FAQ

They are two standard sets of contemporary Chinese writing systems. Simplified Chinese was introduced and promoted by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to improve the literacy rate by reducing the number of strokes and replacing a significant portion of Traditional Chinese characters. Simplified Chinese is also officially used in Singapore.

Traditional Chinese characters are retained in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and some overseas Chinese communities. They are considered more meaningful, authentic, and more appropriate for calligraphy. The debate on Traditional and Simplified Chinese characters is an ongoing discussion regarding Chinese orthography, and it is unlikely to be resolved in the near future.

Not sure which one to use for your business presentation? Let us figure it out for you. We can handle both writing systems.

Cantonese, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Shanghainese, and other regional dialects in China are considered distinct language variations. Standard Mandarin, based on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin, has been recognized as the official spoken language for centuries. However, it was not until the mid-20th century, through the efforts of the ROC and PRC governments, that Standard Mandarin became widely used in education, media, and formal settings as the national language.

Chinese characters can be written in either Simplified or Traditional form, but their syntax and semantics remain essentially the same. Generally, written Chinese is based on spoken Mandarin, and speakers of other dialects should have learned the standard way of writing. However, using vernacular styles or dialect-specific vocabulary may hinder communication, similar to how Ebonics differs from standard English.

For instance, Cantonese-speaking communities, such as Hong Kong, have developed words that match Cantonese pronunciation or have unique expressions. This can make written Chinese by Cantonese speakers less understandable to Mandarin speakers. Similarly, some written Chinese in Taiwan may not be easily intelligible to other Chinese language users due to the influence of the Taiwanese dialect.

It is also worth noting that different regions may use different phrases to describe the same concept. For example, a taxi in Hong Kong is commonly referred to as “的士” (a transliteration of the English word), while it is known as “計程車” (metered vehicle) in Taiwan and “出租車” (vehicle for hire) in mainland China. These variations in word usage are common in different linguistic communities, just as British English and American English differ.

When translating from English to Chinese, our goal is to provide a translation that can be understood by speakers of different Chinese dialects. This is particularly important in the United States, where the Chinese population is diverse. If you prefer a translation in a vernacular style, we have experienced translators with different dialect backgrounds who can meet your specific needs.

Standard Mandarin is also known as Putonghua (普通話) or Guoyu (國語). In mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, it is called Putonghua, literally “common speech”. In Taiwan, it is referred to as Guoyu, literally “national language”. It is also known as Huayu (華語) overseas, for example in Malaysia and Singapore, where “Hua” means Chinese in a cultural sense.

Compiled in 1994, Zhonghua Zihai (中華字海), the largest Chinese character dictionary available for print consists of 85,568 different characters.

In Hong Kong, where Traditional Chinese characters are used, the Education and Manpower Bureau’s Chart of Commonly Used Characters, intended for use in elementary and junior secondary education, lists a total of 4,759 characters.

John DeFrancis, in the introduction to his Advanced Chinese Reader, estimates that a typical Chinese college graduate recognizes 4,000 to 5,000 characters. There was a study shown with about 3,500 characters one can adequately read Chinese.

Pinyin (拼音) or more formally Hanyu Pinyin (漢語拼音), is currently the most commonly used romanization system for Standard Mandarin. The system is now used in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, and is gaining more acceptance.

Zhuyin (注音), or colloquially Bopomofo is an older form of phonetic system for transcribing Chinese Mandarin. This semi-syllabary is currently in wide use in Taiwan. Because it does not use romanization, it can be hard for someone not familiar with the bopomofo system to first understand the proper pronunciations. It is also more difficult to enter using a standard Latin-based keyboard.

There are many ways to input Chinese characters on a computer.

Keyboard input methods can be classified into two main types:
●By pronunciation (Pinyin, Zhuyin or Bopomofo, Jyuping…)
●By the structure of the characters (Cangjie, Wubi…)

Other means of entering Chinese characters include handwriting recognition, OCR, and voice recognition.
Each method has its strengths and weaknesses and usage varies between people. For example, for someone already familiar with phonetics, the pinyin or bopomofo method can be learned instantly. However, the maximum typing rate is limited because selecting the right character from a group of homonyms is time-consuming. Cangjie or Wubi takes much effort to learn, but expert typists can enter text much faster with it than with the phonetic methods. The handwriting recognition method does not require much learning and the accuracy has been greatly improved since its introduction, but speed is still a major drawback and one needs to know how to write the character more or less perfectly for smooth recognition.

At its basic level, machine translation performs simple substitution of words between languages. It is as good as the amount of human intervention and customization dedicated to the process.

Professional translators use translation software, so-called Computer-Assisted Translation, to facilitate the translation process. CAT software stores previously translated source texts and their equivalent target texts in a database and retrieve related segments during the translation of new texts.

Translation is both an art and a science, requiring a combination of skills and knowledge. It goes beyond a mechanical exercise, encompassing the creative aspect of writing, deep understanding of the subject matter, and the ability to overcome “untranslatability” and cultural differences. While machines can assist, it is human intelligence that makes sound decisions in the translation process.

Yes, we can help. For those who are interested in getting Chinese characters as tattoos, it is important to take careful steps. There have been instances where tattoo artists have mistakenly written inappropriate or nonsensical phrases, inaccurately translated characters, or even nonsensical pseudo-Chinese gibberish on their clients, who are unaware of the true meaning of the Chinese characters.

Similarly, it is worth noting that some Chinese individuals choose whimsical English names for themselves, inadvertently revealing their non-English background.

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No, they are not the same. On a general level, interpretation deals with spoken language in real time while translation focuses on written content, although in the same fashion they both bridge the language gap between people in two different countries and cultures.

Transcreation is the process of adapting content from one language to another, while maintaining the existing tone, intent and style. It is often a complete reworking of your content to make it resonate better with a different culture. Translation is perfectly fine for informative text, but when text is designed to trigger an action from the reader, as marketing text usually is, transcreation is simply a better fit. Besides translation, we also offer transcreation and copywriting services. You can take advantage of our cross-cultural expertise to take your content to the next level.

A consecutive interpreter is an individual who interprets speech after the original speaker has paused or finished speaking, while a simultaneous interpreter works in real-time, speaking without any pauses. In courtroom settings, simultaneous interpretation is typically employed when interpreting from English into the second language, as it aims to facilitate the defendant’s understanding of the court proceedings. However, when interpreting the testimony or statements of non-English speakers, such as trial witnesses or deponents, the mode of interpretation switches to consecutive.

Conference interpretation, on the other hand, is primarily conducted in simultaneous mode. Conference interpreters typically work in teams of two or three, relaying real-time, spoken communication to their audience. This type of interpretation utilizes soundproof booths and other equipment to ensure seamless communication without interruptions.

Our team of interpreters specializes in Mandarin/Cantonese to English interpretation and possesses over a decade of experience in providing simultaneous and consecutive interpretation services in both legal and non-legal settings.