Make sure the translator has done at least a couple of jobs of the same topic/subject area so that they are confident with the content of your work, not practicing on your project. - Tao Zhang, Chinese Translator and Interpreter
In 5 Easy Steps, Learn How To Build A Successful Chinese Translation
Before you rush to hire a Chinese translator in Shanghai like a headless chicken, acquire a pen and make a list.
As a digital marketer, I understand the excellent value that translating text can do for you. This has often led me to write informative blog post that anyone can learn from my mistakes.
By Sam H Mah, 10+ Years Search Engine Optimization & Website Design Experience
Last updated: December 27, 2023
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What Are My Preparations For Website Translation For Chinese
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Good preparation avoids stress and headaches. Give the following to your Chinese Translator in Shanghai:
- Create a translation glossary, style guide, and brand guide. This establishes a brand voice in the target language
- Develop intended audience profile and target region and culture
- Collect product pictures and past sales or marketing materials
- Gather a list of competitors' names and their website URL
- Develop a document with your website URL, site map, target market, and tone of content
The Takeaway:
The Translator is a professional linguist who does not familiarize with your brand. It's your responsibility to provide as much information as possible.When you gather the reference materials, conduct a comprehensive grammar, spelling, and terminology. You must send them together with the content translation.
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You Can't Speak One Language "Chinese"
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Chinese has a few regional dialects. They include Mandarin, Wu, Gan, Xiang, Min, Cantonese, Hakka, Jin, Hui, and Pinghua.
Several Chinese dialects are so different, even native speakers cannot understand one another.
Mandarin Chinese is the official language of mainland China, while Cantonese is more commonly spoken in Hong Kong.
The Takeaway:
Translating the copy on your website from one language to another is a good start. But often, it's not enough. It would be best to consider cultural differences, regional grammar, and tone to understand how they can affect your desired audience.
In Chinese SEO, the rule is: “Don't just translate, localize!”.
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Is Mandarin Different In China & Taiwan
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There are many differences in pronunciation and vocabulary. The gap is due to differences in geography and in history, politics, culture, and language.
Another difference is that Taiwanese writing usually uses Traditional Chinese characters. Here's an example of the writing style:
Source: Image
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Make Your Website Language-Specific
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Keeping Multilingual SEO in mind when preparing for translation is a good idea.
Google, Bing, and Baidu will have a difficulty navigating your localized pages! The worst part is that they display the wrong region.
Click below to see two Hreflang & Language codes. They guide search engines to display your pages correctly.
The Takeaway:
Grab the code and paste it inside your Chinese website's the <head> tag.
Mainland China - Simplified Chinese
‹html lang="zh_Hans_CN" /›
‹meta http-equiv=“Content-Type” content="text/html; charset=gb18030" /›
‹meta http-equiv="content-language" content=“zh_Hans_CN" /›
‹link rel="alternate" href="https://example.com/cn" hreflang=“zh_Hans_CN" /›
‹link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/cn "/›Hong Kong - Traditional Chinese
‹html lang="zh-Hant"›
‹meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=big5" /›
‹meta http-equiv="content-language" content="zh-Hant-HK" /›
‹link rel=alternate " href="https://example.com/hk" hreflang="zh-Hant-HK" /›
‹link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/tw "/›Macau - Traditional Chinese
‹html lang="zh_Hant_MO"›
‹meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=big5" /›
‹meta http-equiv="content-language" content=zh_Hant_MO" /›
‹link href="https://example.com/mo" hreflang="zh_Hant_MO" /›
‹link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/tw "/›Taiwan - Traditional Chinese
‹html langt="zh_Hant_TW" /›
‹meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=big5" /›
‹meta http-equiv="content-language" content="zh_Hant_TW"/›
‹link rel=alternate " href="https://example.com/tw" hreflang="zh_Hant_TW" /›
‹link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/tw "/›If you use my above code, replace the example.com with your domain.
Related articles: 79 Baidu Search engine optimization Tips
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Ensure that you involve your Chinese colleague.
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Some global companies like KFC made embarrassing translation mistakes.
Although Chinese translators deliver high-quality work, they do not have the inside knowledge. They may overlook conceptual or technical nuances that are obvious to you.
You know the products and services better than anyone else. It is so crucial to have a native speaker from your company involved in the translation process.
