Shanghai's quality watchdog announced Wednesday that the accuracy of English spelling in the city's public places has improved to 85 percent after a local standard was put into effect three years ago.
Shen Weimin, vice director of Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision, announced some of the bureau's achievements in adopting standards at a press conference Wednesday.
Incorrect spelling in public had hurt the city's image as an international city prior to the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, Shen said.
"Shanghai started to correct English spelling before the World Expo. We created standards in the use of English for 12 industries from public transportation to tourism," he said at the press conference.
Shen added that Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces took up Shanghai's spelling standard, which was created by the Shanghai Language Regulating Committee.
Along with the spelling standard, a service quality standard for banks that took effect three years ago helped shorten the average wait at local banks from 52 minutes to 15 minutes.
Shanghai has instituted 491 standards over local products and services that have not been regulated by any existing national standard.