Beijing correcting its poor English

BEIJING, March 19 (UPI) -- Tourism officials in Beijing have hired linguists to do away with poorly translated English signs ahead of the upcoming Olympic Games.

The Beijing Municipal Tourism Bureau is working to correct the language on the signs, which have long amused Anglophone visitors to the city with poorly worded translations, The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.

The bureau has also instructed city businesses to provide proper English translations of signs, menus and notices.

The city has given restaurant owners a list of common mistranslations -- including "steamed crap" and "burnt lion's head" -- along with the correct English names of the dishes -- steamed crabs and Chinese pork meatballs, respectively.

"These translations either scare or embarrass foreign customers and may cause misunderstanding on China's diet habits," the state news agency said.

Other mistranslations on Beijing signs include a notice welcoming visitors to "Racist Park," which would translate more accurately to the Park of Ethnic Minorities, and wet road warnings that inform motorists that "the slippery are very crafty."