Beijing's big Chinese-character slogans, seen at many intersections¹ and subway stations, have been criticized as creating confusion about the city's international image。

在北京很多十字路口及地铁站，大字中文标语比比皆是。这些标语因影响到北京的国际形象而受到批评。

Adding to the confusion are the many foreign-language signs, mostly in English, that include mistakes, wrong information or words that might be misunderstood, said Xu Lin, the director of China's overseas Chinese-language teaching program who is among the nation's political advisers³ now meeting in Beijing。

全国政协委员、中国对外汉语教学项目负责人许琳表示，北京有不少外文标志，多为英文标志，上面的错误、失当信息和偏差词汇容易引起误解，为北京国际形象增添不少干扰因素。

Slogans painted in Chinese in public places stem from the political campaigns of half a century ago. They are usually ideologically⁵ charged and don't fit Beijing's current identity as an open, dynamic international city, said Xu, director-general of the Confucius Institute headquarters, or Hanban, and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference。

许琳指出，公共场所的中文标语源于半世纪前的政治斗争。这些标语大多充斥着某种意识形态，与北京当前开放、活力四射的国际化都市身份不符。许琳是孔子学院总部(汉办)总干事。

Xu, a scholar who has earned honorary titles from universities in many countries, said Beijing's slogans don't contribute to a good environment because they don't paint an international image true to the change in the Chinese people's everyday lives。

许琳身为一名学者，曾获得多个国家大学的荣誉称号。她认为，北京的标语没能如实描绘中国人民日常生活变迁，树立北京的国际化形象，因此不能营造良好的环境。

China's image depends heavily on Beijing because it is host to more than 100,000 foreign residents, more than 4.2 million overseas visitors, and many multinational⁶ corporations and international businesses。

北京住着超过10万外国移民，接待420多万外国游客，不少跨国公司和国际企业在此设立分公司。因而北京的形象很大程度上影响着中国的形象。

"Some of my foreign friends have said they felt uncomfortable seeing the red banners painted with words that have different, if not negative, connotations in their home countries。

“我的一些外国朋友曾说，那些红色横幅上的字在他们的国家虽然不算有负面含义，但意义可以说是截然不同，他们看着就觉得不自在。”

"Others have pointed⁷ out such confusing slogans seen in public as 'Chinese Dream, Subway Dream'. Posters and banners of this sort don't help others understand Beijing and the country," Xu said。

“我的其他外国朋友指出，公共场所里像‘中国梦，地铁梦’一类标语也常常让人丈二摸不着头脑。这种海报和横幅难以让人真正了解北京和中国，”许琳说。

Even worse, she added, some slogans send wrong messages, failing to convey the message about the freedom and democratic rights that the Chinese people have. Some of them even "make China appear as if it is a country pursuing international hegemony," Xu said。

更糟的是，一些标语传递出了错误信息，不能展现中国人民拥有的自由和民主权力。有一些标语甚至还“让中国看起来像是个追求国际霸权主义的国家，”许琳说。

She proposed that the Beijing municipal government should make rules and offer guidance regarding posters and banners in public places, phasing out those that are highly ideological⁴ or confusing. "We should learn from the successful experience of other international cities in the world."

她建议，北京市政府应制定相关规定，指导公众场合宣传画及横幅展示，去除那些高度意识形态化及高度干扰性的宣传画及横幅。“我们应当学习世界上其他国际化都市的成功经验。”

Alistair Michie, adviser² of the Foreign Experts Advisory⁸ Committee under the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, said he agrees that the Beijing municipal government should improve the ways it boosts the city's image and communicates with the city's foreign residents and visitors。

国家外国专家局外国专家咨询委员会委员阿利斯泰尔·米基说，他也认为北京市政府应当改进宣传城市形象的方式，改善与外国移民、游客交流与沟通的方法。

"I have often thought that the use of campaigns in English to promote 'core socialist⁹ values' leaves a negative impression among foreign visitors," Michie said. "Those words make no sense to foreigners because they do not understand the context."

“我常觉得用英文提倡‘社会主义核心价值观’的运动给外国游客留下了负面印象，”米基谈道。“这些用语对外国人来说毫无意义，他们根本就不明白上下文背景。”

"Beijing, like China, has a great story to tell - but the lack of clever and creative communication means that foreigners cannot get to know the reality," Michie added。

“北京如同整个中国，历史寓意丰富，但因交流方式不够巧妙、没有创意，导致外国人根本无法了解它的真实情况，”米基进一步说道。

Ding Junjie, a professor with Communication University of China, said the problem is not only about slogans but, more important, about the way to express and communicate China's political ideas。

中国传媒大学[微博]教授丁俊杰认为，问题不仅仅在于标语，更重要的是，在于表达和传递中国政治理念的方式。

"The root cause lies in communication skills," Ding said. "Some people simply use goals as content. For example, 'to build a harmonious¹⁰ society' is a goal, but you have to tell a story to convey this idea instead of simply putting those words on a banner."

“根本原因在于交流技巧，”丁俊杰说。“有些人干脆把目标当内容了。举个例子，‘建设和谐社会’是一个目标，但你得讲述一个故事来传递这个理念，而不是直接把这句话写在横幅上。”

Michie added that the Chinese capital should adopt a new approach to showcasing its qualities and attracting an overseas population。

米基补充道，中国首都应采取新形式展示本土特质，吸引外国移民。

"The municipal government should recruit a team of foreigners and let them advise it about what overseas visitors may be interested to learn," he said. "And that may be vastly different from what may appeal to domestic tourists."

“市政府应当招募外国咨询团队，向他们征询外国游客可能感兴趣的内容建议，”他道。“他们的兴趣可能和国内游客的兴趣截然不同。”

Additionally, Michie said, "Greater attention is also needed in using foreign languages properly."

除此之外，米基补充道，“要更加注意外语的正确使用。”