Chinese Translation and Localization: How to Choose the Right Chinese Dialect

If you’re planning to expand your business into Chinese-speaking markets, you might think translating your content into Chinese is a simple one-step process. But here’s the thing—there’s no such thing as just “Chinese.”

China is home to hundreds of dialects, many of which aren’t even mutually intelligible. What works in Beijing might confuse someone in Hong Kong. And even within one dialect group, writing systems, cultural nuances, and tech infrastructure vary widely.

That’s why choosing the right Chinese dialect is one of the most important (and often overlooked) parts of a successful localization strategy.

Let’s walk through everything you need to know about Chinese translation and localization, especially how to make smart choices about dialects, writing systems, and website localization.

How Many Chinese Dialects Are There?

The short answer: a lot. The long answer: linguists estimate there are hundreds of distinct Chinese dialects, forming a complex dialect continuum across the country. This means that dialects gradually change from village to village—but sometimes those changes are big enough that neighboring communities can’t understand each other at all.

Despite this diversity, most dialects fall into about 8–10 major groups. These include:

• Mandarin – The most widely spoken, including Beijing’s dialect (the basis for Standard Chinese)
• Wu – Spoken in Shanghai, Suzhou, and parts of Zhejiang
• Cantonese (Yue) – Common in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau
• Min – Incredibly diverse, mostly spoken in Fujian and Taiwan
• Hakka – Found across southern China and in parts of Southeast Asia
• Xiang, Gan, Jin, and others – Regional groups with unique characteristics

Each group has its pronunciation, vocabulary, and often grammar. And no, they’re not just “accents”—some of them are as different from each other as Spanish and Italian. Interestingly enough, written Standard Chinese is different, as it can be partially understood by Cantonese and Mandarin speakers alike.

Chinese Dialects and Writing Systems: What’s the Difference?

Spoken Chinese comes in many forms, but when it comes to writing, there are two main systems: Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.

• Simplified Chinese: Used in mainland China, Singapore, and Malaysia. It’s a streamlined version of Traditional Chinese, with fewer strokes per character.
• Traditional Chinese: Used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. These characters are more complex and preserve the historical forms.

While Simplified and Traditional Chinese share some common roots, converting between them isn’t always automatic. Some words exist only in one form, and the meaning can shift depending on context. Certain cultural expressions, idioms, and even business terms may also vary.

So before you start localizing, make sure you know both the dialect and the writing system your audience expects.

Choosing the Right Chinese Dialect for Your Audience

Not sure where to begin? Start with these questions:

• Where are your users located?
  • Mandarin is standard across mainland China and Taiwan.
  • Cantonese is dominant in Hong Kong and parts of Guangdong.
  • Taiwanese Hokkien (a Min dialect) is widely spoken in Taiwan and by overseas Chinese communities.
• What does your industry require?
  • If you’re localizing eCommerce or government content, Mandarin is probably the safest bet.
  • If you’re working in entertainment, media, or public service in Hong Kong, go with Cantonese.
• What kind of content are you translating?
  • Formal materials? Technical docs? Social media campaigns? These all require different tones, which may shift depending on dialect and region.

Choosing the wrong dialect can lead to confusion, disengagement, or even mistrust. That’s why this decision should never be rushed.

Best Practices for Chinese Website Localization and Baidu SEO

Now let’s talk tech. Translating your website into Chinese is just the beginning. To really reach users in China, you need to understand how they browse, search, and shop online.

Go Mobile-First

About 90% of internet users in China are on mobile. If your site isn’t lightning-fast on a smartphone, you’re in trouble. Make sure your layout, content, and functionality are built with mobile devices in mind. Don’t forget to integrate QR codes—they’re widely used for everything from logins to payments.

Rely on Baidu

Baidu is China’s top search engine, and it behaves very differently from Google. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

• Translate all metadata into Simplified Chinese (titles, descriptions, alt tags, etc.)
• Use local keywords based on your target dialect
• Localize URLs and headings (e.g., /products becomes /产品)
• Submit your sitemap to Baidu manually

In some cases, you might have to pay a fee to actually rank on Baidu. However, it’s best if you hire a native person to be in charge of Baidu SEO.

Hosting Inside China is Crucial

Here’s the deal: if your website isn’t hosted in mainland China, getting indexed by Baidu is nearly impossible. The Great Firewall blocks or severely throttles access to foreign-hosted content, which hurts your SEO and site speed.

A basic Hreflang website translation, like zh-cn or zh-tw versions, won’t get you far inside mainland China. However, these versions do help reach Chinese-speaking audiences outside the country, including:

• Taiwan (using Traditional Chinese)
• Singapore and Malaysia (using Simplified Chinese, often mixed with English)
• Chinese diaspora in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia

So yes, Hreflang is useful, but it’s no replacement for a full-blown Chinese hosting strategy if your target is inside China.

Avoid Literal Translations: Transcreation Wins

Literal translation might get the message across, but it rarely leaves a good impression, especially in Chinese.

Let’s say you’re launching a playful ad campaign in English. The humor might be based on a pun or a cultural reference. If you translate it word for word into Chinese, you’ll likely lose the joke—and possibly confuse your audience.

That’s why transcreation—recreating the original message in a way that makes sense culturally and emotionally—is the smarter choice. This means adapting metaphors, changing idioms, and sometimes rewriting the whole line so it lands with the same energy and meaning.

A well-localized brand sounds like it was created by a native speaker, not like it was translated at all.

Specific Local Issues When Localizing and Translating Into Chinese

The Chinese localization process can be riddled with challenges. To start with, it should be noted that Simplified Chinese is not merely a simplified version of the Traditional Chinese characters. They are two different cultures with different sets of values and languages, and a Chinese translation service should handle any translation. You must be aware of some specific local differences when translating to Chinese.

• Dates: In China, dates start with the year, followed by the month, and the day, respectively. The date system is based on the Gregorian calendar, and the relevant Chinese characters that symbolize the Year/Month/Day will be used while writing down a date. Also, it’s important to state whether the time is in AM or PM when a 12-hour clock is used, as it will be translated as well.

• Addresses: The Chinese address format is almost in the exact opposite order of the US format. It starts with the country, then comes the province and the city, followed by the street address and the person’s name. Finally, the honorifics come after the name.

• Names: In China, the surname comes first. Most people have a single character as their last name and one or two characters as their first name. And each character is one syllable. So if you hear two syllables, you’re going to see two characters.

• Currency: China puts the currency indicator at the beginning of a number and uses a comma as a thousand separator, like the US. However, there is also a commonly used character that symbolizes 10,000. So, it’s not unlikely for Chinese people to count how many tens of thousands there are in a number. For example, to say one million in Chinese, you need to say a hundred ten thousand.

Speak to China With the Right Dialect

If you’re serious about quality, avoid machine translation tools for Chinese, especially when dialects are involved.

A professional Chinese localization service like MotaWord will:

• Select the correct dialect and writing system
• Use the help of native speakers to review and transcreate content
• Follow your brand’s voice and tone across all platforms
• Test and QA content on Chinese devices and browsers

When it comes to Chinese translation and localization, a simple-minded translation approach simply doesn’t work. So, to summarize, in this article, we covered a lot of things:

• How many Chinese dialects are there? More than you might expect, and each one matters.
• Simplified or Traditional? Depends on where your users are.
• Need visibility in China? Host locally and optimize for Baidu.
• Want to reach global Chinese speakers? Hreflang + dialect-aware translations are the way to go.

Ready to go beyond “just” translation? MotaWord provides fast, expert-level Chinese localization services, including full support for all major dialects, writing systems, and platforms. Whether you're launching in China, Taiwan, Singapore, or anywhere else Chinese is spoken, we’ve got your back.