The development and rising use of China English attributes to the increasing globalized mobility. Since China adopted the Reform and Opening-up policies in 1978, not only the system of economy encounters a fundamental change, but there are more interflow of people between China and the foreign countries.
There are more foreign people visiting and settling in China. According to the figures issued in 2011 by the United Nation World Tourism Organization, China surpassed Spain to become the world’s third most visited country. There were around 60 million international arrivals in 2010. This in-flow of foreigners increases the demand for the use of English, a lingua franca, in China. For instance, when China became the host of the Olympic Games in 2008 and the World Expo in 2010, millions of foreign tourists were predicted to visit China, the Chinese government encouraged the locals to add English translation in menus in restaurants and signs in public space. However, owing to the locals’ insufficient knowledge of English, the nonsense Chinglish, for example, ‘Execution in progress’ (Construction in progress), ‘Beware of missing foot’ (Beware of falling) and ‘Don’t feed the toilet’ (Don’t discard tissue in the toilet) were put in the limelight of the world. In order to remove this problematic translation, China recently published a guide book with translations of Chinese cuisines.
Chinglish
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China English
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Photo
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Tofu made by woman with freckles
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Mapo Tofu
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Four glad meat balls
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Braised Pork Balls in Gravy
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Husband and wife’s lungslice
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Couples’s Sliced Beef in Chili Sauce
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Government abuse chicken
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Kung Pao Chicken
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Drunk Crabs
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Liquor-soaked Crabs
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Pork flower
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Saunted Pig Kidney
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Those refined names become more reader-friendly and also reveal the Chinese features. This shows China is working away from Chinglish but towards China English.
On the other hand, in recent decades, the number of Chinese emigrants surges. More Chinese resides in foreign countries and form a small community like Chinatown with Chinese restaurants and traditional festive celebrations. This influx of Chinese culture attracts the foreigners’ attention and improves their understanding of Chinese lifestyle. This provides an account of the western media’s use of China English which shows recognition of the East culture and respect to the Chinese.
