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Q: Does your city's public transportation include English voice-overs?
One of the things I like about Beijing is that most of the buses and all of the subways have an English track that announces the upcoming stop following the Chinese announcement.
Is this done nationwide or is it only in bigger cities? I can't imagine that it would be of much use in areas with small expat populations...
How do you feel about these English voice over? Is it a convenience for English-speaking foreigners, or insulting to Chinese?
11 years 8 weeks ago in Transport & Travel - China
In Zhuhai, the city busses, which is the only mode of public transport here, have information about current stop in Mandarin and Cantonese. There is a few lines that also have English I think although it's been really log time since I've last heard that. The only help there is to navigate the busses is at the stops, the stop name has pinyin so you can read where you are, all schedules etc is 100% in Chinese characters.
Zero, zilch, nada English in my little city (small town outside Ningbo). Mandarin only. I don't even think the buses in Ningbo proper have English, but it's been more than year since I took one of them.
Shanghai has English on the subways. Can't remember with the buses though, been a long time since I was on one.
No English in Naning buses or at the bus stops. Subway is still being built but I don't expect any there either. Heck there isn't even any PinYin, at least not that I've seen.
I've noticed lately that they've been using a chinese person's english rather than a native speakers voice. At least on the new line they just built they have. The other lines they've kept it the same. Yeah, I don't think they do this everywhere.
The taxis do. They say "Welcome to take my taxi. Please fasten your seat belts."
Yes. Not insulting to Chinese at all.
* China is adopting English, haven't u noticed? They seem to think it is a good idea.
Shanghai, Suzhou, Nanjing & Shenzhen subways have English
I've just assumed all Chinese subways do.
As far as buses, I've only heard English announcements for the university stops.
an interesting footnote, I was riding the bus the other day. It was just me and the driver. She started up a conversation speaking in English.
Yes the Shanghai metro has English announcements but I can't hear them during rush hour - I mean rush from 5 to 9 pm.
