A question for you – what’s different with this Google map of Tainan? (captured from the Tainan Directory on a Google map on INCKU frontpage)
Yep, it’s hard to believe but along side the Chinese street names are now Pinyin English street names. Yippi!
At first, it took me a while to realize what was different about the map I was looking at, but finally I realized I didn’t need to struggle with reading the Chinese street names, the Pinyin name was there, with the section number and even main city locations and important buildings are now translated (notice “Jian Xing Junior High School”?) . How brilliant is that?
Took a while for Google to catch up with the competition but they’ve finally implemented it, and much better and in more detail. Good job.
It’s a mix of *different* kinds of romanization: Tongyong Pinyin (for the streets) and some Hanyu Pinyin (for some offices, parks, etc.).
Pinyin.info – True. It is just a representation of those mixes in Taiwanese society, especially down south in Tainan. We get used to using 3 different types of Pinyin depending on where we are and what we’re referring to. 😀