OVERVIEW
The People’s Republic of China holds one of the world’s largest economies. It is a member of the G-20, and one of the United States’ largest trading partners. Mandarin Chinese is the mother tongue of 1/5 of the globe’s population, making it the most widely spoken language in the world.
Mandarin is also spoken in influential Chinese communities in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Mongolia, the European Union, and the U.S. and is one of the 6 official languages of the United Nations.
Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese … What’s the difference?
In short: Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese are two different sets of Chinese characters with some overlap. Mandarin and Cantonese are two completely different dialects.
Oftentimes Chinese is referred to as Mandarin. While this is not completely incorrect, there is a catch. Mandarin is a spoken dialect of Chinese that is the most popular and understandable dialect used in most regions in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. When choosing a written language, requesting Mandarin is not clear because Mandarin can be written in either Simplified or Traditional characters. One needs to specify the form of the written Chinese language. An alternative option is to tell PLG your targeted market: Mainland China, Taiwan, Hongkong or other regions. PLG will suggest the correct form of the Chinese characters for you. If you are interested specifically in a business card translation and are not sure if you need Simplified or Traditional Chinese, please visit our Chinese business cards page for more information.
Meet our in-house interpreter and US-China business consultant.
Why PLG?
- Our Chinese translators are fluent in both Chinese and English, work within a wide range of specialties, and come from a diverse set of regions. You can count on us to deliver low-cost, accurate and culturally correct translations whether it may be for markets in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or elsewhere.
- In addition to our high-quality translators, we have fluent Mandarin Chinese-speaking staff that can provide immediate support to answer client questions in most cases and are available for certain interpreting assignments in the Chicagoland area.
- We have an in-house typesetting team. This allows for a quick turnaround, and prompt revisions when required.
- We are proficient users of industry-leading translation memory software. This means lower costs, faster turnaround, and more consistency for your projects.