Shanghai Daily news

The public signs in Shanghai are the first image of the city presented to foreign visitors. The city needs to make a complete reappraisal of their wording, including the making of new regulations if necessary to raise the awareness of local residents and to solve any problems.

During World Expo 2010, the people of Shanghai will welcome guests from all around the world but incorrect public signs will make the new arrivals feel confused and not respected. This should not happen in a metropolis like Shanghai.

The city's public signs will be the first greeting to our foreign guests, from the moment they leave the airport and on through their whole visit to Shanghai and China.

In Shanghai, one street may have different English names on different road signs. Signs may also differ a lot even in office and government buildings. These signs no longer have the function of guiding but of misleading which is not good for the image of the city.

Fortunately, the city issued a new rule on the translation of street signs recently. It is a breakthrough on previous endeavors and a brand-new start. We need a system and a guideline, that's the foundation.

China has taken the signage problem very seriously and experts in translation have held many seminars in recent years with the latest in Tongji University two days ago. However, doing academic research and holding discussions in conferences are not enough. Without the help of government, it will still take a long time to fix.

Annual amendments and the publication of the new rules are a must. The city also needs an authoritative institution to execute the regulations. Depending on non-governmental organizations, such as students' societies, is not enough.

Furthermore, Shanghai can also set up committees to supervise and establish hotlines to hear advice from the public.

Shanghai is not the only city confronting the problem of public signs. Many other metropolises, like Hong Kong, have also had similar problems and have experience in dealing with them. We can learn from them in standardizing the signs.