Mandarin Translation Services

With more than 1.1 billion native speakers, Mandarin is the most spoken first language on the planet. More than 70% of China’s population speaks Mandarin, and it’s also widely spoken throughout Taiwan and Singapore (where it’s one of four official languages). Mandarin shares written characters with other varieties of Chinese languages but is distinct from dialects like Cantonese and Wu. English and Mandarin are utterly dissimilar.

Not surprisingly, accurate Mandarin translation services require mastery of both English and Mandarin, as well as experience and an in-depth understanding of the cultural nuances of communication in both languages. CanTalk’s pool of certified and highly skilled Mandarin translators are the perfect candidates to help you expand into the Mandarin marketplace and reach new audiences with success.

Who We Are

CanTalk is a leading Canadian language service provider headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. With 25 years of experience with immediate language service provision, we offer cutting-edge integrative language technologies and services in more than 200 languages. Recognized nationally and internationally, CanTalk is available to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with your language needs. We offer a wide spectrum of language services and are supported by a base of professional and highly qualified translators and interpreters, both on-site at CanTalk’s location and off-site in a remote capacity.

CanTalk’s Mandarin interpreters and translators are certified, experienced, and dedicated to honing their craft via continual training. Their work is overseen and quality tested with regularity by our quality assurance team and is tailored to a wide variety of industries and contexts. Hailing from many regions of China and beyond, CanTalk’s translators can ensure that your language project reflects the appropriate Mandarin dialect for your audience.

Our Services & Expertise

CanTalk’s core language services include Immediate Over-the-Phone Interpretation, In-Person Interpretation, Voice-Overs, Translation Services, Call Centre Services, Remote Learning Services, and more.

Don’t see the exact Mandarin language solution you’re hoping for? Contact CanTalk directly to create a customized service plan.

Pricing & Turnaround Time

CanTalk’s pricing structure and turnaround times are competitive with other high-quality language service centres. That being said, every project is unique and it’s best to contact us directly for a time estimate and pricing quote tailored to your specific needs. For general reference, our interpretive services are often available in less than one minute, while our translation services take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Industries

  • Legal – Many of our Mandarin translators are proficient with legal documents and settings—everything from contracts and mergers to courtroom interpretation services.
  • Medical – Timely and accurate Mandarin translation services can be critical in medical settings ranging from emergency rooms to remote clinics.  CanTalk can also accommodate the translation of medical records, documents, and more.  
  • Financial – Looking for language assistance with financial documents, services, meetings, or presentations? CanTalk’s Mandarin translators can help.
  • Life Sciences – From academic research to medical device development and pharmaceutical marketing, Mandarin translation services can help you expand in whole new directions.
  • Entertainment – Voice-overs, script translation, subtitling, live interpretation services, and more can all help your entertainment industry project reach new audiences.
  • Business – With so many Mandarin/English commerce connections, CanTalk’s Mandarin translators are well positioned to help with everything from document translation to interpretation for meetings, presentations, and conferences. CanTalk assists businesses in accelerating their marketing objectives with customized services for regional demographics, specific business needs, and multi-ethnic market bases.
  • Hospitality & Travel – Let our Mandarin interpreters help you expand into new marketplaces with everything from travel guides to tour services.
  • Government – CanTalk’s professional Chinese translation services are perfect for governments and government agencies needing language support in a wide range of contexts.

CanTalk is ready to provide professional Mandarin Chinese translation services any time of the day or night. Reach out to us for a quote today!

Chinese Translation Tips

Cantonese Vs. Mandarin

Mandarin and Cantonese are two related but distinct Chinese language varieties. Though they share written characters and some common words, they’re considered mutually unintelligible.

Mandarin is by far the most spoken language. With approximately 1.1 billion speakers worldwide, it’s prevalent in most of China’s major cities as well as throughout Singapore and Taiwan.

Cantonese has approximately 70 million speakers and is mainly prevalent in southern China as well as the cities of Hong Kong and Macau.

When seeking Chinese language translation services, it’s vital not to confuse Mandarin and Cantonese.

Avoid Machine Translation

Machine translation can be useful under certain circumstances. However, no machine possesses the creativity or cultural and contextual awareness to make meaning with the skill of a real human translator, particularly, when speaking and then interpreting the spoken word. While this is true for all languages, nowhere is it more evident than when it comes to Chinese language translation. Mandarin and English are utterly unrelated in any way including structure, grammar, and cultural reference points. It takes a skilled translator with mastery of both English and Mandarin to capture nuance and meaning with consistency.

Chinese Language Facts

  • Mandarin has more native speakers than any other language on the planet. Mandarin speakers account for about 14% of the world’s population and about 70% of all Chinese language speakers.
  • Mandarin began to develop in the 10th and 11th centuries—about 1,000 years ago.
  • Mandarin has 50,000 distinct written characters, though only about 2,500 of them are used in everyday communication.
  • Because Mandarin is a tonal language, the same word can have multiple meanings depending on how it’s inflected. Mandarin has four inflected tones plus a neutral tone.
  • Mandarin is considered one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to master.

Chinese Varieties & Dialects

Mandarin and Cantonese are two of the major language varieties within the Chinese language family, but linguists recognize about seven in total. Though they may share written characters and some vocabulary, these seven varieties are not mutually intelligible and can be thought of as separate (but related) languages. Within them, of course, are many localized regional dialects, making the overall diversity of Chinese languages quite staggering.

Aside from Mandarin and Cantonese, other Chinese language varieties include Xiang (Hunanese), the Wu Dialect, Hakka dialect, Min dialect, Kejia dialect, and Gan dialect. When hiring Mandarin translation services, it’s crucial to know what variety or dialect of Mandarin your target audience speaks.

For culturally aware Mandarin language services that can help you reach your target audience with precision, contact CanTalk today!