Shanghai Wild Animal Park said it would correct the translation mistakes on its English website amid confusion.
A translation major student from Shanghai International Studies University told Xinmin Evening News that the official website of the park was riddled with translation errors, the Shanghai-based newspaper reported on Sunday evening.
For example, the name of the park has been inappropriately referred to as Shanghai Wildlife Park and Shanghai Wild Park in some of the descriptions in the site.
The name of the park has been inappropriately translated into Shanghai Wildlife Park and Shanghai Wild Park. /Photo via the official website of Shanghai Animal Wildlife Park
The name of the park has been inappropriately translated into Shanghai Wildlife Park and Shanghai Wild Park. /Photo via the official website of Shanghai Animal Wildlife Park
A Canadian student who studies in China pointed out that plenty of translations had failed to accord with the English grammar, with some of them being puzzling.
He said a sentence including phrases like “large populations on show” and “would be in close contact with animals” were quite confusing.
Based on the Chinese version of the introduction, the sentence shall be translated as “many endangered animals live in the park, enriching the interactive experience.”
The Q&A section is another disaster, in which some of the questions and answers have been translated with Chinese word order. For example, "Is the park free for soldiers and the disabled?" has been translated to "Soldiers where can free, disabled into the park?"/Photo via the official website of Shanghai Animal Wildlife Park
The Q&A section is another disaster, in which some of the questions and answers have been translated with Chinese word order. For example, "Is the park free for soldiers and the disabled?" has been translated to "Soldiers where can free, disabled into the park?"/Photo via the official website of Shanghai Animal Wildlife Park
Staffs from the park claimed they had asked the website production company to rectify the errors after noticing them last week.
The park also said they would appeal to experts for scrutinizing and normalizing the English translations on the website.
Guidelines for the Use of English in Public Service Areas, which was implemented on December 1, sets standard English translation for 3,500 Chinese words. It covers terms frequently used in 13 fields, including transportation, tourism, culture and sports.
However, it seemingly takes time for authorities from public sectors to fix their problems.
Jinjiang Amusement Park in Shanghai has translated “About us” to “What we ca do for you” on its official website, with a spelling mistake of "can." /Photo via the official website of Jinjiang Amusement Park
Jinjiang Amusement Park in Shanghai has translated “About us” to “What we ca do for you” on its official website, with a spelling mistake of "can." /Photo via the official website of Jinjiang Amusement Park