Beijing's big Chinese-character slogans, seen at many intersections and subway stations, have been criticized as creating confusion about the city's international image.
在北京很多十字路口及地鐵站，大字中文標語比比皆是。這些標語因影響到北京的國際形象而受到批評。

Adding to the confusion are the many foreign-language signs, mostly in English, that include mistakes, wrong information or words that might be misunderstood, said Xu Lin, the director of China's overseas Chinese-language teaching program who is among the nation's political advisers now meeting in Beijing.
全國政協委員、中國對外漢語教學項目負責人許琳表示，北京有不少外文標志，多為英文標志，上面的錯誤、失當信息和偏差詞匯容易引起誤解，為北京國際形象增添不少干擾因素。

Slogans painted in Chinese in public places stem from the political campaigns of half a century ago. They are usually ideologically charged and don't fit Beijing's current identity as an open, dynamic international city, said Xu, director-general of the Confucius Institute headquarters, or Hanban, and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
許琳指出，公共場所的中文標語源于半世紀前的政治斗爭。這些標語大多充斥著某種意識形態，與北京當前開放、活力四射的國際化都市身份不符。許琳是孔子學院總部（漢辦）總干事。

Xu, a scholar who has earned honorary titles from universities in many countries, said Beijing's slogans don't contribute to a good environment because they don't paint an international image true to the change in the Chinese people's everyday lives.
許琳身為一名學者，曾獲得多個國家大學的榮譽稱號。她認為，北京的標語沒能如實描繪中國人民日常生活變遷，樹立北京的國際化形象，因此不能營造良好的環境。

China's image depends heavily on Beijing because it is host to more than 100,000 foreign residents, more than 4.2 million overseas visitors, and many multinational corporations and international businesses.
北京住著超過10萬外國移民，接待420多萬外國游客，不少跨國公司和國際企業在此設立分公司。因而北京的形象很大程度上影響著中國的形象。

"Some of my foreign friends have said they felt uncomfortable seeing the red banners painted with words that have different, if not negative, connotations in their home countries.
“我的一些外國朋友曾說，那些紅色橫幅上的字在他們的國家雖然不算有負面含義，但意義可以說是截然不同，他們看著就覺得不自在。”

"Others have pointed out such confusing slogans seen in public as 'Chinese Dream, Subway Dream'. Posters and banners of this sort don't help others understand Beijing and the country," Xu said.
“我的其他外國朋友指出，公共場所里像‘中國夢，地鐵夢’一類標語也常常讓人丈二摸不著頭腦。這種海報和橫幅難以讓人真正了解北京和中國，”許琳說。

Even worse, she added, some slogans send wrong messages, failing to convey the message about the freedom and democratic rights that the Chinese people have. Some of them even "make China appear as if it is a country pursuing international hegemony," Xu said.
更糟的是，一些標語傳遞出了錯誤信息，不能展現中國人民擁有的自由和民主權力。有一些標語甚至還“讓中國看起來像是個追求國際霸權主義的國家，”許琳說。

She proposed that the Beijing municipal government should make rules and offer guidance regarding posters and banners in public places, phasing out those that are highly ideological or confusing. "We should learn from the successful experience of other international cities in the world."
她建議，北京市政府應制定相關規定，指導公眾場合宣傳畫及橫幅展示，去除那些高度意識形態化及高度干擾性的宣傳畫及橫幅。“我們應當學習世界上其他國際化都市的成功經驗。”

Alistair Michie, adviser of the Foreign Experts Advisory Committee under the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, said he agrees that the Beijing municipal government should improve the ways it boosts the city's image and communicates with the city's foreign residents and visitors.
國家外國專家局外國專家咨詢委員會委員阿利斯泰爾·米基說，他也認為北京市政府應當改進宣傳城市形象的方式，改善與外國移民、游客交流與溝通的方法。

"I have often thought that the use of campaigns in English to promote 'core socialist values' leaves a negative impression among foreign visitors," Michie said. "Those words make no sense to foreigners because they do not understand the context."
“我常覺得用英文提倡‘社會主義核心價值觀’的運動給外國游客留下了負面印象，”米基談道。“這些用語對外國人來說毫無意義，他們根本就不明白上下文背景。”

"Beijing, like China, has a great story to tell - but the lack of clever and creative communication means that foreigners cannot get to know the reality," Michie added.
“北京如同整個中國，歷史寓意豐富，但因交流方式不夠巧妙、沒有創意，導致外國人根本無法了解它的真實情況，”米基進一步說道。

Ding Junjie, a professor with Communication University of China, said the problem is not only about slogans but, more important, about the way to express and communicate China's political ideas.
中國傳媒大學教授丁俊杰認為，問題不僅僅在于標語，更重要的是，在于表達和傳遞中國政治理念的方式。

"The root cause lies in communication skills," Ding said. "Some people simply use goals as content. For example, 'to build a harmonious society' is a goal, but you have to tell a story to convey this idea instead of simply putting those words on a banner."
“根本原因在于交流技巧，”丁俊杰說。“有些人干脆把目標當內容了。舉個例子，‘建設和諧社會’是一個目標，但你得講述一個故事來傳遞這個理念，而不是直接把這句話寫在橫幅上。”

Michie added that the Chinese capital should adopt a new approach to showcasing its qualities and attracting an overseas population.
米基補充道，中國首都應采取新形式展示本土特質，吸引外國移民。

"The municipal government should recruit a team of foreigners and let them advise it about what overseas visitors may be interested to learn," he said. "And that may be vastly different from what may appeal to domestic tourists."
“市政府應當招募外國咨詢團隊，向他們征詢外國游客可能感興趣的內容建議，”他道。“他們的興趣可能和國內游客的興趣截然不同。”

Additionally, Michie said, "Greater attention is also needed in using foreign languages properly."
除此之外，米基補充道，“要更加注意外語的正確使用。”

Vocabulary

slogan：標語，口號
ideologically：意識形態上地
connotation：內涵
hegemony：霸權主義
core socialist values：社會主義核心價值觀

（譯者：羅俊敏SCNU 編輯：馬文英）