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Beijing has almost achieved its target of having 35 percent of the city speak a foreign language before the 2008 Games, but officials are still struggling with a generational gap that has left many Olympic judges and coaches clueless when it comes to basic English conversation.

Li Yang,one of the most popular English trainers in China.[File Photo]

To help make amends in time for the Games, English First (EF) was signed up by BOCOG in March. It now teaches over 1,500 of the organizing committee's staff.

Most have taken to English like ducks to water, said EF's Olympic Project Manager Liang Jingbo.

"They've exceeded my expectations," she said. "At the beginning, I thought, 'They come from the government, so they won't be so devoted,' but now I see their dedication."

The drive to improve the city's language skills is part of a broader campaign to improve Beijing's image.

Taxi drivers, who must take a mandatory English test to receive their licenses, have been asked not to eat, smoke or sleep in their cabs; anti-spitting and public etiquette campaigns are already in full force; 'Chinglish' signboards are being rewritten, with 6,530 public signs on Beijing's roads altered last year; and "English corners" at university campuses are now commonplace.

With 500,000 international visitors expected to descend on Beijing for next summer's Games, the pressure is on to save the city's blushes.

Ricky May, who is teaching some senior BOCOG administrators, said the program is already paying off.

"Now they don't mind 'losing a little face,' even when they make mistakes," he said.

Bai Huajun, who will be in charge of the competition results during the Olympic shooting events next year, said nerves were an initial sticking point.

"At first, I couldn't even open my mouth. Now my oral English has jumped forward."

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