Beginning in 1953, the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) started laying out a series of social and economic development initiatives in the form of “Five-year Plans.” From the very onset, great emphasis was placed on technology and manufacturing, launching an intensive program of industrial growth that established a firm, modern technological foundation … Read More

Chinese history stretches back more than 4,000 years to the Xia Dynasty (夏朝) of 2070~1600 BCE. However, it was not until the 11th century BCE that any form of serious translation activities were undertaken—what might be deemed the first of four waves of knowledge and cultural exchange with the rest of the world. Beginning with … Read More

Everyone has heard funny stories about bad translations involving Chinese and English. One needn’t look any further than the streets of Beijing to find hundreds of examples of hilarious bilingual signs. They range from the obvious typo (长城宽带 / Great Wall Broadbang Network) and the simply amusing (家常菜 / Homely Style Food) to the truly … Read More

WHY INVEST IN CHINESE TRANSLATION How Good Translation Pays for Itself Everyone has heard funny stories about bad translations involving Chinese and English. One needn’t look any further than the streets of Beijing to find hundreds of examples of hilarious bilingual signs. They range from the obvious typo (长城宽带 / Great Wall Broadbang Network) and … Read More