At Shenzhen North Railway Station, international travelers are increasingly being greeted by multilingual volunteers offering directions, translation assistance and practical help.

The effort is part of Longhua District’s push to create a more international-friendly urban environment as Shenzhen expands global exchanges and prepares for APEC-related activities.

Recently, the Longhua District Committee of the Communist Youth League of China and the district volunteer association organized a special training program for multilingual volunteers and participants in the city’s foreign-language public signage improvement campaign, known as the “Woodpecker Initiative.”

Volunteers take part in a practical English communication workshop during a multilingual volunteer training session in Longhua District. Photos by Cai Weize

More than 80 volunteer coordinators and multilingual volunteers joined the session, which focused on everyday English communication, public signage review and the use of AI-powered language tools.

The training combined case studies and hands-on exercises based on real service scenarios at locations including Shenzhen North Railway Station, helping volunteers improve practical communication skills for assisting overseas visitors.

The “Woodpecker Initiative” encourages volunteers to identify problems in multilingual public signs, including inaccurate translations, spelling mistakes and damaged signage.

Volunteers have inspected transport hubs, shopping malls, sports venues and major roads across the district, helping improve the readability and accuracy of foreign-language information in public spaces.

Multilingual volunteers attend a training session in Longhua District aimed at improving foreign-language services for international visitors.

Since the program was launched, Longhua has recruited more than 400 multilingual volunteers covering languages including English, Russian, French, Korean and German. The district has also upgraded volunteer service stations at Shenzhen North Railway Station and introduced multilingual assistance counters for international travelers.

Longhua has additionally produced multilingual introduction videos for locations such as Luhu Art Center and Shenzhen North Railway Station, reflecting the district’s growing international outlook.

As Shenzhen continues strengthening its global connections, Longhua’s multilingual volunteers are helping make the city more accessible — one conversation and one street sign at a time.