Yes.
For a hack around this, try putting one of the letters in italics: Renai.
Sorry, Mangalica. I overlooked this earlier.
Everything was in Mandarin. But the organizers supplied English translations of the Powerpoint presentations. Two translators were also on hand to help. The organizers did an excellent job of providing assistance to foreigners.
Was this meeting concerned with the whole of Taiwan, or just you important people up north?
One more question, could someone up there take that Tongyong moron and the rest of his buddies out for a pounding? As if we need some dim-witted half-rate romanization system that nobody outside of this rock can understand.
As for lame arguments that it’s better, I’ve got another question, ever heard of Beta? No, everyone’s got VHS hmmmmm. 
[quote=“Juba”]Maybe I’ll have a chance to present my view that cars should have reflective white license plates on the front and reflective yellow ones on the back, like we have in the UK, and that traffic lights should go red-and-amber before they turn green, and cyclists should be required to have white headlights and red taillights etc. etc.
[/quote]
Revolutionary stuff ! But don’t put having different coloured brake and indicator lights to them - the’ll have a collective heart attack !
What still gets me though is the guys that drive around with no lights on in the dark.
Inter-captalisation comes up in many teaching books where punctuation is discussed. Examples are often given of unreadable text where letters have been randomly capitalised.
Hanyu Pinyin works fine in the rest of the world. Clearly the rest of the world is wrong, however, and Taiwan is right.
Not on street signs yet (I hope), but I’ve started seeing some maps with stuff like ‘Tibet Street’
Generally at least 99% accurate. Occasionally s/sh will get confused, but it is just not an issue generally. The only time you will see dreadful attempts at romanisation is on shops owned by Taiwanese!!!
wix, are you serious, or joking? No facial impressions make it hard to tell to distinguisshing sarasm. Great question though by the previous poster , examples though of Taiwanese owned mainland Chinese businesses with incorrect spellings would be great .
[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]Hats off to you fine ladies and gentlemen for your efforts. You should be handsomely rewarded for attempting to improve Taiwan’s international standing.
Juba said: [quote]they can just employ Cranky Laowai or me to do it for them. [/quote]
What a damned fine idea.
HG[/quote]
Absolutely. 100% agree. You folks have done a great job. And Cranky would make absolutely sure that the signs in Taiwan meet a single standard.
BTW, to point out the absurdity of the Taipei street nickname fiasco, why doesn’t some brave English language newspaper editor assign a reporter to go out and do some quick man-in-the-street interviews - a la asking for directions using those nicknames from locals, foreigners, taxi drivers, tourists, cops, and especially - people in the tourist bureau and Taipei City Government? I doubt that anyone would be able to give directions using the street nicknames.
Just an an idea. Any brave newspaper editors out there willing to do this as a timely public interest follow up story to Friday’s conference?
.
I am being serious. Next time I am in Xiamen I will take a few notes and post them for everyone’s amusement.
What a damned fine idea.
HG[/quote]
With all the greatest respect to Cranky Laowai and Juba don’t you think it is a bit sad when no Taiwanese are capable of doing something as simple as writing pinyin on a sign. It is just ridiculous that the Taiwanese make something so simple so difficult.
But they try so hard. 
It’s so easy for the Taiwanese to politicize this issue and choose a Taiwan version (tongyong pinyin) instead of the mainland version. After all, the Taiwanese aren’t the ones reading the signs, it doesn’t inconvenience them, so what the fuck do they care!?!?
We should start a mass conspiracy to have all foreigners simultaneously get lost because they can’t read the signs and stand in the middle of large traffic intersections scratching their heads. After a few big traffic jams in the middle of rush hour, I’m sure the Taiwanese would suddenly realize the benefits of hanyu pinyin. 
Neo, that is actually a very good idea.
I have just been give an address
Not sure if this is new but I noticed 板橋 is now spelled as Banciao
Do you not like it spelt like that? I like it a lot better than PanCiao or PanQiao.
[quote=“roseha”]Do you not like it spelt like that? I like it a lot better than PanCiao or PanQiao.[/quote]It’s not prounouced like ‘ts’ is it ? and it’s a ‘B’ at the front. The point is you’re not supposed to spell things the way “you like better” but the correct way, which is, I believe Banqiao, correct me I’m wrong someone.
Amen!
“Banciao” is Tongyong Pinyin for what is “Banqiao” in Hanyu Pinyin and had usually (and misleadingly) been spelled “Panchiao”.
In this case, c is not pronounced like “ts”. Tongyong uses the letter c to represent two different sounds: what Hanyu Pinyin represents as c and as q.
Even with the problems of tongyong aside, this looks to be a very limited (and thus generally ineffective) “reform.” For an example, see the expensive new sign at the Banqiao Post Office:
Banqiao is now in Tongyong as “Banciao” but the old (and incorrect!) form of “Chunghwa” was allowed to stay. Such half measures just aren’t going to work.
Are they working Italian pronunciations into their 無用拼音 ?