Chinese Content

What is the best method?

[aeomac]

I have a few web sites that i need to duplicate in Chinese. What i will do is hire a translator who can re-type the current English version site into mandarin using something like Pinyin?

I would like them to do this in dreamweaver - im currently researching this right now, and i figured i would post a thread to see if anyone had useful resources or advice.

Thanks in advance.

- aeomac

[engine]

Hi aeomac,
There's a tough one. I can safely say I can't help. Perhaps some other members may have some experience.

[Woz]

aeomac,

we had a discussion along these lines some time ago. It was dealing specifically with Chinese Translations and Layout [webmasterworld.com]. There is also a thread about Making multilingual sites on an English OS [webmasterworld.com] which may be useful. Also, try the search link at the top of the page.

Hope this helps.

Onya
Woz

[Eric_Jarvis]

first you need to decide what type of Chinese...Hong Kong uses traditional Chinese, the mainland uses simplified Chinese...get a translator who is a native Chinese speaker familiar with the relevant writing system...have it checked by another native speaker

give them the English text colour coded to match the mark up...don't try to automate the mark up...and don't rely on the translator doing it

then you have to decide what encoding...Big5, GB or Unicode...again this depends on your target audience...to cover everyone you may need 3 or 4 different versions

[kch333]

Aeomec:

I have a friend who is a houseman(woman), she would finish her 7-years study in two years and become shanghai area's doctor.

she can design web, she use dreamweaver, about 3 website.

mabybe she can help you. the hospital is RENJI.

KCH333

[2_much]

Eric, what is the difference between the different types of encoding? Which one targets the most people?

[Woz]

I'm not Eric but perhaps I can help.

Traditional Chinese Character are minly used in Hone Kong, Taiwan, and all the loacl Chinatowns around the world.

Simplified Chinese is the official written language of the Chinese Government and so should cover Mainland China and perhaps Malaysia and Singapore.

In loose terms Traditional Characters are linked to Cantonese, whereas Simplified Characters are linked to Mandarin. However it is a loose link as Simplified Chinese is used throughout Mainland China even though the local Language or Dialect may be vastly different from that spoken in the Capital.

I have gone into more detail over here [webmasterworld.com].

Onya
WOz

[Dpeper]

translate it your self using alta vistas little nifty tool.

[Eric_Jarvis]

2_much...aside from the Simplified/Traditional divide there is also the matter of how to create the characters...IIRC Taiwan uses Big5, Hong Kong uses GB, the mainland and US based Chinese people use Unicode...if you are going to use just one then it depends on your market...better is to use three and have content negotiation to choose which to serve