TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — To accommodate the growing number of tourists arriving from South Korea and Japan, The Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) said Thursday (Aug. 24) it is providing Korean and Japanese announcements and signage at 21 stations.
In a press release, the TRTC said the stations have been selected to provide Korean and Japanese arrival information by the end of August. The stations are those most frequented by foreign tourists, such as Taipei Main Station, Taipei 101/World Trade Center, and Longshan Temple.
The TRTC previously introduced Japanese at 13 stations and originally planned to provide Korean at 15 stations, but has since expanded both to 21 stations. At these stops, a recorded voice will first announce the station in Mandarin, followed by English, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, and Hakka.
Japanese and Korean added to sign for Taipei Main Station. (TRTC photo)
The pillars, horizontal signs, and route maps at the platforms of these stops will include printed Korean and Japanese translations of the station names. According to the TRTC, this is the first time the MRT has included Japanese and Korean on station signs.
The full list of stations featuring these languages in announcements and includes the following: Taipei City Hall, Tamsui, Shilin, Taipei Main Station, Zhongshan, Dongmen, Taipei 101/World Trade Center, Ximen, Longshan Temple, Jiantan, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Beitou, Xinbeitou, Minquan West Road, Songjiang Nanjing, Zhongxiao Xinsheng, Guting, Nanjing Fuxing, Zhongxiao Fuxing, Da'an, and Nangang Exhibition Center.
Japanese and Korean added to pillar at Taipei Main Station. (TRTC photo)
The corporation said one of the challenges had been to choose the best Korean spelling for station names, which come closest to the way they are pronounced in Mandarin.
For example, there are three Korean spelling methods for Dongmen (東門), including the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese characters (동문), the Korean transliteration of the English name (동먼), and the Korean translation of the Chinese name (둥먼), After consulting with experts, the latter was ultimately chosen because its pronunciation is easiest for Taiwanese to understand their meaning.
New translations seen at Taipei City Hall Station. (TRTC photo)
In addition, the Go! Taipei Metro app (Android, Apple) also provides Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean versions. Information provided includes types of train tickets, route network maps, station details, train schedules, and stations where bicycles can be placed on the MRT.
For more information, contact Taipei Metro's 24-hour customer service hotline: (02) 218-12345, or the Taipei Citizen's Hotline at 1999 (02-27208889 in other counties and cities), or visit the Metro Taipei website.
