Choose Right Translation Company for Chinese Project

Chinese Translation Company

Chinese has around 1.2 billion speakers altogether, making it the most common Asian language. Chinese is the most spoken language globally, with roughly 1.3 billion native speakers.

Less than 1% of the people are English speakers. In Hong Kong, English is an official language; about 50% of the population are English speakers. There are two types of Chinese translations: those from classical Chinese and those from modern Chinese. Modern Chinese is now a left-to-right language; still, some words are written top to bottom.

Suppose you need your translation project done correctly and professionally; it’s essential to understand the difference between the two and which type of translation will work best for your needs. The first thing you need to know about classical Chinese is that it’s very different from modern Chinese in both written and spoken form. However, that doesn’t mean that if you hire a specialist in classical Chinese, they can just pick up where they left off when translating your project into modern Chinese.

History of Chinese Translation

A Chinese translation has been around for a long time. The classical Chinese language is more than 3,000 years old and was used as a lingua franca (common language) across eastern Asia until relatively recently. Traditional Chinese used an older set of characters and was commonly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Dialects are essential to an accurate translation as well. While there are many different spoken Chinese dialects in different regions, Mandarin and Cantonese are the two primary—and most distinct—dialects used. Cantonese is primarily spoken in Hong Kong, Macau, and parts of southern China; people in mainland China commonly speak Mandarin. Many of China’s neighboring countries have adopted it as their official language.

For instance, Japanese is written in Chinese characters, as are Korean and Vietnamese. Today, classical Chinese may not be very useful in business or everyday life, but these days there are tons of modern translators who can help with your Mandarin project.

The Difference Between Machine Translators and Human Translators

Machine translators and human translators both translate languages, but how can you tell which is better? Which one will provide quality translations? A qualified translator is a must. Machine translation software is an invaluable tool that has enabled millions of non-Chinese speakers worldwide to make sense of Mandarin, but its usefulness comes with a few catches. If you need your content translated accurately and professionally, turn to professional Chinese translation companies instead. Here’s why: Machine translations often don’t consider the cultural context.

How Can Chinese Translation Software Help?

Through its Bing Translator model, Microsoft has made a real effort in providing users with a quick way of translating words or texts from classical Chinese.

Google Translate is the most commonly used translator. However, using Google translate (which can be accessed from your browser) or relying on automatic translation from the web is not always enough regarding Chinese translation; they do not provide an accurate translation. Human professional translators working closely with you need to address some nuances and issues that can only be resolved.

Choosing The Right Chinese Translation Agency

No matter how simple or complex your Chinese translation project is, you should make sure that you hire a professional agency with a great team of experts and certified translators that provides a professional translation.

Many translation companies nowadays have little experience in translating classical Chinese characters and will end up delivering terrible and inaccurate translations. When choosing a translation agency in the Chinese market, go with someone specializing in Chinese text who has experience working with similar projects so that they can give you extensive experience.

ALTA Simplified Chinese Translation Services for Sales and Marketing

ALTA Professional translation service brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in managing translation projects, breaking the language barrier, for the Chinese market, both in the U.S. and abroad, with an ability to adeptly tailor projects to each Chinese-speaking region.

Your message is essential, and ALTA’s thorough understanding of the nuances specific to the markets in Taiwan, Hong Kong/Macau, and the United States makes sure that your materials will have a maximum impact wherever your target audience may be.

Frequently Asked Questions