“没有性生活的鸡”走出菜单

If you fancy "chicken without sexual life", "husband and wife's lung slice" or even "bean curd made by a pock-marked woman" then you will have to look elsewhere.

"Spring chicken", "pork lungs in chili sauce" and "stir-fried tofu in hot sauce" are the correct translations of dishes at some Beijing restaurants, according to an initiative designed to help visitors navigate bilingual menus.

Currently, odd translations of food served up in the capital's eateries are causing food for thought.

The Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Program, and the Beijing tourism administration, is about to change all that.

The project is part of Beijing's municipal tourism administration's preparation for the Olympic Games next year, when at least 500,000 foreigners are expected to visit.

Beginning March 2006, the translation project gathered a database of dishes and drinks from 3-star rated hotels and large restaurants. A draft list was put online at the end of last year seeking public feedback.

Subsequently, a second draft added more than 400 common dishes at restaurants in Beijing's Houhai and Wangjing districts, where foreigners like to gather.

The recent draft has been online since last Saturday, at www.bjenglish.com.cn and www.bjta.gov.cn.

The finished draft is likely to be published in October, said an official with the Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Program, quoted by the Beijing News.

The final version will be published online and "recommended" to restaurants.

如果你爱吃“没有性生活的鸡”、“丈夫和妻子的肺切片”或“麻脸女人做的豆腐”，估计你得到别处看看了。

在一项旨在帮助游客看懂双语菜单的活动中，北京一些餐馆的菜名翻译得以规范，“Spring chicken（童子鸡）”、“pork lungs in chili sauce（夫妻肺片）”以及“stir-fried tofu in hot sauce（麻婆豆腐）”才是以上几种菜肴的正确译法。

目前，北京一些餐馆食品名的奇怪译法引发了人们的思考。

“北京市民讲外语活动”组委会与北京旅游局表示将改变这一现状。

这项活动是北京市旅游局为迎接明年奥运会所做的准备工作之一，届时，预计将有至少50万名外国游客来北京观光。

规范菜单译名项目于去年3月启动，有关部门从三星级酒店和大饭店收集了一个菜肴和酒水饮料译名的数据库。译名初稿于去年年底在网上公布，以征求市民意见。

之后，第二稿又增加了400多种普通菜肴，这些菜肴主要来自于后海、望京等外国人密集地区的餐馆。

最新一稿已于上周六在北京市民讲外语网和北京旅游局信息网上公布。

《新京报》援引“北京市民讲外语活动”组委会一位官员的话说，终稿可能将于十月份公布。

最终定稿将在网上公布，并供餐馆“参考”。