> Languages > Chinese Translations & Typesetting Services
The vast majority of texts can be readily and easily translated between English and Chinese. However as Chinese and Western culture, traditions and values can differ significantly, certain concepts and topics can be challenging to translate. Professional Chinese-English translators will have the experience and strategies to resolve these difficulties.
Which version of Chinese?
There are several forms of spoken Chinese,
or dialects. Mandarin is the principal version with over a
billion speakers - about 870 million speak it as a first language,
and an additional 180 million or so people speak it as a second
language. When people refer to spoken “Chinese”
this is the version they are generally referring to. Other
dialects include Cantonese, spoken mainly in Hong Kong and
Guangdong (Canton) province in Mainland China, and Taiwanese,
and there are many more.
When it comes to written Chinese there are
two forms – Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.
Simplified Chinese (using a character set that has been “simplified”
from the traditional Chinese characters) is used in Mainland
China, Singapore and broadly throughout South East Asia. Traditional
Chinese (using the traditional Chinese characters) is used
in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and generally in material for use in
Australia and elsewhere in the English speaking world.
Thus translations into Chinese are either in Traditional
Chinese or Simplified Chinese, and
it is vital to use the correct written form for the appropriate
market. It is therefore not uncommon to have both a Traditional
Chinese translation and a Simplified Chinese translation of
a particular text.
Chinese Translation
The translation of English names into Chinese can be difficult.
Company names using standard vocabulary (Pacific International Translations, for example) can often be directly translated
into the corresponding Chinese words. More often though company
and personal names will be transliterated – the approximate
sounds of the English name reproduced in Chinese. There are
many Chinese character combinations possible, and therefore
many different possible ‘translations’ for most
names. The translator will take care that the characters (sounds)
chosen in Chinese have positive connotations and create an
appropriate impression for the Chinese speaker.
Chinese Typesetting
The latest versions of several commonly used graphic and web design programs can now successfully handle Chinese fonts (double byte characters) - InDesign, Quark and Illustrator are examples. With these programs Chinese translations are normally supplied as standard files with the Chinese text typeset and then outlined to curves. For other programs, the Chinese translation is normally typeset in Illustrator then placed in the design file as outlined eps files.
Typesetting Chinese text poses no particular difficulties or problems for the experienced Chinese typesetter. Chinese translations will often take up less space than the equivalent English texts, which can allow more white space, larger point sizes, etc than in the English version. Chinese text can be typeset either vertically or horizontally, but horizontal layout is much more common these days.
A knowledge of the language is necessary for typesetting Chinese. In addition to the ability to identify and correct copy and paste problems, an appreciation of Chinese design aesthetics and appropriate font selection is vital. Font selection should be left to our Chinese typesetters, as choosing fonts based on European aesthetic considerations frequently produces a far from pleasing result to the Chinese eye.
Chinese Translations & Typesetting - Our Advantages:
The Best Chinese Translators
We use only experienced, professionally qualified Chinese translators with a proven track record of consistent professional-quality work.
Quality Assurance
All Chinese translations undergo full checking and proofing procedures to ensure accuracy and eliminate ‘human error’. All typesetting is double checked and subject to translator sign off before delivery.
Confidentiality
Full confidentiality of all material is guaranteed at all times.
Chinese Language Experience!
We have over 20 years experience translating and typesetting all types of materials in over 80 languages.
