Knowledge to go
The Number 1 Language
When it comes to the most widely spoken languages, Chinese leads the way: approximately 1.3 billion people around the world speak Chinese, accounting for roughly 15% of the global population. Most of these speakers live – unsurprisingly – in China and smaller Asian regions like Taiwan and Hong Kong. However, Chinese is also widely spoken across the globe, and more and more people are learning the language, primarily due to economic factors.
Thanks to China's growing economic influence, the Chinese language is becoming increasingly important. For many years, it has been predicted that Chinese – alongside English – will become the new global language. More and more globally oriented companies are attempting to establish a foothold in the Chinese market.
Reaching a New Market with Chinese
Businesses thinking globally inevitably consider the Asian market, with a particular focus on China. Breaking into the Chinese market is undoubtedly a highly complex endeavor that cannot be summarized in a few lines. However, one task you cannot avoid is translating your messages into flawless Chinese. Most Chinese customers prefer to communicate and make purchases in their own language. Ideally, your information should not only be error-free but also culturally adapted to the language and habits of your audience – in other words, localized.
A quick tip, since localization might not be a familiar concept to everyone: We’ve summarized the differences between localization and translation in our guide.
Since the Asian market is highly mobile and online-focused, your first step should be to translate your website (of course, only if all sales and logistics processes are ready and functional). In addition to your website, you should also translate all other marketing materials and not forget contracts and legal documents. In summary: everything you use for communication in your domestic market should also be available in Chinese – and ideally optimized for your (future) customers.
Translating Texts to and from Chinese
When we refer to Chinese, we most often mean Mandarin Chinese. Mandarin is the most widely spoken variant within the Chinese-speaking world, with the largest number of speakers. Linguistically, Chinese is divided into at least six dialect groups, each with further subdivisions. These variants differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Therefore, specifying which Chinese variant is required is essential for a translation.
One of the most challenging aspects of the Chinese language is its script. Chinese is written with characters, thousands of complex symbols. Unlike alphabetic languages, there are no clear rules for the pronunciation of characters, and each character can have different meanings depending on the context. Additionally, the grammar differs significantly from European languages, for example, in sentence structure and the use of tenses. These factors must be carefully considered in a high-quality Chinese translation. Since Chinese translations often involve a change in writing direction (Chinese texts are commonly written and read vertically or from right to left), it rarely makes sense to copy texts directly into the new language. Instead, it’s better to adjust the translation layout – ideally with the help of native-speaking experts.
Due to regional and cultural differences in language use, having Chinese texts translated by a professional translation agency is highly recommended (or vice versa). Native speakers who understand the nuances of the language ensure the best quality. Additionally, they can provide expert advice for Chinese translations.
