chinese translation

Chinese translation is more important than ever for global business. With massive expansion in China’s economy and proliferation of business relationships with Chinese organisations, Chinese language translation touches many of our business lives.

There’s a lot at stake too, and some of the world’s biggest brands have already been famously embarrassed by poor translation into Chinese as they strive for a share of this massive market. Why take the risk with your brand when high-quality Chinese translation services are so accessible?

More than just ‘Chinese translation’

Translating for Chinese audiences just isn’t as simple as Chinese English or English Chinese translation. Why? Because the Chinese (Sinitic) languages are such a complex linguistic family ranging from Mandarin and Cantonese to other mutually unintelligible languages.

Whether regarded as one language with several dialects or several different languages, ‘Chinese’ is the first language for one-fifth of the world’s population. Such a complex range of languages and dialects, allied to the socio-cultural characteristics of the Chinese-speaking world, mean that successful commercial translations demand a very special type of English to Chinese translator.

Major challenges for translation

English to Chinese translations are notoriously vulnerable to error. The following are a few examples of where the translation pitfalls lie in wait for the unwary:

• Different applicability of Simplified Chinese or Traditional Chinese.
• Correct use of Mandarin or Cantonese Dialect for Chinese translation.
• Non-phonetic spelling of Chinese languages.
• Notorious problems with language elements such as long sentences, double negatives, figures of speech and wordplay.
• Lack of Chinese equivalents for many new words.
• Virtual impossibility of successfully translating brand names.

Helping you through the maze of Chinese languages

Ensuring success when you translate from English to Chinese (or translate Chinese to English) involves much more than just accurate translation. With such a diverse array of linguistic, societal and cultural factors to consider, it’s easy for subtle nuances to get lost along the way without the right translation and localization partner.

If ever there was a place for high quality translation support it is in the realm of Chinese language translations for marketing, PR and other commercial purposes. With its commitment to careful, quality controlled translation and localization, and the perfect choice of specialised Chinese translator for your requirements, our Chinese translation service delivers priceless peace of mind when you need to get back-of-pack Chinese translation working across the Chinese-speaking world.