上海計劃取消指路牌的英文路名

Many of Shanghai's signs feature either English or pinyin, a writing system that turns Chinese characters into words using the Roman alphabet.

上海市的許多標識都標註有英文或者拼音。拼音是一種將漢字轉變成羅馬字符的書寫規則。

But Shanghai's Road Administration Bureau has started a public consultation on whether that should change.

但是上海市交通管理局已經就是否要對此事作出改變而進行了公衆諮詢。

In a lengthy survey on the city's highways, one question asks if signs should use only Chinese characters in future. The survey itself is also written entirely in Chinese.

在對該市高速公路的一項長期調查中，有這樣一個問題--交通標識將來是否應該只使用中文字符。這項調查內容本身也全部是用中文寫成的。

According to the China Daily newspaper, the bureau says it wouldn't remove English or pinyin signs around major transport hubs, junctions or the city's business district.

據《中國日報》報道，上海市交通管理局表示，他們不會去除該市主要交通樞紐、路口和城市繁華地段的英文拼音標識。

A spokesman says the idea would create more space for a larger font, so Chinese characters would be easier for drivers to see.

一名發言人表示，去除標識牌上的英文可以騰出更大的空間來，從而可以書寫更大的漢字，如此一來司機們就可以更加容易地看到這些標示牌。

But many expats are still worried they would end up getting lost, with one German pointing out that getting a driver's licence in Shanghai doesn't require knowledge of Chinese characters.

但是許多外籍人士仍然擔心他們會迷路，一個德國人指出，在上海拿駕照並不要求司機要懂漢字。

An Australian expat tells the paper that "with Chinese characters, most foreigners are helpless".

一個澳大利亞人在接受《中國日報》採訪時表示：“在漢字方面，大多數外國人都很無奈”。

Social media users are divided on the issue - some on microblogging site Weibo don't see why English or pinyin should feature on the signs anyway. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do, why do people who cannot speak a word of Chinese come to China if not to learn?" asks one user.

社交媒體用戶在這個問題上也有一些分歧--微博上一些人無論如何也不能理解爲什麼非要用英文或拼音來做標註。一名用戶說道：“入鄉隨俗嘛，爲什麼那些不會說一個漢字的人既不學習又非要跑到中國來呢？”

But another points out that many expats can understand pinyin - usually the first stage of learning Chinese for foreigners - but can't read the characters.

但是另一人指出，許多外籍人士可以看懂拼音（拼音一般是外國人學習漢字的第一階段），但是卻看不懂漢字。

Some voice concerns over the cost of any change and one person thinks it would be a step backwards, asking: "Is Shanghai no longer an international metropolis?"

其他一些人則對去除英文這件事所造成的後果表示擔憂，有人認爲這是一種倒退，併發問道：“上海難道不再是國際大都市了嗎？”