One of the most common areas of misunderstanding people have with regards to translation and interpreting is with the variations within the Chinese language. Many people are unaware that there are different Chinese dialects and different Chinese scripts. This article provides a simple explanation of these variations and help you to find a good chinese interpreter.

Spoken Chinese

There are many regional dialects and variations of the Chinese language. However there are two main strands which cause people a lot of confusion. These are Mandarin and Cantonese.

Mandarin (Putonghua), that is the modern standard Chinese, is a category of related Chinese dialects spoken across most of northern and south-western China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Singapore. It is common in modern Chinese spoken and written Communication. The "standard" in Standard Mandarin refers to the standard Beijing dialect of the Mandarin language.

Standard Mandarin is officially known

* in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau as Putonghua .

* in Taiwan as Guoyu, and unofficially in Hong Kong as Gwok Yu .

* in Malaysia and Singapore as Huayu .

*In other parts of the world, the three names are used interchangeably to varying degrees, Putonghua being the most common.

Cantonese is a variety of the Chinese language spoken in and around the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) in Southern China, by the majority population of Hong Kong and Macau, and as a lingua franca of Guangdong province, eastern Guangxi province, and some neighbouring areas. It is used in Hong Kong and Macau as the de facto official spoken language of government and instruction in schools. It is spoken by overseas Chinese communities in Canada, the United States and Australia, as well as throughout Europe and Southeast Asia, being the most widely spoken dialect and a lingua franca in many of these communities. In common usage, "Cantonese" usually refers to the spoken forms from Hong Kong or Guangzhou, or other closely related dialects, although it is sometimes also used to refer to the Yue dialect group.

In both mainland China and Taiwan, the use of Standard Mandarin as the medium of instruction in the educational system and in the media has contributed to the spread of Standard Mandarin. As a result, Standard Mandarin is now spoken fluently by most people in mainland China and Taiwan.

In Hong Kong and Macau, which are now special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, Standard Cantonese has been the primary language spoken by the majority of the population, due to historical and linguistic reasons. After Hong Kong's handover from Britain and Macau's handover from Portugal, Standard Mandarin has become only slightly more understood (but still not widely spoken) and is used by the governments of the two territories to communicate with the Central People's Government of the PRC. Cantonese remains the official government language of Hong Kong and Macau when not communicating with mainland China.

Which one do I need?

If you are still unsure as to whether you need Mandarin or Cantonese translator,please contact us for advice.

Our translators are available for business meetings, negotiations, conferences, court hearings, market research surveys, traveling escort, and media work.

Mandarin Interpreters

We are the Chinese Division of 11 Brands and 11 Brands is a corporate member of the ATA and the NYCT. What’s more, we have access to state-of-the-art technology and employs industry leading standards to ensure even the largest projects get handled with the professional care and dedication that your  deserves. We employ only certified mandarin translators and Cantonese translators who are strictly assigned to your area of expertise. For example, if you’re a law firm in need of Chinese translation services for contracts, judicial orders, pleadings, merger/acquisition documents or legal documents, we will only assign your job to a interpreter who specializes in translating legal documents. That’s our promise, that’s our guarantee.

Click2Chinese is one of the few companies in the world able to provide mandarin  interpreting and also district-targeted varieties. Some of the Chinese Districts we target are:

Anhui

Gansu

Hainan

Hongkong

Jiangsu

Macau

Shandong

Taiwan

Yunnan

Beijing

Guangdong Hebei

Hubei

Jiangxi

Ningxia

ShanghaiTianjin

Zhejiang

Chongqing

Guangxi

Heilongjiang

Hunan

Jilin Qinghai

Shanxi

Tibet

Fujian

Guizhou

Henan

Inner Mongolia

Liaoning

Shaanxi

Sichuan

Xinjiang