TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — English spelling errors on signage and ID badges for the upcoming World Masters Games have prompted apologies from Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) and other city officials.
The Taipei-New Taipei World Masters Games will kick off on Saturday. Even so, many volunteers found errors in the English translation of their names on ID badges, and there are typos on promotional signage, per CNA. Chiang apologized on Thursday and said the errors would be corrected immediately, with new badges issued.
During a special session at Taipei City Council, several councilors expressed concerns about preparations for the World Masters Games. They are co-hosted by Taipei and New Taipei and will take place from May 17-30.

DPP Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) criticized the city government for mishandling such a basic task as name translation. She cited examples posted online, such as Lin Chih-ting (林芷婷) being rendered as “Lin Zhitiao,” Wang Hung-fu (王竑夫) interpreted as as “Hong-Husband Wang,” and Wang Te-chuan (王得權) as “Get-Right King.”
Chiang responded the city government's principle is to correct mistakes as soon as they are found. However, Lin demanded that he apologize to the volunteers whose names were mistranslated.
It was also reported that a promotional board at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park with “Taipei welcomes you” was misspelled as “Taiipei,” per NewTalk. The World Masters Games Executive Committee said that once the errors were discovered, the materials were removed.
The committee instructed all distribution channels to stop using the faulty design. A comprehensive review of promotional materials is underway, with enhanced quality control measures.
However, another error emerged in Taoyuan’s Luzhu District, where a road sign read “New Taipei City Luzhou Civil Sports Center.” The sign mistakenly identified Luzhu as part of New Taipei and misspelled the district’s name as “Luzhou.”
In response, New Taipei City Sports Department Director Hung Yu-ling (洪玉玲) said the incorrect signage had been taken down and would be updated.