We work hard at CTS to ensure our service will exceed your expectations.
We strive to provide you with high quality and hassle-free translation and interpreting services.
OUR RANGE OF SERVICES
We offer a wide range of language services to support your business. Our aim is to exceed your expectations on all of our services, on every occasion.
Interpretation
Mandarin & Cantonese interpreters for your meetings, appointments, and conferences.
Translation
Chinese translations of your documents, websites, software, apps, games, and videos.
Subtitle
Professional subtitles for TV & movies, e-learning courses, and corporate videos.
CTS IN NUMBERS
We completed our first ever translation project in 1998. Since then, we have provided our services to over 18,000 companies and private individuals around the world.
337M
Words translated since 1998
2.3M
Minutes transcribed since 2011
1.1M
Minutes subtitled since 2014
98.7K
Projects completed since 1998
CHINESE TRANSLATION COMPANY
As a leading Chinese translation company, we are perfectly positioned to support your business communications in Mandarin and Cantonese. Our mission is to help American and Chinese companies succeed in each other’s markets.
LOCALIZATION & BRANDING
We’ll help you engage with Chinese-speaking customers in their own language and culture.
GLOBAL OFFICES
Our office in New York is supported by our teams in Shanghai, Hong Kong, London, and Sydney.
OUR CSR PROGRAM
We donate to panda conservation projects in China, supporting a wide variety of initiatives.
QUALITY ASSURANCE
We use industry-leading software and tools to boost translation quality and eliminate errors.
TWO DECADES OF EXPERIENCE
We have two decades of experience providing clients with Chinese translation services.
USCIS CERTIFIED
Our certified translations meet the requirements and specifications set by USCIS.
CHINESE TRANSLATION SERVICES
CTS provides Chinese translation services in Mandarin and Cantonese languages to multinational corporations and global brands. We deliver linguistically accurate and culturally authentic translations for a wide range of industries.
CHINESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
Here, we share our knowledge and insights on the Chinese language and culture, as well as a few translation tips to ensure your project is a success.
Proofread Documents for Typos
The spell check function in Microsoft Word is one of its most widely used features. However, it is not available for the Chinese language. In fact, out of the 93 languages that Microsoft currently supports, only Chinese and Japanese do not have spell check functionality. If you are interested in understanding why spell checkers do not work for these two languages, including the steps we take to eliminate typos in our translations, reach out to us and we’ll explain everything to you in detail.
Text Expansion and Contraction
When a document in English is translated to Chinese, it contracts by up to 33% in volume. This is something to keep in mind if you are translating materials for publishing such as websites, books, or magazines. It is helpful to work with a translation company which offers desktop publishing services, as they will be able to assist with the layout and presentation of your documents post-translation.
Avoid Machine Translation
At CTS, we believe that machine translations should only be used when a rough understanding of the material is sufficient, or for entertainment purposes. We do not recommend using it on work-related documents due to the high risk of mistranslation.
Localization is the process of adapting translated text so that it is linguistically and culturally appropriate for its target market.
Localizing Culture
Localization takes into account cultural preferences in colors, symbols, numbers, and societal norms and beliefs. For example, whilst the color red represents danger in Western societies, it also represents luck in Chinese culture. A good example of this is the stock symbol (ticker) that is often used by stock traders, where red represents falling stock prices in the USA, but indicates increasing stock prices in China.
Localizing Numbers
Large numbers in Chinese are counted in sets of ten thousand in a unit called Wàn (Maan6 in Cantonese). For example, one hundred thousand is localized as ten Wàn (ten sets of ten thousand). From our experience, incorrectly localized numbers is one of the most common types of Chinese translation errors.
Localizing Dates and Currency
The official formatting of dates in Mainland China is YYYY/MM/DD and the official currency is the Renminbi (RMB) or Chinese Yuan (CNY). In Hong Kong, the official formatting of dates is DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY and the official currency is the Hong Kong Dollar (HKD).
When clients reach out to us, we often hear the terms “Mandarin” and “Cantonese” used instead of “Simplified Chinese” and “Traditional Chinese”. Here, we’ll give a brief overview of when they should be used.
Mandarin is spoken in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore, whereas Cantonese is spoken in Hong Kong and Macau. The key point is that both Mandarin and Cantonese are spoken languages. Furthermore, they are mutually unintelligible which means that Mandarin and Cantonese speakers are unable to understand each other.
Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese are written languages. Chinese natives in Mainland China, Singapore, and Malaysia read and write in Simplified Chinese, and locals in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau read and write using Traditional Chinese. Generally speaking, readers of Traditional Chinese may be able to read Simplified Chinese, but not the other way around.
In the context of our services, Mandarin and Cantonese (spoken languages) are the correct terms to use when referring to interpreting services. On the other hand, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese (written languages) should be used when referring to document translations.
You may be surprised to learn that Chinese is not a single language, but instead, a group of languages spoken by 56 ethnic groups in China. In fact, it is not exactly clear how many Chinese languages there are, with the latest estimates at approximately 300 variations and sub-dialects.
Officially, there are ten main groups of Chinese language. Mandarin is the official language of China, and it is spoken by more than 800 million people. The nine remaining varieties include, Yue (84 million), Wu (77 million), Min (60 million), Jin (45 million), Xiang (36 million), Hakka (34 million), Gan (31 million), Hui (3.2 million), and Ping (2 million).
- With more than 1.3 billion speakers, Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world.
- Chinese is one of the oldest languages in the world. Oracle bone inscriptions dated to 1250 BC are the earliest records of written Chinese.
- Chinese became an official language of the United Nations in 1946. It is one of the six official languages, along with Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
Below are some of the most commonly searched for phrases in English and their Chinese translations.
| English | Simplified Chinese Translation | Pinyin (Romanized Spelling) |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | 你好 | Nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢 | Xièxiè |
| Goodbye | 再见 | Zàijiàn |
| Good morning | 早上好 | Zǎoshang hǎo |
| I love you | 我爱你 | Wǒ ài nǐ |
| I miss you | 我想你 | Wǒ xiǎng nǐ |
| Good luck | 祝你好运 | Zhù nǐ hǎo yùn |
| Happy New Year | 新年快乐 | Xīnnián kuàilè |
| Happy birthday | 生日快乐 | Shēngrì kuàilè |
Guānxi (Relationships)
Guanxi refers to an individual’s connections and involves mutually beneficial personal and business relationships. Having strong guanxi in China can benefit you on many levels, for example, winning a contract with a client, or getting priority for surgery. It is a core aspect of Chinese culture, and therefore, key to doing business in China.
Political landscape
Whilst it is acceptable for Americans to publicly challenge or criticize their own government, the Chinese do not feel comfortable doing the same. In general, topics which are off-limits, include China’s territorial borders, Tiananmen Square, Taiwan, Chairman Mao, the Cultural Revolution, Tibet, the Dalai Lama, and Xinjiang.
Miànzi (Face)
Face is a sociological concept that is observed in many cultures. In China, Mianzi plays an extremely important role in society. The Chinese will go through great lengths to give and save face, and any misunderstanding can have serious consequences for an individual or a business. Fundamentally, giving face is an act that shows respect, and conversely, not giving face can be seen as showing disrespect.
LANGUAGES WE COVER
We started as specialists in Chinese translations, but we now offer all the major languages. Click on "Learn More" to see the full list of languages we translate.
ACCREDITED AND CERTIFIED BY
CTS is accredited and certified by professional translation associations in the UK, EU, USA, and China. Our membership in these organisations is recognised at government and international levels.
TESTIMONIALS
Our clients praise us for our accurate translations, personable service, and on-time delivery.
Here are some of the amazing things they have said about working with us.
-
Titania Law
Very profession and fast response. Good quality and good price. I will recommend my friends to use CTS.
2/25/2022LI QIAN
We had an urgent request, and CTS provided a quality translation with fast turnaround. We are very impressed and will definitely use them again.
2/17/2022************
Fast service, good value. Highly Recommended.
1/31/2022 -
Zhen Huang
CTS is worth cooperating with smooth communication and nice services. I got paid on time. Hope to cooperate with them again.
1/21/2022Camila Ramirez
I messaged asking for a quote on a Saturday morning and received a response within minutes. I was sent my translation before business hours on Monday. I definitely recommend them... read more
1/17/2022Mmoloki Chrystie
Impressive service and delivery for our Cantonese subtitle job. The level of communication and customer service was particularly appreciated.
1/07/2022 -
jeremy hayes
Working with Alex at CTS is a real pleasure, clear communication, fast and high quality work and he goes the extra mile to make life easier for his customers. I... read more
9/01/2021Viktoria Neményi
I have had the pleasure to work with CTS on a professional and personal level and in both ways, they respond fast, they are cooperative when it comes to including... read more
8/13/2021Murray Owen
Waterstone Translations has been a trusted partner for the last two years. Alex is always very responsive, turnaround time is fast, and rates are very competitive. I'm very happy to... read more
2/03/2021
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
CTS stands for Chinese Translation Services. We have two decades of experience providing Mandarin and Cantonese translations to a wide variety of clients ranging from large corporates to private individuals.
Yes! We started as specialists in Chinese, but we now provide translations for all the major languages. Some of the languages we offer include Chinese, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Russian, and Arabic. Please get in touch for the full list of the languages we can translate.
We charge on a per-word or per-page basis because it is the fairest and most accurate way to calculate fees. We are fully transparent on our pricing and there are no hidden charges when you work with us. To get a quote, simply send us the document by email or via our quotation form, and we will be in touch within 24 hours.
Simplified Chinese is used in Mainland China, Singapore, and Malaysia, whereas Traditional Chinese is used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. There are slight differences in terminology between all the above-mentioned countries and regions, so please make sure to let us know your target market when you place an order with us.
Understanding Chinese culture is essential when it comes to building successful relationships in China. For example, Mianzi (giving/showing face) is a core aspect of Chinese business culture and understanding how it works can greatly boost your chance of success. Guanxi is another key component of Chinese business culture, which when done correctly, can open doors for you and your business.
Due to the high risk of mistranslation, we do not recommend using machine translations unless you only require a rough understanding of the document, or when the translation is for entertainment purposes, anything that is not mission-critical.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the country's naturalization and immigration system. If you are submitting a foreign language document to USCIS, an English translation is required. Furthermore, the translator must sign a certification that he or she is competent to translate the foreign language document into English, and that the translation is complete and accurate.
Before sending us a document for translation, please make sure that it is the final version. If you are ordering a certified translation, please ensure that all the details on the original document are correct. We are required to translate the documents exactly as it is, even if you know the original text is “wrong”.