Recently updated on February 21st, 2024 at 08:03 pm
Translating marketing materials into Chinese opens up a world of prospects for businesses looking to expand into the Chinese market.
For companies who are looking to expand into China, cement their brand or launch new products and services, translating marketing materials into Chinese will be an imperative inclusion in their plans.
What’s Marketing Materials Translation?
Marketing translation is the professional translation of marketing materials such as websites, advertising materials, product manuals, instructions, product packaging, branding messages, brochures, catalogs, presentations, etc.
💡 When translating marketing campaigns, aspects you need to be especially mindful of include localization, particularly for puns and idioms, humour, brand, videos, and imagery, and for digital marketing, technical elements such as SEO should also be considered.
What Are the Benefits of Translating Marketing Materials into Chinese?
High-quality translations are a fundamental piece of multilingual marketing efforts, and without them, the possibility of achievement is incredibly decreased.
Translating marketing materials into Chinese accurately has many benefits.
- To connect with your target audience
- To communicate your message clearly and effectively
- To help you make a good impression
- To show that you care
Translating Marketing Materials into Chinese: 8 Proven Tips
Translating marketing materials into Chinese is not as straightforward as you might think. You can’t just translate the words; you need to pivot for the Chinese market and adapt to meet their needs and interests.
The tricky part about translating marketing materials into Chinese is that what works for gaining sales locally may not work in China.
Here’re a few tips to optimize your translation for the Chinese market.
# SEO
To ensure that your digital marketing content, such as blogs and web pages, are found online by the Chinese audiences in Chinese search engines, you’ll need to start by conducting keyword research in Chinese and optimize your website SEO on Baidu.
# Localization
Localization refers to the translation of marketing materials into another language while targeting a specific culture that speaks that language. Localization would consider currency, traditions, norms, references, local figures, culture, etc.
# Transcreation
One step beyond localization. The materials are not simply translated, the professional Chinese translator takes the ideas and messages of the original content and creates new content in Chinese to convey the same message and feeling.
# Translation of Puns and Idioms
Puns and idioms are common in marketing copy. Idioms such as it’s raining cats and dogs, bite the bullet, or beat around the bush are typical in the English language and can be used in marketing materials to make sense to an English audience. However, these don’t always translate well into Chinese.
💡 Consider KFC’s marketing in the 80s, when they tried to roll out their “Finger-Lickin’ Good” campaign in China. When translated directly, the phrase was understood as, “Eat your fingers off,” which was undeniably unappealing for the Chinese audience. The company later revised the translation to “吮指原味”, which was really a good transcreation as it maintained the idea of deliciousness and emphasized the original flavor.
# Translation of Humour
Much like puns and idioms, humour and humour styles aren’t global.
What may be funny in one language and culture, might not be in another.
# Translation of Captions on Videos and Images
For printed materials such as posters, flyers, or leaflets, you may have captions on your imagery.
💡 Even small and basic print on images such as a stop sign or banner for a florist will need to be translated into Chinese.
Similarly, for videos on any digital marketing materials, such as websites and email marketing campaigns, don’t forget to translate your captions. Video subtitle translation is hugely important to increase accessibility to the deaf and hard of hearing community, as well as leading to higher engagement from hearing audiences.
# Appropriate Use of Visuals
Your advertisements should depict people, settings, and activities that are appropriate and appropriate for the culture you are targeting. When you match your visuals with the market, your product or service will be better received.
💡 Colors often have different feelings and meanings in different cultures. Always research your brand colors before launching in a new market to make sure they do not have a negative connotation.
For example, in China the color white symbolizes mourning and death, it’s commonly used in funerals. While in the west, the color black represents mourning and solemnity.
Another interesting example of color in China is green hat, more exactly, a man wearing a green hat.
In Chinese culture, the phrase “wearing a green hat” (戴绿帽子, dài lǜ màozi) is associated with infidelity or a man whose partner is unfaithful.
💡 It’s important to avoid using marketing visuals that might have negative connotation within a specific cultural context.
# Consistency
Translation memory is a great tool to ensure the consistency of the content while translating a long text from one language to another. With translation memory you can use fixed terms or terminologies that have been translated before on all your marketing materials, which does not only increase efficiency but also ensure the consistency of the text.
Conclusion
Interested in how our years of experience can help you in translating marketing materials into Chinese to reach a wider audience? Get in touch with the team at Chinese Copywriter to get a free quote, and let us take care of the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is marketing translation?
Marketing translation refers to the translation of some of the marketing materials, for instance, product brochure, website, campaign, email, social media post, etc.
Can I use Google to translate my marketing materials into Chinese?
It’s not suggested to use Google for marketing materials translation due to its lack of accuracy. In addition, the translation of marketing materials needs to resonate with audience to be effective, which can’t be done by machine translation.
What is the best way to translate marketing materials into Chinese?
The most reliable and accurate way to translate marketing materials into Chinese is to hire a professional Chinese translator like Chinese Copywriter.
China Marketing Glossary – Chinese-English
| Chinese | English |
| 哔哩哔哩 | Bilibili |
| 字节跳动 | ByteDance |
| 抖音 | TikTok |
| KOL (大V) | Key Opinion Leader |
| 直播 | Live streaming |
| 小程序 | Mini programs |
| 朋友圈 | (WeChat) Moments |
| 公众号 | Official Account |
| 私域流量 | Private traffic |
| 自媒体 | We media |
| 小鲜肉 | Hot young guys |
| 僵尸粉 | Zombie fans |
| 市场定位 | Market positioning |
| 营销策略 | Marketing strategies |
| 销售量 | Sales volume |
| 市场调查 | Market research |
| 市场份额 | Market share |
| 促销 | Promotion |
| 售后服务 | After-sales service |
| 广告宣传 | Advertising |
Digital Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Chinese Copywriter
Having lived and worked in Europe for 6 years, Ting returned to her hometown Guangzhou with the mission to help international businesses succeed in the Chinese market. With 15 years of marketing / web design background, Ting has proven records of digital marketing successes in China. Ting has been featured on diverse mainstream medias in China, including Southern TV, Sina News, Toutiao News, GRT News, etc.