Expats’ advices to build a multilingual environment

On November 29, the Municipal People’s Congress held a legislative research forum on the construction of the language environment for international exchanges in Shanghai.

Ashish Maskay and Nusrat Marat, members of the “Hongqiao Friendship Alliance” of Changning District, were invited to attend and make speeches.

Maskay said that at present, online platforms are generally handled through “mobile terminals,” lacking multilingual guidance. In addition, many login systems need to register through ID card numbers, and cannot register through passport numbers, which makes it difficult for many foreigners to obtain online services. 

In addition, when registering on some online platforms, the name input format is limited, and the characters of foreigners’ names are too long to be input completely.

Marat said that over the years, Shanghai has made great progress in improving its foreign language environment, and the current urban public transport network also reports stops in both Chinese and English. 

With regard to the logo of Shanghai Metro, Marat suggested that as there are many exits of the subway, it is hoped that the logo can be made in the platform transfer route, such as providing the label of “I am here,” so that foreigners can view and pass easily.

In addition, some guide staff in the administrative affairs hall cannot speak English, so it is difficult to communicate with foreigners. In this regard, Marat suggested to improve the staff’s English level and to strengthen bilingual services.

The legislative research on the construction of the language environment for international exchanges in Shanghai aims to understand the requirements and difficulties of foreigners in Shanghai in terms of work, study and life. 

The opinions and suggestions put forward by the participants will be sorted out and incorporated into laws and regulations to further improve the services of government agencies.

Edited by Shanghai Daily