Things to Consider When Designing a Website for the Chinese Market
A decade ago, the Chinese economy was confined only to its cocoon of socialism but it has been progressing for the past few years and has opened up to the western notions of capitalism and free trade.
It serves an extensive multiplicity of customers all over the world that are chiefly interested in banking, export, import, insurance, stock market, real estate, and agriculture. Therefore, there is an increasing requirement for businesses to invest into breaking the linguistic barriers through the application of translation processes from English to Mandarin Chinese.
Even though we have come up with translation software that can practically convert any text into another language, they are far from reliable as they only check the syntax. This software cannot check the cultural validity of a document or a piece of text simply because it cannot think for itself. However, we have companies that offer translation services which make the results of a translation software look like a child’s scribbles.
Translation software may work for grad school students who are trying to work on their French or Spanish assignment but it simply doesn’t work for people who are in the corporate world and are trying to translate their entire business websites into a different language to cater to a foreign audience.
Chinese culture is very different from the western culture and it takes a person who is well versed in the culture and norms of the Chinese society to be able to translate a piece of text from English to Chinese in a manner that makes it culturally valid.
The translator a business picks for website translation not only must be familiar with the Chinese culture to be able to do the translation correctly but will also need to have a deep understanding of the Western norms. Otherwise, the translator won’t be able to incorporate all the linguistic and cultural subtleties of the source culture into the translation.
When it comes to voiceovers, Chinese Mandarin pronunciation is generally more phonetic, making it hard for one to master the art of doing voiceovers as many complications arise due to the complex stress system. The stress rules in Chinese are not fixed or rigid; rather, they are flexible and mobile which makes doing the voiceovers even more difficult for those who are not experienced. The slightest mistake may change the entire meaning of a word or even a sentence due to its complexity.
Chinese Translation Companies have many experienced translators and editors. Different translators specialize in different fields of businesses and are given translation assignments accordingly. Finding the right translation company is crucial if you want your work to be flawless, both contextually and syntactically.
Picking a website that has technical translation options is usually a better choice depending on the type of your business. These translation companies are rare and not that easy to find, and it is therefore always wise to check customers’ reviews to figure out the quality of services that you will be receiving if you place an order with that company.
With Globalization taking over, it is necessary for businesses to have a port of their website into Chinese too; after all, the Chinese economy is the largest in the world. A western company or enterprise that sets its foundation in the Chinese market as well can succeed in no time. Translating a business website from English to Chinese may cost quite a bit, but it is a cost effective venture that promises to open new doors that lead a business to success.
There are companies that not only offer English to Mandarin translation and interpretation but also provide transcriptions, voiceovers, multilingual search engine optimization, etc to help businesses flourish in the Chinese market.
Limpid Translations is a quality translation and voiceover services provider having expertise in Chinese translation services. By leveraging our services, businesses can find it easier to localize their brands in the Chinese market.