China Translation ServicesThe team at Your China Guy provide a large variety of different China Translation Services for businesses seeking to benefit from the China market.
Companies can boost their brand and image within China by delivering engaging contact as well as relevant customer experiences across multiple media channels. |
Beijing Calligraphy Class
|
Our Team can translate the following languages into Chinese!
English (UK)
|
English (USA)
|
German
|
French
|
Spanish
|
Portugese
|
Russian
|
Arabic
|
Italian
|
Dutch
|
Hindi
|
Japanese
|
Chinese Localization SpecialistNormally, the initial question a Chinese localization expert would ask when receiving a request for a Chinese translation project is - 'would you like the translation to be in Simplified or Traditional' Chinese characters'?
Put simply, this is in relation to the particular 'Chinese Character' set to use and applies to the written form only. The language (Mandarin Chinese) is essentially the same but with differences in tones and local dialects. Cantonese is a totally different language and further details are outlined below in regards to the spoken language. |
Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai
|
Simplified Chinese vs Traditional Chinese Characters
|
As the name suggests, Simplified Chinese characters were adapted and 'simplified' from the traditional Chinese characters. This first commenced in 1949 with the establishment of the People's Republic of China but the characters themselves were primarily adopted throughout the 1950's and 1960's. There were a number of different reasons for this with the the high illiteracy rate being a major factor.
From a marketing and translation perspective, if your audience is within Mainland China and Singapore - simplified Chinese characters are used. However, within Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, traditional Chinese characters are still used. Within this particular markets (Hong Kong and Taiwan), despite sharing the exact same characters, there are still slight differences in usage. Therefore, companies are encourage to translate for each specific market within this subset to ensure relevancy and accuracy. |
Chinese Calligraphy
|
Dialects - Mandarin & Cantonese Chinese
|
In regards to the spoken form of Chinese - there are two main dialects - Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese Chinese. Within Mainland China and Taiwan, Mandarin Chinese is the Main dialect, however, there are differences in the specific accent, unique to each region. This is even more evident across Mainland China where the standardized 'Beijing' dialect is substantially different from the dialects in Eastern China, Western China and Southern China.
The same applies for Taiwan and the use of Taiwanese Mandarin. Depending upon how you're planning to target a specific market, language presentation should be a large factor to the needs of the targeted audience. As for Cantonese Chinese - this language is the official spoken language of both Hong Kong and Macau and is a totally different language to Mandarin. |
Forbidden City in Beijing
|
Choosing a Translator
|
Depending upon the specific target market you've identified - translating, advertising and marketing in the Chinese language is not a difficult task to effectively master. However, ensuring you have a highly qualified and experienced translator is imperative to the success of your translation endeavors. Typically, choosing a translator can be based on a three tiered criteria with specific experience within the subject matter itself particularly important. This criteria that all translators should be chosen is based on the following:
|
Map of China
|
Chinese Language Services
|
|
|
|
About the Chinese Language
|
The Chinese language is a group of different language dialects and one of the 2 Main branches of the Sino-Tibetan language group, with the other being Tibeto-Burman language. Traditionally, the dialect classification systems compromises of Wu, Mandarin, Yue, Xiang, Min, Gan and Hakka.
Whilst most of these different dialects are unintelligble, they're perceived to be varieties of a singular Chinese language. For example, Mandarin Chinese (includes Standardard) has the most speakers with approximately 1.4 billion people. This is followed by Wu (approx.90 mllion) and Yue (including Cantonese) with approximately 70 million speakers. Across the world, the Chinese language is one of the oldest languages with the Ancient Chinese language being able to be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty (between 1122 BCE - 256 BCE). In terms of written characters, the 'oracle bones' date way back to during the Shang Dynasty (during the second millennium BCE). |
|
Language By Location
The standard Chinese language is a form specifically of the Beijing dialect of Mandarin. Alternatively, the Cantonese dialect is the Chinese language native to Guangzhou and Guangdong Province - considered to be of the Yue group.
Mandarin Chinese (Standard)
|
Cantonese Chinese
|
Other Language Details
Furthermore, the Chinese writing system is classified as a 'logographic' system whereby each character represents a word as opposed to the sounds that consist of that word. A non-speaking Cantonese speaker and non-speaking Mandarin speaker will know the same meaning of a Chinese character, despite not being able to speak to one another. Therefore, there's no link between the logograph meaning and how you pronounce the word - unlike in roman languages.
- Comprehensive Chinese Dictionaries list OVER 50,000 characters;
- In Mainland China, between 3,500 - 7,000 characters are commonly used;
- In Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau, approximately 4,900 characters are commonly used;
Our international team consists of local partners from Australia, Spain and China. We understand international business expectations & requirements, making us best placed to provide value added services.
|
Our team can bring their knowledge, experience and connections to particular sectors. They understand the challenges of your industry and are committed to achieving successful results.
|
Our proven approach to doing business in China extends from translation services to company formation, sourcing and more. We also measure and inform you of all activity throughout the process, depending on service.
|
With YourChinaGuy.com, you can be assured of the following:
- Completely confidential discussions with any members of our professional team;
- Access to a diverse international network, on-the-ground in China - unmatched in the world;
- Experienced team with integrity who are motivated, committed and creative