User manuals serve to provide instructions to end users on how to properly and effectively operate the product. Other names or forms of user manuals include user guides, technical documentation, or operational manual. For software, this could include terms such as quick start guide or software manual.

In today’s globalized economy, products are manufactured all across the world. That makes proper user manual translation crucial in ensuring international end users have an understanding of how to use your products safely and effectively.

Translation Services Market size was valued at USD 39.37 Billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 46.22 Billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 2.07% from 2021 to 2028.

As the official source of technical communication from the manufacturer, properly translated user manuals are not only important for international end users but are also a legally mandatory prerequisite for selling in many regions around the world.

What Should a Great User Manual Include?

As a key part of user experience, a great user manual should be crafted with the end user in mind. User manuals should aim to be clear and concise, including key product information and warnings of potential hazards. Users should be able to quickly find what they need to get started with using your product.

Plain Language

User manuals should always be written with the end user in mind. Limit the use of technical jargon and superfluous language to keep the document as accessible to as wide a range of users as possible.

Visuals

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Regardless of language, everyone can understand pictures and the more visuals your user manual has, the more you save on translation fees. A key part of IKEA’s international success has been their prioritization of visual instructions over written instructions.

Simplicity

Keep the manual brief and concise. This includes not only text but also visuals. The simpler the user manual, the more likely end users will actually end up reading it.

Focus on the Problem

Understand why users need to read the user manual in the first place – to use your product to accomplish tasks. When writing about product features, focus on direct and simple explanations of how users how users can use each feature to achieve their goals.

Logical Hierarchy and Flow

Develop the user manual according to how the end user will be using your product. Focus on the basics of the product before explaining advanced features. Use headings and subheadings to categorize each step.

Table of Contents

Ensure that when a user reaches for the manual, they can find what they are looking for within a few page flips with a table of contents.

Searchable Content

With the ubiquity of internet access, today, user manuals are also hosted online. Ensure your user manual is optimized for the best features of internet browsers – the search function. This way, users can instantaneously scan the entire document for keywords they need to solve their problem.

Accessible Content

Creating accessible content doesn’t just mean having the manual in a variety of languages. Ensure your user manual is still accessible for end users who may be hard of hearing or visually impaired.

Good Design of User Manual 

Design for as wide a range of audiences as possible. Keep white space to a maximum and break up long lines of text. Keep graphics simple and make sure they translate across cultures. Ensure consistency in visual and written style across all documentation.

User Feedback

Sometimes, working on a product or a project for too long will bias you towards how you see the product. Getting feedback from end users help ensure you’re creating the user manual for them.

Links to Further Resources

Keeping your user manual simple is important. You don’t want to be overwhelming users with advanced information. Consider providing links or QR codes that lead to more detailed information for advanced users. For print documentation, this can also include an email and customer hotline number.

Legal Requirements

Each market has their own legal requirements for how user manuals are written and what it must include. For example, the European Economic Area (EEA), consisting of all 27 EU member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, has a standardized set of directives for CE marking, which stands for European Conformity.

The CE marking, required for specific products, indicates that the manufacturer declares product compliance with relevant EEA product safety legislation. For products that fall under the 25 CE directives or regulations, a CE marking is mandatory if it is to be sold in the EEA. These requirements include mandatory translation to language(s) of the country where the product is sold, intended use of the product, descriptions of foreseeable misuse of the product, risk analysis of the product, safety information, and information on packaging waste.

What Parts of the User Manual Content Should be Translated?

Aside from visuals, all parts of the user manual should be translated. The user manual should have corresponding translations of the below information in all target languages to guarantee legal compliance:

• Intended use
• Features/accessories
• Description of the main product elements
• Description of the user interface
• Safety warnings
• Installation instructions
• Description of how to use/operate the product
• Troubleshooting section and instructions on how to solve problems
• Maintenance information
• Repair information
• Information on disposal of the product and packaging
• Technical specifications
• Table of content
• Index
• Glossary
• Warranty information
• Contact details

User Manual Translation Process

Helpful Tools for User Manual Translation by Yourself

CAT stands for Computer Assisted Translation Tool. These are translation memory tools that split large multilingual documents into segments. CAT can help save translators up to 35% of the workload by memorizing previously translated content. These tools not only save time, but also ensure style consistency and translation accuracy across various sets of documentation.

Professional User Manual Translation: Professionalism and Peace of Mind

Hiring professional translators for user manual translation provides more peace of mind for businesses. As user manuals are required for safety and legal reasons, and more importantly for end user well-being and overall user experience, hiring professional translators for the various languages included is advised.

Professional translators are able to localize to target area requirements. They understand the legal issues involved and are able to take responsibility for the accuracy of their work. Finding professional translators well versed in the industry of your business is important to ensure accurate translation of technical terminology.

Readers can tell when a product manual is translated professionally. Grammatical errors and incorrect terminology will at best come off as untrustworthy to foreign users and at worst cause end users to improperly operate your product and open up your business to risk of potential legal troubles.

At HI-COM, we have a wide network of professional native translators specialized in all major industries. We offer professional full-suite multilingual user manual translation, saving your business costs and time looking for translators for each target language. As a China-based translation agency, we specialize in helping China-based companies expand abroad and international companies enter the Chinese market.

DTP Services for User Manual Translation

Every modern translation agency provides desktop publishing services, or DTP. At HI-COM, we value your time. We provide not only multilingual user manual translation but also DTP services to help your user manual look as professional as it reads. Our DTP team of technical designers help work on page-layout, graphic design, and international typesetting.

With native translators specialized in your industry and experienced technical designers to integrate all languages into your preferred format, (InDesign, AI, PDF, etc), HI-COM provides a one-stop solution for your multilingual technical documentation needs.

Contact us for your free consultation today!

Scan QR code to follow Localization and The Chinese Market Entry News or Contact us on WeChat: 

User manuals serve to provide instructions to end users on how to properly and effectively operate the product. Other names or forms of user manuals include user guides, technical documentation, or operational manual. For software, this could include terms such as quick start guide or software manual.

In today’s globalized economy, products are manufactured all across the world. That makes proper user manual translation crucial in ensuring international end users have an understanding of how to use your products safely and effectively.

As the official source of technical communication from the manufacturer, properly translated user manuals are not only important for international end users but are also a legally mandatory prerequisite for selling in many regions around the world.

What Should a Great User Manual Include?

As a key part of user experience, a great user manual should be crafted with the end user in mind. User manuals should aim to be clear and concise, including key product information and warnings of potential hazards. Users should be able to quickly find what they need to get started with using your product.

Plain Language

User manuals should always be written with the end user in mind. Limit the use of technical jargon and superfluous language to keep the document as accessible to as wide a range of users as possible.

Visuals

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Regardless of language, everyone can understand pictures and the more visuals your user manual has, the more you save on translation fees. A key part of IKEA’s international success has been their prioritization of visual instructions over written instructions.

Simplicity

Keep the manual brief and concise. This includes not only text but also visuals. The simpler the user manual, the more likely end users will actually end up reading it.

Focus on the Problem

Understand why users need to read the user manual in the first place – to use your product to accomplish tasks. When writing about product features, focus on direct and simple explanations of how users how users can use each feature to achieve their goals.

Logical Hierarchy and Flow

Develop the user manual according to how the end user will be using your product. Focus on the basics of the product before explaining advanced features. Use headings and subheadings to categorize each step.

Table of Contents

Ensure that when a user reaches for the manual, they can find what they are looking for within a few page flips with a table of contents.

Searchable Content

With the ubiquity of internet access, today, user manuals are also hosted online. Ensure your user manual is optimized for the best features of internet browsers – the search function. This way, users can instantaneously scan the entire document for keywords they need to solve their problem.

Accessible Content

Creating accessible content doesn’t just mean having the manual in a variety of languages. Ensure your user manual is still accessible for end users who may be hard of hearing or visually impaired.

Good Design

Design for as wide a range of audiences as possible. Keep white space to a maximum and break up long lines of text. Keep graphics simple and make sure they translate across cultures. Ensure consistency in visual and written style across all documentation.

User Feedback

Sometimes, working on a product or a project for too long will bias you towards how you see the product. Getting feedback from end users help ensure you’re creating the user manual for them.

Links to Further Resources

Keeping your user manual simple is important. You don’t want to be overwhelming users with advanced information. Consider providing links or QR codes that lead to more detailed information for advanced users. For print documentation, this can also include an email and customer hotline number.

Legal Requirements

Each market has their own legal requirements for how user manuals are written and what it must include. For example, the European Economic Area (EEA), consisting of all 27 EU member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, has a standardized set of directives for CE marking, which stands for European Conformity.

The CE marking, required for specific products, indicates that the manufacturer declares product compliance with relevant EEA product safety legislation. For products that fall under the 25 CE directives or regulations, a CE marking is mandatory if it is to be sold in the EEA. These requirements include mandatory translation to language(s) of the country where the product is sold, intended use of the product, descriptions of foreseeable misuse of the product, risk analysis of the product, safety information, and information on packaging waste.

What Parts of the User Manual Content Should be Translated?

Aside from visuals, all parts of the user manual should be translated. The user manual should have corresponding translations of the below information in all target languages to guarantee legal compliance:

• Intended use
• Features/accessories
• Description of the main product elements
• Description of the user interface
• Safety warnings
• Installation instructions
• Description of how to use/operate the product
• Troubleshooting section and instructions on how to solve problems
• Maintenance information
• Repair information
• Information on disposal of the product and packaging
• Technical specifications
• Table of content
• Index
• Glossary
• Warranty information
• Contact details

User Manual Translation Process

Helpful Tools for User Manual Translation by Yourself

CAT stands for Computer Assisted Translation Tool. These are translation memory tools that split large multilingual documents into segments. CAT can help save translators up to 35% of the workload by memorizing previously translated content. These tools not only save time, but also ensure style consistency and translation accuracy across various sets of documentation.

Professional User Manual Translation: Professionalism and Peace of Mind

Hiring professional translators for user manual translation provides more peace of mind for businesses. As user manuals are required for safety and legal reasons, and more importantly for end user well-being and overall user experience, hiring professional translators for the various languages included is advised.

Professional translators are able to localize to target area requirements. They understand the legal issues involved and are able to take responsibility for the accuracy of their work. Finding professional translators well versed in the industry of your business is important to ensure accurate translation of technical terminology.

Readers can tell when a product manual is translated professionally. Grammatical errors and incorrect terminology will at best come off as untrustworthy to foreign users and at worst cause end users to improperly operate your product and open up your business to risk of potential legal troubles.

At HI-COM, we have a wide network of professional native translators specialized in all major industries. We offer professional full-suite multilingual user manual translation, saving your business costs and time looking for translators for each target language. As a China-based translation agency, we specialize in helping China-based companies expand abroad and international companies enter the Chinese market.

DTP Services

Every modern translation agency provides desktop publishing services, or DTP. At HI-COM, we value your time. We provide not only multilingual user manual translation but also DTP services to help your user manual look as professional as it reads. Our DTP team of technical designers help work on page-layout, graphic design, and international typesetting.

With native translators specialized in your industry and experienced technical designers to integrate all languages into your preferred format, (InDesign, AI, PDF, etc), HI-COM provides a one-stop solution for your multilingual technical documentation needs.

HI-COM is a localization and multilingual communication agency dedicated to providing China-specific strategy, social media communication and e-commerce marketing services to businesses around the world. Working with more than 100 brands, HI-COM is the go-to partner of companies that want to enter China market!  Contact us for your free consultation today!

Scan QR code to follow Localization and The Chinese Market Entry News or Contact us on WeChat: 

What documents and steps are required to get married or divorce in China? How can expats arrange their marriage contract? Get all answers here!

How to Register Marriage in China

Chinese-Foreign Marriage Registration

Congratulations! You found your one true love and want to get married / 结婚 jiehun. The rules may vary depending on your nationality and under which jurisdiction you want your marriage to be recognized under.

Where

Marriage registration office of the local civil affairs bureau, (民政局Min Zheng Ju) in each jurisdiction.

What documents are required to get married in China?

For Both Partners

• Marriage registration application form
• Registration fee

For Chinese Partner

• Certificate of birth
• Hukou
• Healthcare certificate (can obtain from the nearest hospital)
• Signed statement of non-family relations within 3 generations with a future spouse
• Certificate of Marriageability

For Foreign Partner

• Current passport
• Health certificate from a Chinese hospital designated by the marriage registration office
• Residence permit
• Certificate of marriageability*
• Visa
• For those who have been married before: divorce certificate*

*Documents that may requiring translation

What documents have to be translated before applying for marriage?

• Certificate of marriageability
• Divorce certificate (For those who have been married before)

You can translate these documents at HI-COM, all what you need to do is simply shoot us an email! All our quotes are free of charge.

Contact us at: contact@hicom-asia.com

About certificate marriageability:
One requirement that is generally applied to all people wishing to be married in China is the need for a Certificate of Marriageability. No this is not a certificate stating you are a good catch and would make an excellent husband or wife. It is proof that you are single, and not currently married. The Chinese is 单身证明 (danshenzhengming), which translates literally to “single certificate”.

It can be in the form of a statutory declaration, affidavit, or a certificate issued from your home country, depending on the rules applicable to where you come from. If you have previously been married, you will need certified and notarized translations of any applicable divorce papers or death certificate of your former partner, to accompany with your Certificate of Marriageability.

Marriageability certificate translation sample

About Foreign-Foreign Marriage Registration in China

Since March 2019 Civil Affairs Department cancelled that provision. Nothing more recent suggests that the government notice has been lifted/amended. For the latest information, you should contact your local registry office (Civil Affairs Office or 民政部).

Arranging a Prenuptial Contract in China

Starting a family with a foreigner is of course very exciting, but legally speaking, things may not always run so smoothly. And when it comes to preparing a prenuptial agreement or ‘prenup’ (also called a marriage contract), it may cast a few negative shadows in the minds of those planning to tie the knot.

But nevertheless, it is a good idea to protect both of your assets from any not-so-happy endings. Signing a prenup not only will protect your existing assets and inheritance, but also will protect your spouse from any future debts you or your business may have.

Prenuptial Contract Preparation I Chinese-Foreign Couple

Step 1. Go to lawyer’s office

The process begins in lawyer’s or notary’s office. As the marriage will be legal in your country (and in China), you will need to have a lawyer or a notary who will draft a contract in your native language.

When it comes to a marriage contract, only the native language of you and your spouse counts (so for a French-Chinese marriage for example, no English documents are necessary).

The draft will be signed by the notary or a lawyer, as he/she will be liable for any mistakes in such an important document.

Step 2. Translate your marriage contract

The second step is to translate your prenup to Chinese (language of your spouse). For this you will need to call upon the services of a sworn translator who also has to sign the document and mark it with their official seal.

Step 3. Sign up

Congratulations! You are able to to sign your prenup! Remember to sign it before you sign your marriage license, otherwise this contract will have no legal effect.

Have already completed step 1 and in need of a sworn translator? Get your translation at HI-COM! Contact us today for your free quote!

Contact us at: contact@hicom-asia.com

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Prenuptial Contract Preparation I Foreign-Foreign Couple

If both of you are foreigners who live in China, and you are not from the same country, you still can prepare a prenuptial agreement in China.

As long as foreigner-foreigner marriage cannot be registered in China these days we will talk about the postnuptial agreement. Below are the steps of preparing your marriage contract in China.

Step 1. Go to lawyer’s office

To prepare a prenup, one of the spouses must contact a lawyer/notary of his/her home country or an embassy/consulate. The lawyer/notary will draft a prenup in the native language of one the applicants.

Step 2. Translate your prenup

After that the marriage contract shall be translated to the native language of the second spouse by a sworn translator.

For this step you need a sworn translator means a translator authorized by the Court, the only actor capable of translating a document with a legal value.

Contact us today to hire one! All quotations are free of charge.

Our email: contact@hicom-asia.com

Step 3. Go to your local consulate or embassy

After translation and sealing done, both parties can schedule a meeting with the notary at one of their consulates, where all parties will sign it.

Viola! Now you are safe from unexpected moments if you would be divorcing.

How to Get Divorced in China?

How can you apply to divorce in China?

First things first, can expats apply for divorce in China? The answer is yes, no matter if your marriage is foreigner-foreigner or foreigner-Chinese.

Below we describe the procedure and what documents you may need to get divorced in China.

How to Get a Divorce in China I Foreigner-Foreigner Couple

If your marriage is a foreigner-foreigner is considered as a “foreign-related marriage’ in China, hence divorce has to be processed with the court.

You can also apply for both types of divorce, namely “divorce by agreement” and “divorce by litigation”, but no matter what type of divorce you want to proceed you still have to go to court to get civil meditation statement a certificate that proves that divorce is legal.

Requirements to apply for a divorce as an expat in China

To apply for divorce in China at least one of the spouse must either obtain a foreign permanent residency in China and be physically present in China or resided continuously for one year.

What documents are required for divorce in China as an expat couple?

• Divorce agreement signed by both parties
• Marriage certificate*
• Passport
• Residence permit or visa
• Police registration certificates
• Property ownership certificates (for Chinese real estate only)
• Birth certificates (for minor children only)

* Certified translation is required if you obtain a marriage certificate or birth certificate that was issued abroad of China.

Contact us today to get your translation done! All quotes are free of charge. Our email: contact@hicom-asia.com

How to Get Divorced in China I Chinese-Foreigner Couple

For the couple where one of the spouse is Chinese citizen and application type is “divorce by agreement” going to court might not be nessesary. Couple can register divorce in the marriage registration office instead.

However is allocation type is “divorce by litigation” further steps mignt be finding a lawyer and file with the court.

What documents are required for divorce in China as a Chinese-foreigner couple?

For Both

• Divorce agreement signed by both parties
• Marriage certificate*

For Chinese Partner

Hukou and ID card

For Foreign Partner

• Passport
• Residence permit or visa
• Police registration certificates
• Property ownership certificates (for Chinese real estate only)
• Birth certificates (for minor children only)

* Certified translation is required if you obtain a marriage certificate or birth certificate that was issued abroad of China.

Contact us today to get your translation done! All quotes are free of charge. Our email: contact@hicom-asia.com

Marriage certificate translation sample

What documents may require certified translation for foreign nationality children in China when Going to School

China does not automatically recognize the authenticity of a given legal document, be it a diploma or school report, in its original language. Whether applying for kindergarten or school, it’s often required that a translation is made of requisite documents and that it is made by a company that has been vetted, and is licensed, by the Chinese government.

After years of experience, HI-COM is able to clarify what kind of documents may require translation for non-Chinese children living in China. To remove any unwanted surprises, below is a list of examples where a certified translation is needed in China.

List of documents

• Certificates of previous vaccinations
• Academic transcripts
• School reports
• Diplomas

What documents may require certified translation when applying for a bank loan from outside of China

If you are applying for loan outside of China, but from a Chinese bank, you may be asked for translated and certified documents such as bank statements. A full list of documents is below:

List of documents

• Bank statements
• Evidence of any additional income
• Payslips & tax returns
• Proof of home address

What documents are required to be translated for foreigners to inherit property in China and abroad when in China

• Death certificate
• Kinship certificates
• Inheritance certificate

How to Get a Document Notarized in China

As the Chinese economy grows, and more education and business opportunities open up, more and more people from countries all over the world are coming to study, work, and build a life for themselves in China. This has led to a sharp increase in the number of Chinese diplomas, birth certificates, marriage certificates, visas, and residence permits being issued to non-Chinese nationals. If you belong to this growing group of people, your home country may require you to have your official Chinese documents translated into your home language and also notarized by the Chinese authorities.

Cases when you may need notarized translation

1. A potential employer in your home country would like to check that your diploma(s) you obtained in China is genuine and official.
2. You got married in China and you need to make the marriage legally recognized in your home country.
   However please note that marriages registered in China may already be legally recognized in your home country without the need for a translation – please check this with your consulate or local authority.
3. Birth certificate. Your children were born in China and you intend to move them to your home country in the future.

Before taking any concrete actions, it is important to find out whether your translated documents need to be notarized at all. It may be sufficient just to have them certified by a translation agency, the details of which can be found in this article.

If you are certain that your Chinese documents need to be notarized, then it is first of all important to note that any document that was issued by the Chinese Government and originally drawn up in Mandarin must be notarized in China by an officially recognized notary.

To ensure you are completely clear on the process, HI-COM did some thorough research for you and visited three different notaries in China, to ensure the information received was consistent.

Here is how to notarize a document in China

Step 1:

First of all, you will need to head to your local notary in China. You will need to go there in person with your passport and the original copies of the documentation that requires notarization.

Q: But what if I can’t get there myself? Is there a solution?

If for whatever reason you cannot go in person, someone must go to the notary on your behalf with a letter of authorization written in Chinese and signed by you. An example of this authorization letter is shown below:

Q: It’s ok, I can get there myself – do I need to book an appointment?

Normally it is not necessary to book an appointment with the notary, but you may need to wait in a queue for some time before you get served.

Q: I don’t speak Chinese, will this be an issue when I visit the notary?

If your level of Chinese is on the low side, we strongly recommend bringing a native Mandarin speaker with you, or someone with a very high level of spoken Mandarin, to make the process as smooth as possible.

Step 2:

After you have explained your requirements to the notary, they will then take care of the entire translation and notarization process. Therefore you cannot bring a translated certificate to the notary and then have it notarized. To notarize Chinese documents you shall provide the original copies.

How much will it cost?

The cost of the translation will range between 60 to 1000 RMB, depending on the size of the documents to be translated. The cost of the notarization will range between 100 to 600 RMB.

Also make sure you allow at least seven full working days for the translation and notarization process.

Q: What languages can be handled in this process?

Most notaries can notarize Chinese documents as well as prepare the translations from Chinese into English, French, German, and Spanish. For other languages, you will need to check with your local notary.

We hope you find the above information useful, and if you need any help finding a notary near you in China, shoot us a mail and we will do our very best to help!

Please note: all the above information was deemed correct at the time of publication, and may be subject to change at a later date.

Once again, if your documents do not require notarization, a certified translation will most likely be sufficient. More about Certified translation

In need of certified or sworn translation services? Contact us today to get your translation done! All quotes are free of charge. Our email: contact@hicom-asia.com

Guangzhou has one of the most impressive public transport networks in the world. The metro system alone has 14 lines, covering a whopping 478km; it is the third most expansive in China, and 10th in the world. It can take you to local nature spots like Baiyun Mountain, and hotspots like Shamian Island, but anyone having an extended stay in the city will soon find there are places of curiosity beyond its reach. If you want to go off the beaten path, explore the small towns and countryside nearby, or perhaps take an aimless trip down the coast, the best option is to drive.

There’s no need to own a car when you live in Guangzhou, and fortunately if you do wish to venture out, rental cars are quite affordable. Split the cost between a few friends, and you have a great, inexpensive road tripon your hands. International driving licenses, however, are not recognised in China. The process of getting a locally-recognised driving license may seem off-putting at first, but really it’s not too hard, and certainly pays off.

Since September 2019, the process has been made significantly easier. Expats are now able to get a temporary driving permit that requires no exams, no medical check, and is valid for up to a year (and can be renewed!). It’s so smooth that you can be in and out of the office within one hour. Here’s how.

Getting a Driving Licence in Guangzhou: Step One

Get some documents in order. You’ll need to present your passport and visa, and photocopies of both. You’ll need to show your French driving license, as well as a translation of the license from an accredited translation agency (this typically costs 400-600 RMB).
Pick a Chinese name if you don’t already have one, and make sure it corresponds with the translation of your license. Make sure you know your phone number, and have your address ready in Chinese. You may or may not need to present your temporary residence permit – to be safe, prepare it, along with a photocopy. The last thing is two one-inch colour portrait photos, which you can get made in most metro stations for about 40RMB.

Getting a Driving Licence in Guangzhou: Step Two

Book an appointment with the Guangzhou traffic police (广州公安局交警支队车管所), by calling 020-87220001. Their office is located in Tianhe District, at 1732 Huaguan Road (天河区岑村华观路1732号).

Getting a Driving Licence in Guangzhou: Step Three

Turn up for your appointment, with all the required documents, and you’re pretty much done! The fee, at the time of writing, is just 30RMB. It’s a good idea to take a Chinese-speaking friend with you, in case there’s an extra requirement, but as of the time of writing, this is all that’s needed.

Is it really that easy? Yes.

What if I want more than a year?

You can renew your temporary driving permit, if you have a residence permit. Alternatively, you can go through the process of getting a driving license that is valid for up to six years. This is a bit more expensive, requires more documents, and also requires that you pass a theoretical and medical exam. For expats who intend to stay in China for some time, and who don’t mind potentially having to pay a few visits to the traffic police instead of just one, then this is perhaps a better option.

What if I don’t have a driving license from France?

You will need to sign up to a driving school, take lessons, and pass both the practical and theoretical test in the same way anyone else would here. Courses run around 2000-3000RMB.

In need of certified translation services in China? Not sure if you need a certified or notarized translation? This list of 21 situations might help!

I’M FREE! Where should I go?

There are so many great road trips you can go on from Guangzhou. You could take the coastal roads down to Zhuhai, continuing on to the stunning scenery of Yu Tang Mountain. Thrill-seekers might seek out the giant glass bridge in Gulong Canyon. Or, for a combination of nature and culture, head north to Nanling National Forest Park and visit the impossibly beautiful mountain-top pagoda.

HI-COM is a multilingual translation agency dedicated to providing professional translation services to businesses around the world. Contact us for your free consultation today!

If you’d like more information, feel free to get in touch as we’d be delighted to hear from you!

Other articles:

All you need to know about NAATI Certified translation

Types of Legal translation

While Covid-19 may have put a dent in globalized business during 2020, a bounce-back looks to be just around the corner. With huge new markets opening up in Asia, across multiple industries, now is the time to prepare for when trade starts flowing again.

Professional translation puts companies at a significant advantage. Whether they’re looking to create resonant B2C marketing campaigns, localize their products, or seek new business development opportunities, they will always have a leg up on others who might be relying on English alone, or using flawed automatic translation services. Below are ten industries we think stand to benefit most from professional translation in 2021.

Gaming

The Asia-Pacific region has dominated the gaming market for at least the last five years, and it continues to grow, unabated by the global pandemic. China alone this year increased its number of active gamers to a whopping 661 million, who collectively generate around $10bn revenue per quarter.

The name of the game is mobile in China, where around three-quarters of all gaming revenue is racked up on hand-held devices. In 2019, Game for Peace, a localized version of the wildly successful mobile shooter PUBG, shot to success. During the first three days of its availability, it racked up more than $14 million revenue. By employing the use of culturally-appropriate language, and a decent grasp of Chinese netizen slang, future game developers stand a chance of replicating some of that success.

E-learning and educational

Even before the pandemic, the e-learning industry was surging across Asia. Estimates were that the annual revenue of $35bn in 2019 was set to grow at 11% per year for the next seven years. When the pandemic hit, that growth rate shot through the roof, and investors were paying attention. As recently as last December, surveys found that the amount in funding rounds is six times higher than in 2019.

International companies have a storied run of success in education in China, with the likes of EF, Disney and Wall Street English creating vast enterprises that span the whole country. Now, as the market moves increasingly online, opportunities exist for new players, if they’re able to get their communications right.

E-commerce

For years, the flow of value in e-commerce was seen as directed from Asian manufacturing to international sales. Now, though, the e-commerce consumer market in Asia rivals that of any other region. In 2020, during the annual ‘singles day’ shopping event, Alibaba and JingDong surpassed $115bn of sales in just 11 days.

Overwhelmingly, now, Chinese and East Asian consumers are turning to social media-style shopping platforms for their buying recommendations. RED (xiaohongshu), for example, now has more than 300 million users. These platforms are driven by content marketing, and attention to detail – RED users are famed for their in-depth product research. For international sellers to compete, then, it’s simply a necessity that they have professional translation to communicate the details of their product.

Manufacturing

Over the span of around 40 years, China gained a reputation as ‘the world’s factory’. While today’s China is becoming known for its high-tech and services output, manufacturing still remains the backbone of the economy. Opportunities for international manufacturing firms abound; the country is a treasure trove of factories.

Business relationships in China are not always formal and logistical. They are conducted on the basis of mutual understanding, amicability and personal connection. Negotiation never truly ends, even if a contract has been signed. It is therefore vital for communication to be clear, to show an understanding of customs and cultural norms. An accidentally offensive slip-up might cost a whole contract.

Medicine

Besides Covid, two trends are dominating medicine in Asia, going into 2021. First, ageing populations across the APAC region are driving huge growth, around 11% annually, in the drugs market. Second, easing of regulations and a booming middle class are creating an increasing demand for private hospitals. Companies like Jiahui Health provide excellent examples of how a mixed approach, of both English and Chinese language communications, can garner success for international industry.

Looking for medical translation services? Contact us today!

Go to the medical translation page

Marketing Research

Think you can direct-translate English market research questions into East Asian languages? Think again. Chinese and Japanese are highly contextual languages, where meaning is often implicit. One sentence could mean any number of different things, depending on the context within which it is used.

To get reliable reporting on marketing research, businesses must guarantee that their questions cannot be variously interpreted. The operative factor in this regard is often deeply cultural, far beyond what any automatic translator can parse.

Packaging

When KFC first came to China, its famed slogan ‘finger-lickin’ good’ was translated into a sentence which in fact means ‘eat your fingers off’. When Pepsi rolled out its slogan ‘Come alive with the Pepsi generation,’ it was translated to ‘Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead.’

Suffice to say, correct translation on packaging is very important. If we weigh the time and money it takes to professionally translate a simple catchphrase or product detail, versus the cost of a huge marketing blunder, or, worse, total product recall, it just doesn’t compare.

SaaS

With fast-speed internet access sweeping Asia, and workplaces increasingly shifting operations online, there are now huge opportunities for cloud software providers to bring their solutions to new markets.

There are homegrown competitors in this marketplace, emanating mainly from Hong Kong but spread across all of East and South East Asia. However, it is a relatively new game, and savvy international companies stand a chance of breaking in if they’re able to communicate the benefits of their services effectively.

Finance

The growth of financial hubs in Asia is no secret. The rate at which they continue to grow, however, might be surprising to some. The 2020 Global Financial Centers Index placed six of the top 10 centers in the world in Asia; four of which are in China.

Now is the time for financial institutions and services to look East. Though it may seem a daunting task at first, with professional translation the process will inevitably be smoother.

Construction

The Asia-Pacific region is experiencing a construction boom, buoyed by phenomenal infrastructure spending and emboldened real estate markets.

While there is room for cautious optimism about the recovery of the construction markets in Europe and the US, most forecasters predict a sure-fire growth in Asia. It may be time for companies to dip their toes, but first impressions are everything. A company’s reputation hinges on the efficacy of its communication.

Need a translation but not sure if you need a certified or notarized translation? Our guide might help!

Summary

Why 2021? Why specifically are the industries mentioned above in need of professional translation this year? If it’s not obvious, it should be. The global pandemic has lit a fire under the changes that were already well under way. With international markets having shifted so much over the last year, now is the time for international industry players to take note, and adapt.

HI-COM is a multilingual translation agency dedicated to providing professional translation and interpreting services to companies all over the world. Working in over 40 languages, HI-COM is the localization partner for hundreds of companies and brands. Contact us today for your free consultation!

If you would like more information regarding the translation of your documents, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

If you decide to work or live abroad, or simply start a visa procedure, you will probably need to translate certain documents.

HI-COM is an official translation agency, and we provide a variety of certified translations.

HI-COM is able to provide you with official certified translations, as well as sworn translations. But, how do you decide? You must define your real translation needs.

1) What is a certified translation?

A certified translation is a translation carried out by a professional specialist agency. The certified translation document produced by a translation company will be sealed.

• How do you recognise a certified translation?

A certified translation will include a statement proving that it is a correct and true translation of the original document, as well as the translator’s signature and stamp.

A certified translation is an official translation commonly used for legal administration purposes.

• What is a sworn translation?

A sworn translation is an official document as it is carried out by a translator who is legally registered with the Ministry of Justice of the country concerned. Only translators who have taken an oath before a court of law can use their stamp to seal a sworn translation.

2) Certified Chinese is different in France

Every country has its own rules regarding official certified translation.  For example, the role of the person authorizing and the forms provided, are likely to vary from country to country.

It is therefore the client’s responsibility to enquire about specific requirements with the authority for whom the translations are intended, particularly with regards to “legalization”.

In France for example, the title of an Expert Translator is regulated and protected by law.

Need a translation from France?

• Certified translation in France: If the administration is requesting a certified translation in French, you can do it here with us at HI-COM. The general procedure is straight forward, just simply send a scan to one of our HI-COM representatives, and wait until the certified translation is completed!

• Sworn translation in France: This type of translation is often requested by the French administration, or more specifically, the court. The process is much more long-winded and complicated than that of a certified translation. But in order to obtain a French sworn translation, the original must be sent directly to France by registered post (HI-COM will take care of the shipments).

Need a translation from China?

• Certified and sworn translations must be carried out by a professional translator (legal expert), appointed by a Court of Appeal or the Court of Cassation.

3) What documents are required for a certified translation?

When mightn’t you need a certified translation in China?

Find out more in our article on certified translation in China:

• Chinese work permits

When applying for a work permit, you may need several documents, including documents such as letters of recommendation from former employers, CV’s, diplomas, school reports, and criminal records, etc.

• 1000 Internships visa (China-France visa program)

This type of visa is issued to a limited number of young French students, allowing them to intern in China. With this visa, it is only possible to obtain a work permit + a category C residence permit. The duration of the internship can vary from 3 to 6 months, and only students enrolled in a French higher education establishment, can apply for it.

France considers a trainee as a trainee, whilst China considers a trainee as a short-term employee, therefore remuneration is compulsory. This visa also allows students to travel to and from China, making the procedure almost as complex as that of a work visa.

Here are the steps to obtain this visa:

1. Send the documents to a company in China for translation into Chinese. The two most essential documents to be translated are the criminal record and the internship agreement.
2. Register the company at the Labour Office. Apply for a visa in France and then register it definitively after medical examinations in China.
3. Apply for a residence permit.

• Certified translation for a loan application from a foreign bank

When applying for a mortgage loan in France, the United States, and other countries, it is necessary to provide several bank statements and pay slips. However, people working in China will need to translate these documents first. Chinese pay slips, bank statements and tax records are all necessary documents when in need of a bank loan, which is why they too must be translated and certified by an approved translation agency.

• Health booklet for children

Any trip to a hospital in China may require a medical records of the child in order to present it to the doctors and facilitate their work. However, a health record in English, German, or French (or in any other foreign language) will not be useful, so it is recommended to have the health record translated into Chinese beforehand to prevent any problems.

• Translation of the Chinese business license/ foreign business license

When a company registered in China seeks to advertise abroad or apply for any program abroad, it is necessary to have the commercial and foreign licenses translated.

For example, if you have a tender from a European institution, it is necessary to have the commercial license translated into the European language or English, therefore, a sworn translation is required.

If you need to have your foreign commercial license translated into Chinese, a sworn translation is required.

• Enrolment in a Chinese university

To enroll in a Chinese university, you will need to provide certain documents translated from French/English into Chinese. In this case, a certified translation is required. It is often mentioned that a degree is awarded in partnership with foreign universities, which can make the process easier. However, even in the case of a partnership, the classic direct application is common and you may be asked to provide the translation of transcripts and diplomas in digital form as well as the application form.

In addition, it is necessary to present the original documents and translations on the day of arrival at the university.

4) What are the advantages of using HI-COM? 

 Some of your translations may need to be certified, notarised or even carried out by a sworn translator. Don’t panic, HI-COM are extremely experienced in these services!

At HI-COM, our sworn translators each have the required qualifications and certificates that can be presented upon request. Each sworn or certified translation is sealed with our official stamp “Official Translation Company”, or the stamp of the sworn translator.

Copies of your translated original document can also be delivered to you upon request.

HI-COM is a multilingual translation agency dedicated to providing professional translation and interpreting services to companies all over the world. Working in over 40 languages, HI-COM is the localization partner for hundreds of companies and brands. Contact us today for your free consultation!

If you would like more information regarding the translation of your documents, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Your industries is in need for professional translators? Despite the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has damaged the travel and tourism industries, the world is still more keenly connected than ever before. It’s all due to the availability and reliability of internet infrastructure (supported by widespread digital training). Within a few seconds, almost anyone can start a discussion with someone thousands of miles away.

This has a couple of interesting and contrasting effects. Firstly, it reminds us all that we’re not so different. We’re all looking for conversation and connection. Secondly, it makes it abundantly clear how differently we communicate. Two people from similar parts of the world can run into terms they use distinctly, so international exchanges can be highly confusing.

In casual chats, we can rely on automated translation services — but they’re seriously limited in what they can achieve, particularly when it comes to nuance and context. In the business world, there’s often a need for manual translation from highly-trained professionals like HI-COM. In this post, we’re going to look at four particular industries that need professional translators in 2020. Let’s begin.

SaaS

The SaaS world (SaaS standing for software as a service) has risen dramatically in popularity during the lockdowns of 2020, making it possible for companies of many kids to pivot to remote working. Whether it’s the broad productivity enhancement of G Suite or the meeting-managing videoconferencing of Zoom, professionals of most stripes can get their work done from home.

Since the pandemic has affected (almost) the entire world, though, the demand for software has been global, which means that any ambitious SaaS developer will want to at least consider offering their services internationally — and that demands professional translation to ensure that the navigational elements make total sense and there’s a consistently-good user experience. Even mild awkwardness in the translation of a menu item can lead to a terrible user experience that ends up damaging the brand’s reputation.

Ecommerce

People stuck at home this year (during the middle of the year in particular) had little choice but to turn to online retail to collect supplies: after all, most brick-and-mortar stores were shuttered, and visiting those still open — those considered essential — was an intimidating prospect. This led to online sellers seeing their profits rise instead of fall.

At the same time, ecommerce became appealing to them for another reason: it offered a route to making money while they were unable to work due to COVID-19. Setting up a modern online store is extremely easy and not at all expensive, and fulfilment methods such as dropshipping allow novice sellers to operate without needing to directly source any products.

Since ecommerce is heavily international (in addition to importing from it, many Western sellers now export their wares to China), it requires some diligent translation to ensure that products are tagged correctly, descriptions sound natural, and all associated marketing campaigns are designed to meet the needs and preferences of their target local audiences.

Law

There are two big reasons why taking legal action has seemed worthwhile to so many people this year. With so many jobs being lost and people struggling to make ends meet, they’ve been driven to seek legal justice somehow — looking for the law to step in when they’ve been treated unfairly by their employers. Additionally, the general unrest stemming from so many people being stuck at home (and from global protests) has led to interpersonal tensions.

Now, legal language can be difficult enough to parse when you’re using just one language, so what about when a tourist stuck in a country during a quarantine period needs to make a legal case for financial aid or another form of support? They need professional assistance to get their thoughts across clearly and ensure that nothing is lost in translation.

Healthcare

On the whole, there’s a strong case to be made that the healthcare industry has the biggest need for professional translators, and the justification is fairly obvious. This virus needs to be tracked and analysed on a global scale, which means speaking to presumed or confirmed sufferers from throughout the world — and that conversation can’t be vague. It needs to touch upon the exact details: when symptoms began, what they involved, how they felt, etc.

Even a small misunderstanding during this process of analysis can lead to flawed conclusions, and those flawed conclusions can spawn significant setbacks in the treatment process. Professional translators in the healthcare world, then, are absolutely essential in 2020, and efforts to combat COVID-19 would be doomed without them.

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HI-COM is a multilingual communication agency dedicated to provide high-quality translation to businesses around the world. Working with more than 100 brands, HI-COM is the go-to partner of companies!! Contact us for your free consultation today!

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8 major mistakes that almost all companies make when they are in need of a translation for the first time. Translation mistakes are common but avoidable! How to avoid making mistakes when working with translation? That path is bumpy, time-consuming and stressful. So before you make any snap decisions, check out these steps and make sure you don’t slip down the same slope as many others did before you.

We have compiled 8 major mistakes in chronological order that almost all companies make when they are in need of a translation for the first time.

Our  experience show that once small or mid-sized companies have a translation task to arrange, most of them go down the same well-trodden path. That path is bumpy, time-consuming and stressful.

Even companies like COCA-COLA when entering China suffered from the translation disasters.

Translation Mistake 1. Transferring a task to your staff

You are a manager and you have a text/brochure/catalog or even a website  to translate, and usually the first thing you will do is scan the office to see who could be up to the job:

•   the administrator, who handles most random tasks;
•   the sales guys, who are supposed to have a wicked way with words;
•   and even the engineering team, which stands behind the product itself

Whichever one you choose, you decide to have the translation done in-house.

This means that the staff will have to take some of their own time to translate these texts, i.e. do something out of their scope and what they are not qualified to do. It is also unlikely that they will take the task with much enthusiasm.

As a result you have inefficient and overloaded staff, questionable results that may not even be usable, frustration in the office and wasted time.

You now realize that your office needs some help with the task.

So then you will go to your admin or someone local and move on to:

Translation Mistake 2. Asking friends and non professionals to lend a hand

It probably wasn’t even your own idea. Your admin will convince you that her cousin/friend/English teacher will have the job done in no time and it won’t cost a thing.

And at this point if you don’t specify that you need the job done to a professional standard, she will find a student or a freelance newbie, who has the time and the will.

It will not be surprising that your text will lack style, and some terms may get lost in translation or even untouched, as most non-professionals have no idea how to translate industry specific terminology and business jargon.

The same applies when outsourcing for exhibitions. Getting a student or even a freelance translator that does not specialize in your industry brings huge risks to the reputation of your company:

• he might lack confidence

• he may get confused with professional terminology

• he may not understand the etiquette specific to your line of business

• and he might just take off unexpected

   

So back to our text translation. Seeing the result of a non-pro you will quickly
understand that this approach does not work so well, and you finally head for some professional help.

Or, at least, that’s what you think you’ll be doing.

Mistake 3. Finding a ‘cheap’ agency

We all know that price matters. We all appreciate good value, and once you have done some research in the translation world, you will be facing quite a dilemma: to go to a cheaper agency that promises fantastic time frames, a dream price and a 30% off coupon on top? Or to others that are costly, will not bargain and be quite slow in comparison to the former.

You imagine that all translation agencies are alike (read: the same), and you would imagine some are overpriced just because their office is located in a better part of the city, or they come from abroad, or their boss needs a new car. So you choose the cheap one.

And we all know the old truth – you get what you pay for. But in this case, low-cost agencies hire random foreigners, texts are not proof read (read: extra-cost) and “cheap” translators use software that will make your text sound robotic at best, or completely indecipherable at worst.

At one point you will realize you still are overloading your team to review these translations. in other words, you pay people who don’t do their job well, who delay, and who may also randomly change their prices.

After going through such issues, you will wish you had chosen the professionals who don’t bargain at the very beginning, as now you have lost so much time and the due date is fast approaching.

So this brings us to:

Mistake 4. Last minute translations

Now this is one of the translation mistakes is made by companies who already went through the first 3 steps and have now switched to more professional services. Their documents have been sitting on a desk for weeks, and only when the deadline arrives “tomorrow”, they are shipped to translators, who are forced to provide both an ultra speedy and spotless service.

This situation will put your translator under a lot of pressure, and will deprive him of time to read the reference material carefully, and adjust the style to bring out your brand’s identity.

But things could be even worse. You may have to put several different translators on one project, making the style and terminology used even harder to align.

But we still haven’t reached rock bottom: once you send your text to the agency, they may send the entire project back to be redone, as it contains so many inconsistencies and omissions:

Mistake 5. Poor quality source documents

Yes, it happens often when we receive a text drafted by a non-native speaker and/or a non professional, translators have trouble understanding it. Most likely, this text was drafted during step 1 or step 2 described above, or it was itself a poor quality translation from another language:

Mistake 6. Skipping the English version 

It is important to understand that translating… lets say from Arabic to Spanish, may have to be done via English. Using English as a pivot language will save you headaches, future costs and embarrassment. Firstly, your project manager will do a good job with the quality control, and it’s common for project managers of translation companies to be native English speakers.

Secondly, you can use that copy to convert the text to as many languages as you want without extra costs (as language pairs that include English are much less costly)

Mistake 7. Priorities in the wrong order

Another very important point companies have to understand when working with service companies, is about setting their priorities right.

This means that: PRICE—> TIME—> QUALITY is not the recommended route. In fact it’s the exact opposite.

For a quality translation, a suitable time frame and realistic costs must be factored in, as professionals cost more than students.

So make sure your admin/manager understands the priorities before outsourcing your translation service. And make sure you do not fall into one of the various traps during your next move:

Mistake 8. Choosing the price over the experience

This is one of the most common translation mistakes we deal with.

Some companies have all documents translated and ready for the business event, and inviting industry gurus and high profiles guests, yet providing them with a “reasonably priced” freelance interpreter.

Why will this scenario cost a company much more than what they put into this interpreting mission?

What most companies don’t know, is that on average, we lose about  10% of the technical value in professional, specialized interpreting. Therefore the training will only be 90% efficient.

When you hire a non specialized professional, you lose up to 30% of the original information.

And when you hire an interpreter at random, who does not specialize in the required field or who shows no passion for it, you might actually lose up to 50% of the training via lack of professional terminology and understanding of the processes.

So do not waste any more time and money: find a professional service that will take care of the entire process, and make your life much easier.

How do you know if an agency is any good?

6 rules of a Good agency:

1. The translators used are highly experienced in their respective fields (normally around 5-10 years)

2. The translators translate into their native language

3. The translators use professional and industry-recognized tools

4. The documents are proofread by a separate party not involved in the translation

5. The agency has a Project Manager who will be in touch with the client and will communicate the needs and modifications to the team

6. The agency offers their clients a free translation test before any work is undertaken

As a multilingual expert, HI-COM respects all these rules and more: we offer professional services in translation, interpreting and copywriting in more than 40 language pairs. We are an International standard agency with headquarters in Shanghai. We specialize in the Chinese market, yet we have clients all over the world. 

At HI-COM we use high-performance CAT tools such as Trados, the industry standard. Our multinational team is highly trained, efficient, and at your service.  

Still want to trudge through all the steps above on your quest for an efficient translation service? Why not send us a quick email instead, and we’ll take care of the rest!

The translation of legal documents is the most difficult of all kinds of translations and requires the highest form of accuracy and in-depth knowledge in several fields. As the world becomes more global, the need for legal translation is increasing. Legal translators therefore face many challenges that you can discover and understand in this article.

The writing of laws varies greatly depending on the time period and the countries they are established in. Throughout history, lawyers have been confronted with the difficulties associated with the world’s wide linguistic diversity.

For example, legal translators had to transpose Roman law, written in Latin, into many other languages in order to disseminate and understand it.

What is legal translation?

Legal translation, like any other type of translation, is the replacement of the source language by the target language. However, legal translation is different because the law of each country coincides with its culture. It uses the content and terms of the legal system in force in the country of origin in the source document. As the world becomes more globalized, the need for legal translation is increasing.

In addition to language barriers, differences between legal systems turn legal translation into a very complex operation.

The translation of legal documents is the most difficult of all and requires the highest level of accuracy along with deep knowledge of legal systems, terminology, languages and cultural differences.

Legal translation is required for many documents birth certificates, application letters, technical patent confirmations, financial statements and business contracts to name a few.

Translators must not only be familiar with the field in question, but also with both languages: the source language and the target language. They must deal with the regulatory requirements and legal intricacies of the cultural and legal systems of both languages.

Terminology and legal system specific to each country:

The translation of legal documents is considered to be more difficult than most due to its terminology which varies from one country’s legal system to the next. This is often the case even when different countries share the same language.

In addition, to translate a legal document from one language to another, the translator must first have a good understanding of the legal systems themselves.

For example, the legal systems of France and Switzerland differ even though French is an official language of both countries.

The laws surrounding marriage differ considerably from one culture to another and the age of marriage is by no means a fixed concept. Some countries have no minimum legal age for marriage (Maldives, Saudi Arabia), others have a legal age as low as 9 years (parts of Lebanon) and some countries have a legal age for marriage as high as 22 (men in China).

In addition, some countries often have different legal marriage ages according to gender. For example, men are legally allowed to marry at age 18 in Chad, Niger and Iran, while girls are legally allowed to marry at age 15.

So, for a legal translator, it’s not as simple as simply translating the word marriage, there must be an awareness of the differences between legal systems and legal concepts all over the world.

Since many expressions of the source language may not have precise equivalents in the target language and literal translations may not convey meaning, the original expression is sometimes reproduced after paraphrasing. In such cases, a translator’s note is usually attached as an appendix.

Legal translators and knowledge requirements

A legal translator must have skills in three areas: knowledge of the target language, familiarity with relevant terminology and familiarity with the legal systems of both the source language and the target language. Word-for-word translation when translating legal documents is highly unadvisable.

For this reason, the legal translator must be a linguist, lawyer and researcher, constantly searching for specific terms and laws in order to be able to decode the source and find its true meaning.

Similarly, the translator must understand the purpose and usefulness of the translation as this will affect the approach when translating the document. For example, care is required regarding, syntax, phraseology and terminology.

Translators must have access to all legal resources such as legal dictionaries, online databases, libraries, journals, etc. They will have to supplement their knowledge acquired through experience in order to create translations that are legally valid in the target country. Nevertheless, translations must preserve the terminology, syntactic models and nuances of the law of the original document.

Another difficulty that concerns legal translation, unlike other forms of translation, is certification. It is generally required when documents such as birth or death certificates, immigration documents, transcripts, police certificates, marriage licences, divorce judgments, etc. are submitted to foreign countries for acceptance by courts and other institutions as legal records.

The translator or proof-reader will generally have to attest the accuracy of the translated document by signing a declaration in the presence of a public notary.

Legal translation and Culture

Legal translation is limited by the field of law and needs to maintain cultural factors found in the source document or source text. The source text therefore provides the structure of the sentence that reflects the law or culture. The translated document or target text must adhere to this cultural structure so that there is no violation of cultural norms, true meanings or jurisdiction.

This is why legal translation focuses more on clearly defining rights, duties, obligations and other specific contracts so that these factors remain unchanged after translation. On top of this, legal translation often requires a certificate of accuracy.

In the case of translation of documents concerning wills, articles of incorporation, trusts, depositions, immigration, real estate exhibitions, the presence of a translator is often required.

Translation Meaning vs. tone

Once translated, a legal document must remain faithful to the original in its absolute sense. Any deviation from the original text can render a legal document useless, with gaps that did not exist previously, thus conveying a completely different meaning. Unlike any other document, legal translations must be consistent, fair, balanced and representative of the original text.

While in other texts, translations can often literally communicate the message in another language, this is often impossible in legal documents. Translations must be legally correct rather than literal, keeping everything originally intended by the author, both in meaning and severity of tone. Due to this, translation requires a certain degree of localization relevant to the target audience.

Because of all these difficulties, which may be encountered during a legal translation, it is important to use the right translator: a professional, experienced and above all native translator.

HI-COM offers a reliable legal translation service using translators who are always native speakers of the target language to ensure the quality of the translation. In addition, our team of qualified project managers is at your disposal for any additional requests.

We will be happy to help you with your translations, so don’t wait any longer and contact us!

Here is how to translate brochure to different languages efficiently! When working with marketing materials such as brochures, catalogues, websites it is essential to be consistent. How can you assure your translation quality? We are uncovering our industry secrets just for our readers.

Let’s say that your design and marketing departments have just spent the last few weeks lovingly putting together a killer brochure for a key trade show that’s coming up. But there’s just one small issue – the trade show is in China, and so far no plans have been made to produce the brochures in Chinese!

Given the immense size of China, and without a Chinese version of your brochure, you could be missing out on tens and possibly hundreds of thousands of potential new customers. The problem is that I can already hear the reactions from your teams; “it’ll be too complicated”, “there’s not enough time between now and the show”, “the translator won’t know how to use our design software” or “I doubt we’ll find anyone who understands our industry and our products”. All these so-called ‘problems’ can be solved much more easily than you may think, and this is where our knowledge and expertise  can help.

So, to provide you with a translated version of your brochure, with a page layout identical to that of your English version, all we would need from you are the source files you used to create the brochure. For example, if your design team created the brochure using Adobe InDesign, you would just need to send us the InDesign source file, pictures and fonts, and we’ll take care of all the steps right through to the creation of a high quality PDF that’s ready for the printing press.

So how do we Translate brochure from English to Chinese?

Ok, so you have just given us your InDesign files for translation, which include the page below. We will use this page as an example to guide you through our process.

Step 1: Conversion of your InDesign document to our translation tool

In order to translate brochure, catalogue or other file, first of all, we will convert your InDesign files to Trados, our translation tool. This tool allows us to translate the text in suitably sized segments, to ensure better accuracy and consistency, whilst keeping all the formatting of the original document in place. It also allows us to store the translated text in a translation memory, so that it can be used again for future projects. After converting the file to Trados, your text will appear as shown below:

Step 2: Translation and internal review of your brochure

Our translator will then translate your brochure text, inserting the translation of brochure into the corresponding empty segments to the right of the source text. The purple tags you can see relate to the formatting of the InDesign file. These tags are kept as they are, to ensure the formatting of the original file is preserved.  Once the translation and internal review is complete, the file will now appear as shown below:

At this point, you may wish to review the content of the brochure translation before we proceed to the design integration phase. We can therefore send you a bilingual file in Word format, allowing you to compare the translation with the original source text. This means that if you would like us to make changes to the translation, you can mark your changes directly in the Word file and send it back to us. We will then take these changes into account when we integrate the translation into the InDesign file.

Step 3: Integration of your brochure translation into InDesign and finalization

After receiving your validation of the brochure translation, we will then update it in our Trados translation tool, and then export the file to InDesign format. Our designer will integrate the images and fonts from the original file, to guarantee an identical and professional page layout. The page we used as an example will now look like this:

Once our translation team has completed a final post-editing review, the document will then be saved as a high-definition PDF, and sent to you for final confirmation. Once you’re happy with the result, the document can now be sent off for printing. If you are not familiar with the printing process. we can also take care of this stage too, and deliver the brochures straight to your door!

So there you have it. You don’t need to go though the hustle to translate brochure to Chinese, Korea, Japanese or any other language really!  Piece of mind in just a few small steps – so why not try it out with us for real?!

HI-COM is International Translation and Localization agency, located in Shanghai. Our Western management style and Asian location allow us to provide excellent service with competitive prices! Shoot us a line and receive a free quote!

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