Chinese translation services Singapore - Professional translators who handle huge volumes of translations daily use various techniques, methodology and technology to help produce accurate and high-quality translations. With the exponential growth of the Chinese economy over the past few decades and the spread of Chinese speakers worldwide, Chinese inevitably is one of the most sought-after languages for translation globally. Singapore's population consists of 70% Chinese, and the Chinese language is one of the country's official languages; naturally, one of the most popular language pairs to be translated in Singapore would be English into Chinese and Chinese into English.
Apart from deploying translation technology to help speed up the translation process while maintaining consistency and producing high-quality translation output, translators and translation agencies here also must be aware of the existence of two major different types of Chinese covering 4 different markets.
What are the different types of Chinese?
In general, there are two different types of Chinese:
Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.
Simplified Chinese is used in China and minor markets like Singapore.
Traditional Chinese is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.
The major difference between Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese is the character set used. While Simplified Chinese are simplified versions of the Traditional Chinese characters with much simpler and fewer strokes. Traditional Chinese are the "original" Chinese characters which are more complicated with more strokes.
It will have been simpler if the differences stop there. Unfortunately, there are variations even in the similar type of Chinese used in different places.
The Traditional Chinese used in Taiwan is also very different from those used in Hong Kong and Macau. The Traditional Chinese used in Hong Kong and Macau are heavily influenced by Cantonese, the common dialect used in these territories.
Although Simplified Chinese is used in China and Singapore, colloquial differences between the two countries mean that many terms used in China cannot be applied wholly when translating into Simplified Chinese for the Singapore market. In Singapore, you can find local transliterated Malay words in the Simplified Chinese used in Singapore.
Hiring Chinese translation services in Singapore
The Chinese language is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, and it is quite a complex language to learn, let alone translate into and from it.
Translating the Chinese language to English and vice versa is difficult as both languages originate from different linguistic backgrounds with a history that dates back thousands of years. Translating a sentence directly from Chinese to English and vice versa can prove to be quite challenging as the respective languages' structure does not allow for the exact meaning to be conveyed in some instances. Due to the differences in cultures and history, some words do not exist in each other's language. Grammar and sentence structure-wise, the Chinese language and the English language are entire opposites.
A slight misjudgement can have dire consequences and change the source content's meaning. It would help if you did all the necessary scoping and background checks when deciding which translation agency you should send your Chinese translation works to.
Below are a few things to note when hiring Chinese Translation Services in Singapore.
Not asking for a proposal
You must share your project information, goals, target Chinese market and requirements with the translation agency. This information will help the translation agency understand your requirements and expectation. It is important to find out if the translation agency can support Chinese translation in the specialization field you are asking for. If that is not made clear, there are monetary and legal ramifications if the translation is for a business or legal project.
During this time, it is important to get a detailed proposal from the translation agency for the Chinese Translation services you are potential purchasing from them. The proposal should include the scope of work, pricing, and delivery schedule. Such proposals will allow you to determine the most suitable translation agency for your project. Not requesting a proposal is a big mistake people make when hiring a translation service.
Hiring solely on price
Like any other service, a translation service comes with a price tag. The truth is that many people do not place much value on Chinese Translation Services. They tend to be very price sensitive and often think that since Chinese is one of the official languages in Singapore, the cost of Chinese Translation Services must not be too high.
As far as possible, most people will try to use low-budget Chinese translation services. This should be avoidable at all costs, and it is especially true if the translation is for an official purpose. Remember, when you pay peanuts, you get monkeys; the service type and translation quality are very much dependent on what you pay. There is no point in getting error-filled work done at a low price. You will end up paying more in the end. So, research everything -- the qualifications, experience, and other details before you finalize the deal.
Ignoring experience
In the translation world, experience matters. You do not want to work with a fly-by-night translation company, nor would you like to work with a freelance translator just because of the price. With the different types of Chinese available in the market and the myriad of specialization and industries, you need to be working with a translation agency with a good track record for their Chinese translation services that spans over several years. Those with many years of experience in the translation industry would have built up a pool of excellent professional translators with expertise in various domains to support your requirements. They know the complexity of the Chinese language and decide which strategy to use when translating.
Conclusion
When searching for a reliable translation agency for Chinese Translation Services, your goal is to ensure that your translated content is fit for its purpose and that it facilitates communication with your intended audiences. Unfortunately, when it comes to Chinese Translation Services in Singapore, it can be more complex than other languages. It would be best if you did your homework and due diligence to ensure that the translation agency you will be working with has the necessary experience, knowledge, expertise and linguistic resources to meet your expectations.