China is no longer what it used to be some 30 to 40 years ago. The nation with the world’s largest population has witnessed a drastic transformation from one of abysmal poverty to a country with the world’s largest economy (based on some select economic indices).
When it comes to its language, it has the highest number of native speakers and the second most popular in the world.
With such popularity, naturally, China attracts a lot of people and businesses all around the world.
So, how do you do business with the Chinese? By having proper translations and interpretations of the language. Let’s begin by looking at the variety of languages in China.
If this is the first time you heard that there are different languages in China, you are welcome. An additional fun fact is that there are 56 ethnic groups in China, and the different spoken languages are distributed according to geographical regions.
The Variety of Languages in China
It is worth stating that although there are different dialects of spoken languages in china, they all maintain the same writing system. This makes it possible for them to clearly understand each other.
1. Mandarin: If Mandarin is the only Chinese language that you knew before now, don’t beat yourself about it because there is a logical reason. Mandarin is spoken by 70% of the Chinese population, which makes it the most popular of the dialects. Owing to its popularity, Mandarin is the official spoken language of China.
That means when a person says they speak Chinese, there is a high chance they are talking about Mandarin.
In China, people that speak other dialects adopt Mandarin as the second language so that they can communicate with the general population.
The dialect is also called Putonghua.
2. Yue (Cantonese): Cantonese is the second most popular Chinese language dialect within and outside China. Spoken natively by 6% of the population, Yue is commonly called Cantonese by foreigners. It is also referred to as Yue or Guangdonghua in China, and it is spoken natively in Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, people can speak Cantonese in formal communication settings.
3. Xiang (Hunanese): Xiang is spoken by 4.8% of the nation’s population and is natively spoken in Hunan. Because of its proximity, it is intelligible with Mandarin.
4. Wu: Wu dialect is spoken by 8.3% of the Chinese population and is natively spoken on the coast of Shangai and Zhejiang.
5. Min: The Min dialect is spoken by 4.1% of the nation’s population in Fujian and the northern part of Guangdong.
6. Gan dialect: Also called Kan, this dialect is spoken by 2.4% of the population in Jiangxi and Fujian provinces.
7. Hakka dialect: Hakka is spoken by 3.7% of the population scattered in different provinces. However, it is more prominent in the southern provinces.
These are the top dialects spoken in China. However, some of them have subdialects that exist within them. There are also other dialects in China like the Uyghur dialect and the Zhuang dialect. However, even though they are officially called dialects, these languages can be so different that their native speakers may not understand each other.
This is common for dialects spoken in distant languages to help bridge the communication gap.
Chinese sign language: The Chinese sign language is based on Mandarin and caters to people with auditory impairment. There are two dialects; northern and southern Chinese sign language. The origin of CSL historically dates back to the ’80s.
Let’s not forget that a variety of foreign languages are spoken in China. The most common are English, Korean, Portuguese, and Russian.
Why is it important?
With China having the second-largest economy in the world and a bubbling population, ambitious businesses have already made their services suitable for the Chinese market.
One of the ways to do this is to make sure that you overcome language barriers that might hinder Chinese clients or customers. This includes localizing website contents, translating legal documents, customer care reps, etc. Therefore, you can either hire an in-house translator or hire a translation agency.
In addition, it is important to understand the cultural differences in the workplace. This is important if you plan to hire Chinese staff, bid for Chinese clients, or take your business to China. Things like how to address people, when to call, etc.
How do you hire the right Chinese translator?
Since the Chinese vocabulary (spoken and written) is so profound, translators must understand the languages and their localized context. TranslationsInLondon has a host of professional translators that understand the intricate needs of proper translation. This includes understanding technical terms, localized content, and an impeccable mastery of the Chinese language. Therefore, we can handle translations for different industries to help you take your business to your Chinese audience.
