Written Mandarin comes in two primary scripts: Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. Choosing the right one isn’t just a technical detail—it can determine how credible and effective your communication is to your target audience.

Simplified Chinese:

• Used in: Mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia
• Audience profile: Business professionals, government agencies, and consumers in Mainland China
• Best for: Product documentation, legal agreements, training materials, and government-facing content
• Note: Even Chinese speakers abroad will often expect Simplified script if they’re from Mainland China

Traditional Chinese:

• Used in: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau
• Audience profile: Financial institutions, legal firms, diaspora communities, and high-end retail
• Best for: Marketing to Hong Kong and Taiwan, legal documents for those jurisdictions, and cultural/heritage material
• Note: Using the wrong script (e.g., Simplified for a Hong Kong audience) can appear tone-deaf or unprofessional

Our Mandarin experts don’t just translate—they localise. That means advising you on which variant of written Chinese best suits your market, and ensuring your content resonates in both tone and form.

Ensure your communications use all of the correct terminology and phrasing to correctly localise your content for local eyes and ears.

This is only possible with industry-specific expertise. That’s why all of the linguists who deliver our Mandarin translations services in London, the UK and worldwide have qualifications and/or years of experience in the industry your project concerns.

In some parts of the world, using English loanwords for certain technologies is common in Mandarin. In others, your Mandarin translator may play a role in defining what comes to be the accepted translation.

Count on linguists who are subject matter specialists with experience in any industry, including:

Rely on the local cultural and linguistic knowledge required to make your translated materials sound just right to natives of the region you are targeting.

Where are you targeting with your Mandarin translation services? This dialect is often the best choice for:

• Mainland China and some overseas communities – where it is written using Simplified Chinese characters.
• Singapore – where it is written using Simplified Chinese characters and Singapore-specific vocabulary.
• Taiwan – where it is written using Traditional Chinese characters.

In other parts of the world – and indeed in many parts of China – it can sometimes be a better idea to use other dialects of Chinese. But we have experts in any Chinese dialect you might need to focus on.

Proper coverage of the entire Greater China area will often require translated versions for Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong (the latter in Cantonese). Otherwise, it can be perceived as a failure to properly commit to the region. But in this, as in all parts of your project, you can always count on your personal account manager for knowledgeable advice.

Examine the list of regions above and you will notice that some regions prefer the Traditional Chinese script and others prefer Simplified Chinese.

The process of simplifying Chinese has been a major government project in China since the 1950s. The focus is on reducing the number of accepted characters and making it easier to write the ones that are left (which still number in the thousands).

Rest assured that we always help you select the right script and successfully localise your communications for any region.

Get spoken Mandarin interpreters with equal subject matter expertise and linguistic focus as the linguists delivering our written Mandarin translation services.

Our global network of interpreters contains experts in simultaneous, consecutive, onsite and remote modes and regularly covers international events including:

• Conferences
• Trade shows
• Business meetings
• Site visits
• Appointments
• Corporate events

• Rely on ISO 9001 accredited quality
• Clients include the Financial Times and many other global brands
• Mandarin translation services covering London, the UK and the entire world
• Specialists in the full A-Z of industries guarantees accurate terminology translation
• Award-winning project management expertise supporting you 

• Client: Leading global insurance provider
• Project Type: Mandarin simultaneous interpreting
  
• Location: Virtual conference with London-based stakeholders
  
• Duration: 2-day live event
  
• Goal: Facilitate seamless bilingual communication between English-speaking hosts and Mandarin-speaking delegates

When a major insurance company planned its Asia-Pacific business conference, it needed professional Mandarin simultaneous interpretation—delivered live, accurately, and without interruption.

Asian Absolute provided:

• A team of native Mandarin simultaneous interpreters with sector-specific expertise in insurance and finance
• Full remote interpreting setup, including technical liaison with the client’s virtual platform provider
• Glossary preparation, drawn from the client’s documentation, to ensure consistency in financial terminology
• Ongoing support before, during, and after the event to ensure a smooth experience for both interpreters and the client team

Result: Over 100 participants engaged successfully in both languages, contributing to strategic discussions with no language barriers.

Tell us what you need from your next Mandarin translation service in London, the UK or elsewhere in the world 24/7.

Get a free, no-obligation quote and discuss your project with one of our award-winning project managers to ensure you’ll get exactly what you need.