Chinese Translation Services — Simplified Chinese & Traditional Chinese | English ↔ Mandarin

Chinese Translation Rates: From $0.10/Word

Applies to both English→Chinese and Chinese→English for Simplified and Traditional. Discounts for big projects apply.
For certified USCIS immigration documents: fixed per-page rates (see USCIS section).

Simplified Chinese vs Traditional Chinese — Which Do You Need?

The single most important question in any Chinese translation project is which written system your target audience uses. Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese are not dialects — they are distinct written character sets used in different markets. Using the wrong one for your target market means delivering content your audience cannot read naturally or that signals the content was not made for them.

Where each script is used:

What is the difference between Simplified and Traditional Chinese? Simplified Chinese uses fewer strokes per character — developed in the 1950s by the People's Republic of China to improve literacy rates. Traditional Chinese uses the full-stroke historical characters maintained in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

The two scripts are not interchangeable: a document translated into Simplified Chinese for Mainland China is not appropriate for Taiwan or Hong Kong audiences, and vice versa. The character sets, and often the vocabulary and phrasing conventions, differ enough to be noticeable to native readers.

How TheWordPoint handles this: When placing an order, specify the target market (Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, or overseas community). We assign Simplified Chinese native speakers for ZH-CN projects, Traditional Chinese (ZH-TW) specialists for Taiwan, and Traditional Chinese (ZH-HK) specialists for Hong Kong — never a generic "Chinese translator."

What about dialects — Cantonese, Hokkien, Shanghainese? Spoken dialects are a separate dimension from the written script. Cantonese is a spoken dialect widely used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong province. However, formal written documents from Hong Kong — birth certificates, legal documents, business contracts — are written in Standard Mandarin (Putonghua) using Traditional Chinese characters, not in written Cantonese. We handle all formal written Chinese documents and can accommodate written Cantonese for specialized informal content projects.

Certified Chinese to English Translation for USCIS

Approximately 5.5 million Chinese Americans live in the United States, making Chinese one of the largest sources of USCIS immigration document translation demand. All Chinese-language documents submitted to USCIS must be accompanied by a certified English translation per 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3).

Common Chinese immigration documents translated for USCIS:
 

China-specific documents our translators know:

• 户口本 (Hùkǒu běn) — Chinese household registration booklet; the primary civil identity document in China; often required for USCIS petitions involving mainland Chinese nationals; our translators know the format of all provinces
• 中国公证书 (Gōngzhèngshū) — Chinese notarial certificate; issued by Chinese notary offices for use abroad
• 居民身份证 (Shēnfèn zhèng) — Chinese national ID card

What's included in every certified translation:
✅ Complete translation of all elements — characters, seals, registration numbers, annotations
✅ Signed Translation Accuracy Certificate (required by USCIS per 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3))
✅ 24-hour delivery for most personal documents
✅ USCIS acceptance guaranteed

→ All certified immigration translation services
→ USCIS-certified translation

Why Choose TheWordPoint for Chinese Translation

Script variant specialists — not generic "Chinese translators". We assign Simplified Chinese (ZH-CN) specialists for Mainland China and Singapore, Traditional Chinese (ZH-TW) for Taiwan, and Traditional Chinese (ZH-HK) for Hong Kong. We never deliver a Simplified translation for a Traditional-market project or vice versa.

Native speakers of Standard Mandarin (Putonghua). All translators are native Mandarin speakers. For Hong Kong projects requiring Cantonese-language written content, Cantonese-literate specialists are available.

Sector specialists matched to your document. A legal contract in Chinese requires a translator who knows Chinese contract law. An NMPA pharmaceutical dossier requires a translator with regulatory pharmaceutical expertise. Each project is reviewed and assigned to the appropriate sectoral specialist.

Transparent pricing from $0.10/word. General content: $0.10/word. Business/Legal/Marketing: $0.12/word. Technical/Medical: $0.15/word. Certified documents: fixed per-page rates. No hidden fees.

24-hour delivery on certified personal documents. Most certified personal documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, police clearances) are delivered within 24 hours of order confirmation.

USCIS acceptance guaranteed. Every certified translation includes the signed Translation Accuracy Certificate required by USCIS per 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). If a certified translation is rejected for accuracy reasons, it is revised at no charge.

Confidentiality and NDA available. All projects are handled under strict data protection standards. NDA available for legal, financial, and corporate projects requiring additional confidentiality.

Reviewed and updated  on September 18, 2026, by

Christakis Christodoulou