from Britain who came to Shanghai three months ago to stay with his father, who has been working here for years.

"My dad photographed loads of wrong signs," said Boyle. "It is really a good idea to have an official committee to tackle problems like that."

The public signs that frequently cause confusion among expatriates in the city include those that translate one Chinese word in several different ways. Others use inappropriate or wrong English translations, or improper pinyin.

People often become confused by Tibet Road, Xizang Road or Xizang Lu - exactly the same road but named differently in different sections, said Zhang.

The new rule mandates all proper names should appear in pinyin, the phonetic spelling of Chinese mandarin, and all general terms in English.

"So it should be Xizang Road instead of Tibet Road," said Zhang.

It is this kind of confusion the committee is hoping to eliminate.

The committee's first goal is to clear up all street signs and place signs in the city no later than mid next year, said Zhang.

"And we are hoping to clarify all public signs, including those places of interest, public services, culture and sports places, government departments and other public organizations, in the next two to three years," he said.

The committee will develop rules concerning signs in each type of place, and then verify and correct all the English translations.

"For example, after getting a list of all the place names from a related department, we will verify and give them back to the department, which then will make the appropriate changes according the version we give them," said Zhang.

If any dispute occurs, all 26 members will vote on it. The translation that gets more than two-thirds of the votes will be chosen.

For private signs, like names of companies or hotels, the committee will provide proposals.

(China Daily  September 23, 2004)