The Specifications for the Use of English in Public Signs in Healthcare was released on April 25 during the Translators Association of China (TAC) Annual Conference. Initiated and overseen by the TAC, the formulation of the work was spearheaded by the TAC’s Medical Language Services Committee, with the School of International Journalism and Communication at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) participating in the drafting process.

Cover page of Specifications for the Use of English in Public Signs in Healthcare [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

Zhao Gang, a member of the standing committee of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university, delivered an opening speech, in which he shared BFSU’s achievements in cultivating talents with a global perspective and international communication skills and emphasized the importance of medical language services and health communication in today’s world. 

Zhao also envisioned the future development of these fields and expressed his hope for enhanced collaboration and advancement of global health communication. 

The formulation of the specifications reflects the vitality within the global health communication sector. Medical language services and public signs in healthcare are not merely about linguistic accuracy, they also shoulder a greater mission: reducing communication barriers, fostering mutual understanding across civilizations and safeguarding public well-being. 

Looking ahead, BFSU will continue to collaborate with industry partners and peer institutions to contribute greater linguistic expertise to the effective telling of China’s medical story and the promotion of health awareness. The university remains committed to supporting global health communication efforts.