Residents hunt for English errors on public signs

Video by Xu Shuntian

On a crisp Thursday afternoon in Shenzhen’s bustling Futian District, a small group of residents scrutinized public signs during a special review event. Their mission: to find, document, and correct mistakes in the area’s English-language signs.

The event marked the inaugural offline activity of the 2026 Public Foreign-Language Signage Improvement Campaign, a citywide initiative launched by the Shenzhen Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, EyeShenzhen and 1st to the Scene (Shenzhen Media Group). The campaign, which opened public registration this week, aims to raise Shenzhen’s international profile and improve the quality of its public language environment.

Participants listen attentively as an EyeShenzhen staffer introduces the campaign's rules. Photos by Lin Jianping

Ten participants were tasked with walking around central Futian District and identifying as many English signage problems as possible within two hours.

Starting at Lianhua Hill Park and ending at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, the group submitted their findings — ranging from mistranslations to missing translations— via a dedicated WeChat miniprogram, earning points for each verified error.

Among the “language detectives” was Andrew William Gibbs, a British English teacher who has lived in Shenzhen for nine years.

Andrew William Gibbs from Britain shares his thoughts about foreign language public signs in Shenzhen. 

“Once you start looking for things, you find mistakes… When we do notice them, it’s pretty obvious they might need to be changed,” he said. Gibbs recalled past finds such as “family boiler” for “family toilet” and New Year banners with spelling errors. While praising Shenzhen’s overall bilingual environment as better than that of some European cities, he noted that some signs have no English at all, which can leave visitors confused.

For Marina Tran-Vu, a newcomer from Canada who arrived just a week ago, the event was a perfect way to explore. “It was like a scavenger hunt,” she said. She pointed out confusing terms like “pull the baffles” on a vending machine, suggesting “pull the dispenser lid” instead.

Participants review English instructions on a park map in Lianhua Hill Park. 

Local freelance translator Carol Liao, who often posts about translation oddities on social media, lent her professional eye to the task. One of her discoveries was a mistranslation of the mosquito repellent "花露水" as "flower water,” which has an established English name of “flower‑dew water.” She also noted the difference between “健身区” (fitness area) and “智能健身区” (smart fitness area) on park maps, recommending more context‑appropriate terms such as “exercise area” and “outdoor fitness area.”

The two-hour event was just the beginning. The campaign will include a 10-round online competition and monthly offline events until November, allowing residents citywide to report errors via the “Inquiry System of Chinese-English Public Signs in Shenzhen” website or WeChat mini-program. Top scorers each month will receive honorary certificates and prizes.