(BEIJING, April 11) -- Some 4.87 million Beijing residents can now speak English at different levels, an official in charge of foreign language learning said Wednesday.

English speakers now constitute 35.6 percent of the city's population, close to the government' objective to train 5 million speakers, or 35 percent of the total population, Liu Yang, head of the Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Program and the Office for Standardization of English Translation of Beijing Public Signs told a press conference at the Beijing Olympic Media Center.

Liu attributed the city's achievements to a city-wide five-year campaign to encourage its inhabitants to learn and speak English, which has involved more than one million people in various learning activities, such as lessons, lectures, training courses, contests, park entertainments, foreign film screenings and so on. The city has encouraged taxi and bus drivers, tourist guides, shopping center salesmen and post office workers to learn English and test their level of proficiency.

Liu said the municipal government has also made great efforts to rectify misspelled or wrongly-translated English signs on roads, scenic spots, commercial areas, cultural establishments, subways, hospitals and other public places. The work should be finished by the end of the year.

"We have enlisted the help of 35 Chinese and foreign language specialists from the United States, Britain and Singapore," Liu said.

He urged foreigners living in Beijing and volunteers to help the city promote the correct use and learning of English.