Compliant with GB Standards

Manuals issued in China must comply with GB standards (national standards, guo jia biao zhun). These GB standards are different from Japan's JIS and are mandatory regulations that must be followed when creating manuals and operating instructions to be released in China.
Human Science creates manuals that comply with GB standards and confirms that they are suitable for use in China with the help of GB experts.

Examples of content specified in GB standards

・Content to be included in the instruction manual
・Font size
・Regulations for including Chinese and foreign languages
・Notation for safety marks, safety texts, illustrations, symbols, etc.

Things to Confirm Before Requesting Chinese Translation

There are many varieties of Chinese, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Hong Kong dialect, and Shanghainese, but the two main forms used in writing are "Simplified Chinese" and "Traditional Chinese." Therefore, it is necessary to confirm which form to translate into, Simplified or Traditional, before the translation.

Simplified Chinese
(Simplified Chinese)

• ・Generally for mainland China (excluding Taiwan and the Guangdong-Hong Kong area)
• ・Also known as Mandarin or Standard Language

Traditional Chinese
(Traditional Chinese)

• ・Generally for Taiwan and the Guangdong Province/Hong Kong area
• ・There are two additional types of Taiwanese vocabulary and Cantonese/Hong Kong vocabulary
  →Unless specified as "Cantonese/Hong Kong", it usually refers to Taiwanese vocabulary
• - Also known as Taiwanese and Cantonese

Conversion from Simplified Chinese to Traditional Chinese (and vice versa)

Simplified Chinese reduces the number of strokes in Traditional Chinese characters and simplifies them for easier reading and writing. Therefore, it is possible to convert between Simplified and Traditional Chinese (and vice versa) using tools.
However, since the words and grammar used in Simplified and Traditional Chinese differ slightly, the text converted by tools may be at a level where it is "understandable but not smooth to read" for natives. After conversion using tools, it is essential to have a review by native translators of each language.

・For projects where "readable text" is emphasized, such as in the advertising industry, we recommend that native translators translate simplified and traditional Chinese separately.
・You can also reduce costs by translating either simplified or traditional Chinese first and then converting the other language using a tool.

If you are using a tool to convert to Traditional Chinese after translating to Simplified Chinese

1. Japanese (・English) → Simplified Chinese translation
2. Review by native Simplified Chinese translators and quality check by tools
3. Conversion from Simplified Chinese to Traditional Chinese using tools
4. Review by native Traditional Chinese translators and quality check by tools
(to ensure there are no garbled characters or incomprehensible sentences)

Recent Chinese Translation and GB Compliance Achievements

Case Study 1

Subject:

Domestic electronics manufacturer, computer user manuals, catalogs

Language:

Japanese → Simplified Chinese

Production Period:

2 months

Volume:

Approximately 600 pages (300,000 characters)

Work Content:

GB standard research and compliance, Chinese translation from Japanese,
screen capture in Chinese OS environment, DTP (InDesign)

Case Study 2

Subject:

Domestic Semiconductor Manufacturer Technical Manual for Engineers

Language:

English → Simplified Chinese

Production Period:

In Progress

Volume:

10 to 20 items (300 to 2000 pages each)

Work Content:

Simplified Chinese translation from Japanese, DTP (Word, FrameMaker)

Breadth of Translation Accomplishments

• IT equipment (PCs, printers, copiers, scanners, projectors, multifunction devices, mobile phones, smartphones, etc.)
• Communication and internet
• Optical Equipment, Imaging Equipment, Audio Equipment (Digital Cameras, Lenses, Video Cameras, Car Navigation Systems, etc.)
• Core business systems (payroll management, customer management, financial management, etc.) • Web applications • Package software
• Electronic Devices, Electronic Components, Semiconductors, Panel Displays
• Measuring instruments, analytical equipment, machine tools
• Automobiles
• Retail, Distribution, Management, Marketing
• Education, Human Resource Development, Training, e-Learning
• Narration recording, subtitle (caption) creation
• Contracts, Patents
• Medical