On April 19, the "City Language Watch" Monthly Challenge completed its fourth public signage checkup of the year, bringing together international and local volunteers and language enthusiasts at Shenzhen North Railway Station and the Shenzhen Art Museum (Longhua Division).

Participants of the fourth "City Language Watch" Monthly Challenge take a group photo at the Shenzhen Art Museum (Longhua Division) in Longhua District on April 19. Wang Haolan

Father and daughter together to boost city’s image

Having lived in Shenzhen for over a decade, Mr. An considers himself a Shenzhener. He brought his daughter along, hoping to do their part in boosting the city's global image.

"The APEC meeting will be held in Shenzhen in November. A lot of foreigners will be coming, so I wanted to bring my daughter to join in and contribute," Mr. An explained. He added that accurate English on public signs is important, as it serves as a window for international exchange. "It represents Shenzhen's public image and how convenient the city is," he said.

Young participants of the offline challenge take a photo together. Zhen Jianhong

"We visited the Bingo shopping mall and the Shenzhen North Metro Station. The public signs are very good for us and for people from other countries," said Mr. An’s 8-year-old daughter, who cheerfully answered questions in English from Shenzhen Daily. "We found an 'e' – its little tail is missing," she added.

Bilingual signs: Small details, big welcome

Rosie, an English teacher from Ireland, joined the event together with her 6-year-old daughter. Turning the challenge into a game, they carefully looked into the locations, from signs up over head and down on the ground to those on digital screens and stickers on walls or boards to check up the problems and words can be improved. 

Rosie takes a photo of a sign in the Bingo shopping mall near Shenzhen North Railway Station. Zhen Jianhong

“In general, the signage is pretty good. We've just found small things to fix, like spelling mistakes or words that might work better or sound more natural,” said Rosie. 

She was impressed with the signs in transport areas such as Shenzhen North Railway Station and its bus and Metro stations, which they visited that day. When people are in a hurry or under pressure, she said, clear signage can help them quickly find exactly where they need to go.

Rosie uses the Shenzhen Chinese-English Public Signs Inquiry System WeChat miniprogram to submit her findings during the event. Zhen Jianhong

Rosie also pointed out that English signs are especially important for foreigners in China. Since very few foreigners understand pinyin and Mandarin, coming to China can feel a little bit intimidating. English signs could help them understand what’s going on and where to go. “I think Shenzhen is doing a really good job with it,” said Rosie. 

When talked about the signage in her home country, she said that those are all in English and Irish. “ Irish is something that everybody learns and they put it on the signage essentially to keep the language alive and to keep culture and tradition going with in the country.” 

By comparison, she observed that almost all the signs in Shenzhen are in both Chinese and English, making the city more welcoming to the world.

The major guidance and warning signs at Shenzhen North Railway Station and the Shenzhen Art Museum (Longhua Division) are bilingual. Wang Haolan

Online and offline, everyone can help

Now in its fourth straight month of offline challenges, the "City Language Watch" intiative has brought volunteers to transport hubs, key venues and commercial areas. By combining a global perspective, the team members use their sharp eyes to help make Shenzhen's public signage more international.

The online competition continues to open to the public. And please stay tuned for and participate in the following "City Language Watch" offline inspections, scheduled monthly through November. Come and be part of the effort to enhance Shenzhen's international language environment.