Chinese and Mandarin, although they are the same language there are two systems in which they are used. Mandarin seems to be the language in which Chinese people tend to speak, but Chinese is what they use when writing.

There are many misconceptions regarding the two languages. Languages, grammar, and tone in the Chinese language is the same as Mandarin which is why Chinese is used more often for writing, but the Mandarin language is different in oral languages, hence why they use it when speaking.

Below is a simple comparison between the two languages for the intent purpose of education those people who are looking for Chinese translators and want to know the difference between the two languages.

Chinese

The Chinese simplified version is the language used for written text in the mainland of China as well as people who have origins in Thailand. The language was revealed during the end of the civil war, and the modern form of Chinese was developed in 1949. Their government developed the simplified Chinese writing formula to simplify the writing process in general in order to encourage more people in China to become literate.

The Chinese language that is used in Hong Kong these days is the traditional version. This is the version that has been around for thousands of years. The simplified text was put into action in 1949, but many people in Taiwan and Hong Kong still continue to stick with the traditional language.

Mandarin

Mandarin is the spoken style of dialect in the Chinese language. It’s the official spoken language and is used widely in Singapore, China, and Taiwan. When translating Mandarin is most often used when trying to communication with the people of Hong Kong.

The Differences Between the Two

Originally there was no difference between the two aside from the writing characters of the Chinese language.

Traditional Chinese is harder to write than Simplified Chinese which has fewer strokes. That is the only difference in writing with the simplified language. More words had to be added throughout the years especially with the expansion of technology.

If you are looking for a Chinese translator, make sure that they know that they need to be familiar with the style of both Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese, in order to get the proper wording and target the language appropriately. There are specific terms involved in both, and they need to ensure they are using the proper version depending on who they are trying to reach.

It’s always best to do your research when looking for a Chinese translator, to avoid any mistakes in the translation. Determine who your target audience is and that will be a good stepping stone in determining what language is most appropriate to use. Research the company you are hiring and determine their level of experience in those particular languages and always ask for samples of previous projects the company has done in the past.