The 5 Best Chinese Translation Services Online (No Apps!)

With an increasingly interconnected and multicultural planet, the demand for cross-country education and language translation services is at an all-time high.

As the most populous nation in the world with more than four times as many people as the United States, the demand for Chinese translation is particularly strong.

However, Chinese is one of the most complex and difficult languages to learn and interpret for non-native speakers, making quick translation apps like Google Translate and Microsoft Translator insufficient in a lot of cases.

I mean, these apps are fine if you’re trying to order in a restaurant or flirt with someone in a club, but they won’t ‘cut the mustard’ if you’re translating important documents.

In my personal experience, services like Fiverr also come up short. You might be getting human eyes on your document as opposed to some code, but the amount of ‘Chinglish’ I’ve received makes me think I should have saved my money and used Google Translate instead.

So, how to fix the problem of bad translations?

Check out the following if you’re looking for a professional job!

Tomedes

What makes Tomedes particularly impressive is its vast array of language services. Its areas of expertise include:

Legal, document, marketing, business, financial, technical, website, medical, and certified translations
Audio, video, and streaming transcriptions
Professional proofreading
Interpretation and content writing services
Customer support services
Real-time translations

Tomedes has spent more than a decade building an impressive network of Chinese translation professionals. In fact, Tomedes is a preferred resource used by Google to help them work through their complex translation needs.

For smaller consumers, Tomedes’ prices are competitive, with the translation of basic documents starting for as little as $30. It also has industry-leading support in traditional Mandarin Chinese, which is the most difficult form of the language to translate.

When looking at potential drawbacks, some customers report dissatisfaction with wait time on some documents, as the company quotes a minimum delivery time of six hours. This can be a significant hindrance to businesses looking to get real-time results in a fast-paced business environment. There have also been reports of a few customer services agents not having the right answers to specific client requests.

The Word Point

If you are looking for a Chinese translation service that offers the most pleasant interactions with real human professionals, then The Word Point is right for you. While it does not yet offer the array of translation services of a platform like Tomedes, its intensified focus on customer care makes it arguably the easiest platform with whom to work.

Among the additional benefits of choosing The Word Point for your Chinese translation needs include:

Human-only translation performed only by certified native Chinese speakers
Ability to translate any type of file or format
100% protection of all sensitive personal data, financial information, and trade secrets

It is also extremely affordable for customers on all types of budgets, with translations starting at as little as $19.

Of potential concern with The Word Point is that it has only been in existence since 2016, so it does not have much of a track record with which to evaluate performance trends. However, some clients view this as a positive, as many of the company’s translation professionals have been with the company from the ground up and are experts in how The Word Points creates customer value.

GTS Translation Services

For those corporate clients looking to have ponderous business documents translated to or from Chinese, GTS Translation Services should be on the shortlist of considerations. With over 15 years in the translation industry, GTS has been able to build an experienced and proven team of Chinese translation professionals. Over the years, GTS has translated for some of the world’s biggest companies, including:

AstraZeneca
Merck
Novartis
Mitsubishi Motors U.S.A.
United Auto Credit

Although the translation of hefty business documents can take GTS Translation Services over 24 hours in most cases, the company is actively working on perfecting automated translation solutions to assist their 100% human team of certified Chinese translators.

In addition to extended wait times with GTS, some clients report being frustrated with the limited scope of services offered by the company. The company primarily focuses its efforts on document translation, website translation, and software localization. Its prices are also higher than competitors in the field, further cementing the company as better for corporate translation than for personal purposes.

Day Translations

Another company that offers a wide array of services and elite customer service is Day Translations. Among the many unique services provided by the company include:

Automotive translation and localization services: update vehicle specs and owner’s manuals to or from Chinese
Gaming: video game voice over services and UI/UX localization
Travel: personalized translation for hotel chains and travel agencies

The company is also notable for its 24/7 availability. Whether for a customer service request, document submission, or payment processing, Day Translation will have a professional available to assist.

The knock-on Day Translation is that its broad scope can cause some translation professionals to work outside their niche of expertise at times, requiring some extra back-and-forth between the company and client to get the jargon correct. It is also a bit more expensive than its most comparable rival, Tomedes, with document translations starting at $40.

Straker Translations

If track record is your most important consideration criteria, then Straker Translations may be the ideal platform. With more than two decades of experience translating Mandarin Chinese, it has a performance record that few competitors can match.

Although Straker is a great choice for common document translations, it has a strong infrastructure in place for performing website localizations, video and audio transcriptions, and real-time interpretations. It also turns projects around faster than other services on this list.

The downside to Straker is that it is expensive, starting at $44 for basic document translation. However, if you have the budget and need a high-quality translation of a complex document or piece of media, then Straker may be the best choice.

Conclusion

In an increasingly multicultural world and global business landscape, the demand for cross-country education and translation services has never been higher.

As the most populous country globally with burgeoning business opportunities, the need for Chinese translation services is particularly prevalent.

Businesses and individuals alike can find the ideal Chinese translation service to meet their needs by carefully considering the options above.