China is taking action on the English translations of its restaurant menus in its campaign to brush up the country’s image for next year’s Olympics. (BBC)
I hope they keep the traditional names as well, because if you just translate the main ingredients you lose the ability to distinguish between dishes. I’ve had so many different dishes that were simply translated as “stir-fried tofu” or “tofu in tomato sauce” and it’s impossible to order them again if you don’t have any idea what the real name or description is.
It’s interesting reading about the deliberate things China is doing to change Beijing and the habits of its people before the Olympics – all countries do it, but it’s usually more subtle.