So you want to have your text translated into Chinese.
You might think this is an easy request. There’s a country called China, and there’s a language called Chinese, right? Well, unfortunately it is not that easy. Chinese is a language group of about 10 different dialects which are related, but often mutually unintelligible. Just to make it even more confusing, this language group has two written versions, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese, and the writing system is not correlated to the spoken dialect. In Taiwan, the dialect is Mandarin, and the writing system is Traditional Chinese, while in Singapore the dialect is also Mandarin but the writing system is Simplified Chinese.
In short, if you want your text translated into Chinese, you will have two options: Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. Which one should you choose?
Should I choose Traditional or Simplified Chinese?
If you are targeting mainland China (PRC) or Singapore, you should choose Simplified Chinese.
If you are targeting Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Malaysia, you should choose Traditional Chinese.
If you are not sure, it is probably best to choose Simplified Chinese, because 1) there are simply more people in the world that use this system and 2) it is easier for someone who is used to Traditional Chinese to make out Simplified Chinese than the other way around. So even though someone from Taiwan will not be particularly thrilled that you used the simplified version, if they really need the information they will be able to figure it out.
If you would like to know more about why there are two written systems for Chinese, you can read more here.
Now that you know which type of Chinese you want, you can get that text translated! Interlex Language Services offers smooth translations into many languages, including Chinese. Contact us or request a quote.
Interlex is a translation company that specialises in creative translations: translations that run smoothly and are just right for the target audience.
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