In the run-up to the G20 summit in Hangzhou, set to begin in September, Hangzhou’s city government has assembled an English pronunciation guide for citizens hoping to communicate with the influx of foreign guests.

The guide, titled “100 easy-to-learn English phrases,” provides syllable-by-syllable pronunciations as well as Chinese translations for English phrases such as “Welcome to Hangzhou,” and “Hangzhou, the most beautiful city in China.” The guide also covers useful standalone words like “hospital” and “police station.” In the guide, “Welcome to Hangzhou” becomes “wei-o-kang-mu-tu-hang-zhou,” while “hospital” becomes “hao-shi-pi-tou.”

Xu Dongxu, secretary of the West Lake District Council, was quoted in a thepaper.cn article saying, “It might seem funny to those people who already have a foundation in English.” But, Xu continued, “For villagers who lack even the basics, reading these pronunciations is really meaningful.”

The article explained that some netizens remain skeptical about the new initiative. One man wrote, “If we use Chinese pronunciation, foreigners won’t be able to understand!” But Xu believes the initiative is still useful.

“Sometimes when we hear foreigners speaking Chinese, even if the pronunciation isn’t standard, we can still understand the general idea.”