About Chinese

Translate into Mandarin, Simplified, Cantonese or Traditional Chinese?

We always received translation requests from different clients asked something like - I need these documents translated into Mandarin; and I may need them into Simplified too.

But we cannot translate into Mandarin or Cantonese! They are both names for VERBAL dialects of Chinese. Since the translation deals with documents, the client was actually asking us to do it into Simplified and Traditional Chinese, which are the two written forms of Chinese.

Below is a chart detailing both the spoken and written variations of Chinese used in the major Chinese speaking markets:

It is a little bit confusing because most people think Chinese as being just one language. They are not aware that there are so many variances. Moreover, while all Cantonese speakers write in Traditional Chinese characters, not all Mandarin speakers use Simplified Chinese. Taiwan people who are Mandarin spoken write in Traditional characters.

Spoken Chinese

There are many regional dialects and variations of the Chinese language. However there are two main strands which cause people a lot of confusion. These are Mandarin and Cantonese.

Mandarin is the most used dialect of Chinese as it is the official language of the Republic of China (mainland China). It is also used in Taiwan.

Cantonese differs from its mainland relative and is spoken in the Canton (or Guangdong) province in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao.

Written Chinese

As there are differences in spoken Chinese, so too are there differences in written Chinese. Today, Chinese characters come in two forms. One is known as 'traditional' and the other 'simplified'.

The split came when simplified Chinese was introduced and promoted in mainland China by the government in 1949. This was done to improve literacy rates in the population. Mainland Chinese went on to use the modern version of characters whilst Chinese populations outside mainland China (Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao) stuck with the original traditional script.

The basic difference between them is that the traditional form is still based on earlier characters and uses more strokes. The more modern simplified characters are a lot simpler.

Which one do I need?

If you are still unsure as to whether you need Mandarin, Cantonese, Simplified or Traditional, please contact us for advice.