Recently updated on February 21st, 2024 at 05:45 pm
When it comes to finding the best Chinese to English translator, it’s important to use reliable resources to ensure that your message is conveyed properly. Whether you’re an individual seeking Chinese translation services online or a business looking to expand into the Chinese market, you need the best Chinese to English translator who can accurately and effectively communicate your message to the targeted audience.
💡 So, how can you translate Chinese documents to English accurately if you don’t understand the language?
Two Popular Types of Translation
You’ll find all sorts of options out there for an online Chinese to English translator, but not all of them are going to be right. In general, there are two popular types of Chinese to English translation:
Machine Translation
Human Translation
Machine Translation
Machine translation does make a compelling case, as it is easier and free. But it has its limitations as machine translation cannot detect the jargon or cultural reference from English to Chinese or otherwise. Often, machine translation horribly mistranslates complex chengyu (Chinese idioms) because the meaning lies in the connotation and history of these phrases.
Let me show you some examples of Chinese jargons.
These are a list of specialized expressions used within specific communities or industries in China. Let’s take a few Chinese jargons as example:
Chinese: 交学费；English (Literal Translation): pay tuition fee. However, it can be used metaphorically to mean “paying the price” or “bearing the consequences” for a mistake or action. It’s often used in informal conversation or writing to convey the idea of facing consequences for one’s actions or decisions.
Chinese: 吃药；English (Literal Translation): take medicine. In some contexts, “吃药” (chī yào) can refer to cheating or using unfair methods to gain an advantage, particularly in competitive situations such as gaming or exams. This usage implies that the person is resorting to “doping” or “cheating” similar to the way athletes might use performance-enhancing drugs.
If you’re not in the club, you might not even understand what these Chinese jargons mean, let alone machine translation tools.
💡 What adds to the challenge is there are more and more dragons popping up each year in China to avoid triggering internet censorship regarding sensitive topics or industries like cryptocurrency.
But if you’re just looking for basic text translation, online Chinese to English translation software is an ideal choice. Maybe you’re looking for an online Chinese to English translator to help you understand a restaurant menu in mainland China or to ask a question or something similar. In these examples, you’d want just a basic Chinese Simplified to English translation that should be accurate, but it isn’t the end of the world if it’s not completely accurate each time.
5 Best Machine Translation Tools for Chinese to English Translation
# ChatGPT
Since 2022, ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. A powerful feature of ChatGPT is ChatGPT Translate, which is a language translation service powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT language model. It uses advanced GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) technology to deliver precise and context-aware translations in various languages.
The most powerful part about ChatGPT Translate lies in its ability to understand context and churning out explanation about the context, usage, etc. As you can see from the above picture, we asked ChatGPT to translate the four word Chinese idiom (chengyu) into English. It did not only translate (though it’s literal translation, it’s quite accurate), but also provided context related to the idiom.
That’s amazing! No other translation software does it, and not to mention the accuracy rate! Hence, we listed ChatGPT as the best Chinese to English translation software, besides, it’s a great tool to assist with language study.
# Baidu Fanyi (Translate)
Baidu is China’s biggest search engine, and this means that you will have its full power and support behind you when you use it to translate Chinese to English. You might doubt whether Baidu Fanyi (百度翻译) has a better understanding of the Chinese language than Google as Baidu is Chinese owned. It does have a better analysis of the Chinese language and does it translate better than Google? Let’s try.
Now, let’s try back translation and see how it does when translating from Chinese to English.
The result is quite interesting!
When translating from English to Chinese “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, Baidu translated it creatively, using Chinese idiom “不要以貌取人 (Don’t judge people by their looks)”. When translating from Chinese to English “不要以貌取人”, Baidu used direct translation “Don’t judge people by their appearance”.
💡 What’s neat about Baidu Translate is it also lists the vocabulary, pinyin of the Chinese translation, and some example sentences containing the words you have searched. In addition, you can also write down the notes and save them.
It’s designed also for language study.
Pros and Cons for Using Baidu Fanyi in China
Pros
- Guaranteed to work in China
- Free to download and use
Cons
- Not designed for English-speaking users
- No English phrase guides
# Google Translate
Google translate is the most well-known platform when it comes to language translation. It is probably not the best Chinese to English translator but it’s effective, free, and fast for Chinese words translation. It’s more widely accessible and easier to use compared with Baidu.
If you get the application on your phone, you can take pictures of text or scan it and Google Translate will provide a quick Chinese translation.
Let’s try the same translation on Google and compare the accuracy.
The result is the same with Baidu. However, Google has a cleaner interface with only pronunciation feature available.
Pros and Cons for Using Google Translate in China
Pros
- Easy-to-Use for English-speaking users
- Free to download and use
Cons
- Blocked in China (You can use it with VPN)
# Bing Translator
Bing Translator is another online Chinese to English translator worth checking out as it shares similar features to those of Google Translate.
Let’s try the same translation on Bing.
💡 To our surprises, whether it’s translating Mandarin to English or English to Mandarin, Bing translated creatively using idioms. Besides, there’re many perks using Bing translate, you can practice the pronunciation, it also lists widely used phrases but these phrases are quite basic daily conversations.
# Yandex Translate
Yandex is the largest search engine in Russia.
At the first glance, I quite like the interface of Yandex Translate desktop version. As you can see, on the left side you can type or insert a link and translate into another language, on the right side you can simply drag a photo and translate it.
This is what I like about the interfeace of Yandex Translate. You can access all the translation features in one interface without extra clicking.
Below the translation box, the translation history is recorded for easy access.
Let’s try the same translation on Yandex.
The results are quite disappointing as both are direct translations.
Human Translation
Some language pairs and some use cases are okay for machine translation, but Chinese-to-English is a tough pair. If you are looking for 100% accurate Chinese document translation, you need an expert Chinese to English translator. The best Chinese to English translators or even interpreters are always real human linguists, not some machines or apps or websites. for they can’t reveal human emotions and feelings.
Why Do You Need a Native Human Chinese to English Translator?
English is a language that reveals its meanings by combining sentences together with conjunctions and with grammar. But Chinese is a language that reveals its meanings by melting and combining meanings together. If you understand the English grammar and words and phrases, then you can understand English. However, even if you master the Chinese grammar, the words, even the phrases, you might not understand Chinese.
What Are the Benefits of Human Translation?
Manual translation by a professional Chinese to English translator offers lots of advantages:
- Confidentiality: You can be sure that the documents you need to translate will be secured and confidential (especially if we’re talking about user manuals, financial reports, etc.)
- Accuracy: Professional Chinese to English translator understands the context and delivers a natural and readable translation.
- Cultural sensitivity: Professional Chinese linguists can adjust the translation to ensure that it is culturally appropriate and does not offend the target audience.
- Personalization: Native Chinese translators can work closely with clients to understand their needs and preferences. They can adapt the translation to suit the specific needs of the client.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best translator for Chinese to English?
Here’re some of the best Chinese to English translation software:
· ChatGPT
· Google Translate
· Baidu Translate
· Bing Translator
What’s the best way to translate Chinese to English?
The best way to translate Chinese to English is hiring a professional Chinese to English translator.
How can I translate a text from Chinese to English?
You can translate a text from Chinese to English either by machine translation tools like Google Translate or by human translation service provider like Chinese Copywriter.
What’s the best way to get an accurate Chinese to English translation?
The best way to translate accurately is via human brain. If accuracy is your top priority, finding a Chinese to English translator is the second to none option.
What are the biggest difficulties of translating Chinese to English?
The biggest difficulties of translating Chinese to English are jargons, also know as 行话, words and expressions that are used in special or technical ways by particular groups of people.
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