Chinese TV Asked to Stop Using English Phrases

No More Abbreviations

TV viewers may no longer be able to hear English abbreviations like NBA (National Basketball Association) from mainland broadcasters. China Central Television (CCTV) and Beijing Television (BTV)confirmed that they had received notice from a government department asking them to avoid certain English abbreviations in Chinese programs. They did not, however say how many English phrases were included on the list, and broadcasters and journalists have been asked to provide Chinese explanations for unavoidable English abbreviations in their programs, the report said. The notice not only limits the use of English abbreviations in sports news, but also in economic and political news. Phrases such as "GDP" (gross domestic product), "WTO" (World Trade Organization) and "CPI" (consumer price index) will also be substituted with their Chinese pronunciations. The move came after a number of national legislators and political advisers called for preventative measures to preserve the purity of the Chinese language. Huang Youyi, editor-in-chief of the China International Publishing Group and secretary-general of the Translators' Association of China said that if China did not "stop mixing Chinese with English, the Chinese language won't remain pure in a couple of years". The restricted use proposal has provoked debate amongst China's scholars who insist that move would be counter productive and promote cultural conservatism. China is not the only country to attempt to preserve the purity of their language. France outlaws advertising in English and mandates that at least 40% of the songs on the radio are French.