Which Chinese dialect is right for you?

There are 1.2 billion speakers of the Chinese language. The vast majority of the Chinese-speaking population lives in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. But there are substantial Chinese-speaking communities found throughout Southeast Asia in Singapore, Indonesia, Mayalasia, and Thailand. Many times translation buyers are unaware of the many dialects that make up the Chinese language. In this issue of Translucence, we'll help clarify which Chinese dialect is right for you.

Chinese Language Variants

• Mandarian- spoken by nearly 840 million Chinese. By far the most popular language spoken on China's mainland.
• Wu- 77 million speakers found in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Juangxi.
• Min- 70 million speakers found in Funjian, Guangdong, Hainan, Zhejiang, Shengsi, Liyang, and Taiwan.
• Cantonese- the language of Hong Kong. There are 55 million speakers of Cantonese found in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, Guangxi, and Hainan.
• Jin- 45 million speakers found in Mongolia, Shanxi, Hebei, Henan, and Shaanxi.

Simplified or Traditional?

Although there are many variants of the Chinese language, there are only two forms of writing: simplified and traditional. The decision of which to use for your translation needs should be based on geography. Simplified Chinese should be used when translating for an area within China's mainland and Singapore. Traditional Chinese should be used when translating for Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Malaysia.

Alboum & Associates uses high-quality, vetted translators of all Chinese dialects. If your organization is considering Chinese translation, please contact Sandra to discuss your concerns or request a free quote.

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