This city of Northeast China has launched a translation service hotline (0431-8517 2007) for information on the Sixth Asian Winter Games as well as the happenings in the city.

The Winter Asiad's organizing committee began the free 24-hour service in the capital of Northeast China's Jilin Province on Thursday.

Illuminations of the mascot for the 6th Asian Winter Games are seen in Changchun. [Xinhua]

The service is co-sponsored by the organizing committee of the Sixth Asian Winter Games and Changchun New Oriental School.

"The aim of the hotline is to provide timely help to foreign athletes and spectators during the Games and to make the guests feel more comfortable," organizing committee deputy secretary-general He Quanxiu said recently.

The Winter Asiad, which opened on Sunday, will continue till February 4.

A total of 816 athletes from 26 countries and regions of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) are taking part in the Games, making it the continent's biggest winter sports meet.

"Though Changchun resi-dents are very eager to learn English, they are not good enough to help the overseas guests," he said.

The hotline translation team has nine people, including those with sound knowledge of medicine and business. They were picked from universities in Changchun.

"The nine translators are fluent in spoken English and familiar with the city and the Winter Asiad competition. They were chosen from among many volunteers for their excellent performance," head of Changchun New Oriental School's translators' group Chen Dake said.

The translators can also provide advisory services in English and Chinese, including information on the Winter Asiad events, traffic, travel, hotel booking, money exchange and healthcare.

This is the first large-scale free telephone translation service in China. The United States began such a service in San Francisco in October.