English to Chinese Translation

This direction is used when an English document has to be submitted in China. The typical applicant is an academic or commercial party presenting a diploma, registry record or company document issued in an English-speaking country to a university, employer or authority in China. What most defines this direction is the form of certification on the target side: China requires the translation to come from an officially registered company holding a translation seal, and a declaration by an individual translator is not accepted.

Concrete examples make the direction clear: taking a degree obtained in the USA through recognition in China, a British company producing its registry documents in order to set up a subsidiary in China, submitting a foreign criminal record certificate for a work permit. The source carries an Anglo-Saxon order, while the target assesses it against the Chinese administrative system and writing tradition.

Commercial and academic files predominate in this direction. Chinese inward investment and international student mobility mean that English company and education documents are translated in this direction on a regular basis.

Since the requirement of a company holding a translation seal applies, the document is prepared in a form compatible with that mode of certification from the outset, so that the process can move forward without delay.

In this direction the form of certification shapes the process from the start: because China accepts a translation only from an officially registered company holding a translation seal, the document is prepared so that it can be submitted together with that sealed certification. A declaration by an individual translator, however well qualified, is not regarded as sufficient on its own.

In investment and employment files the documents are usually requested as a set: the company registry record, articles of association, signature authority and financial statements are submitted together. Rendering the company name, the shareholders and the amounts exactly and consistently across these documents is necessary for the application to be assessed as a whole.

The target region matters as much as the target character set: the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan may use different administrative terms, and the translation is adapted to the usage of the region the document is going to. Settling this in advance makes the choice of terminology right from the start.

When the Chinese form of a name in an English document is chosen, the person’s existing Chinese name is taken as the basis where there is one; where there is not, a common and consistent form is used, and the original Latin spelling is retained as well so that verification remains possible.

Technical issues specific to English into Chinese

The target character set is chosen at the outset: simplified characters for mainland China, traditional characters for Taiwan or Hong Kong; the wrong set gives the impression that the document came from a foreign hand. English names are kept in the Chinese text in their original Latin spelling or given in their common Chinese form; where the person already has an established form in Chinese documents, that form is taken as the basis.

English legal concepts are rendered in Chinese according to their function; word for word transfer blurs the official meaning. Company types (LLC, Inc.) are kept in their original abbreviation and explained, because the liability structures do not map exactly onto Chinese company types.

Dates and currency are not converted; in the Chinese text the date is given in year-month-day order. English abbreviations are expanded and, where necessary, given in their original form in brackets.

The signature, seal and date details in the document are kept in place; these elements matter for the Chinese authority to verify the source of the document. Terminological consistency calls for particular care in technical and commercial texts.

Which documents call for this direction

• Diplomas, transcripts and degree certificates
• Birth, marriage and residence certificates
• Company registry records, signature circulars and commercial contracts
• Work and residence permit application documents
• Criminal record and financial standing documents

In commercial files the exact rendering of the company name, the shareholders and the shareholding details is necessary for the Chinese authority to assess the application as a whole. In education files the accurate rendering of the courses and of the degree title is expected.

In work permit files the date and issuing authority of criminal record and medical documents are stated clearly. Across documents belonging to the same person the Chinese form of the name is kept consistent.

Chain of certification

China requires the translation to come from an officially registered company holding a translation seal; an individual declaration is not accepted. Because the apostille regime for documents from an English-speaking source country began only recently, its current status should be confirmed from an official source.

To see these expectations and China’s certification regime, look at the country page and the document type requirements. Tell us whether the destination is the mainland or Taiwan, and which institution the document is for, before you send it.

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