Translate a User Manual into Simplified Chinese

What Chinese changes in a user manual

A manual consists of short instructions, lists, safety notices and part numbers. In Simplified Chinese, each of these follows specific conventions.

• Full-width punctuation: comma ，, full stop 。, colon ：. Lists use the enumeration comma 、, so “screws, nuts and washers” becomes 螺钉、螺母和垫圈. Document titles go in 《》, so “see the Quick Start Guide” becomes 请参阅《快速入门指南》.
• No spaces between words: a line can break between any two characters. A Latin comma left inside a Chinese sentence therefore stands out immediately when you proofread.
• One plural form: Chinese only has the “other” category, so “1 battery / 2 batteries” becomes 1节电池 / 2节电池. Nouns are counted with a measure word instead: 节 for batteries, 台 for an appliance, 张 for a sheet.
• Safety notices: the DANGER / WARNING / CAUTION hierarchy is commonly rendered as 危险 / 警告 / 注意. What matters is that it stays consistent throughout the manual.
• Register: instructions are written in the imperative, often opening with 请, so “Remove the cover” becomes 请取下外盖.
• Dates and units: a date is written 2024年3月15日, while symbols such as mm, kg and V stay in Latin script.

Chinese typography does not use italics. Words in italics in the source are better shown in bold in the Chinese version.

Layout: space, fonts and tables

Chinese text has two to three times fewer characters than the source, but each character is wider. The space taken up therefore changes little: specification tables usually still fit, and the page count stays close to the original. Line breaks, however, fall in different places. A numbered step that fitted on one line may take two, which can shift an icon placed beside it.

The real issue is fonts. A Latin font has no Chinese characters. If your manual is set in a Latin-only corporate typeface, the hanzi will show in whatever fallback font the reader's computer picks, or as empty boxes. In the returned Word file, check that the Chinese text uses a font that contains these characters. For a print-ready PDF, make sure fonts are embedded when you export it.

Labels baked into an illustration, such as callouts on an exploded diagram or text in a screenshot, are not selectable text in the file. Identify them before uploading: they need handling separately. If the product has a Chinese interface, retake the screenshots on it.

Where you have a choice, upload the Word file rather than the PDF made from it. You will find it easier to adjust fonts and layout in the Chinese version.

What Manuce delivers, and what it does not

Your manual goes to Dédale, Manuce's technical specialist. Supported formats are Word, PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, plain text, Markdown, HTML, RTF and CSV. The file comes back in its original format with the layout preserved, within minutes for a typical document, and stays available in your client area. For a manual going to customers or a distributor, the Professional level is designed to be ready to pass on. Premium adds a cross-review after the most advanced engine. Chinese carries a surcharge: a ×1.6 coefficient on the per-word rate.

What Manuce does not do:

• it cannot read a scanned PDF (an image with no selectable text);
• it does not take glossaries or term lists. To check that a reference such as RX-200 or a button name is handled as you expect, review the free sample, then the translation;
• it cannot see your device's interface. If the screen shows 设置 for “Settings”, it is up to you to check that the manual uses the same word;
• it does not produce certified (sworn) translations;
• Simplified Chinese targets mainland China and Singapore. For Taiwan or Hong Kong, order Traditional Chinese, which is a separate language at Manuce.

Preparing the file and checking the result

Before uploading

• Check that you can select the manual's text with the mouse. If you cannot, go back to the source file.
• Confirm the target market: mainland China or Singapore for Simplified.
• Note anything that must stay in Latin script: part numbers, brand names, markings printed on the device.

When reading the free sample

• Are model and part references untouched?
• Do button names match what is printed on the product? If the key reads ON/OFF in Latin letters, the text should refer to it that way.

After delivery

• Look for Latin commas and colons left inside Chinese sentences.
• Check the font of the Chinese text, then update the table of contents and page cross-references in Word.
• Make sure each safety notice keeps its level (危险, 警告, 注意).

If the product is sold in mainland China, consumer instructions must be in Chinese. Have regulatory compliance confirmed by your importer or local distributor.

In practice

1. Check that the manual's text is selectable; prefer Word to PDF.
2. Upload the file and choose Simplified Chinese and a level; the quote appears straight away.
3. Read the free sample: part numbers, button names, safety notices.
4. Pay, then download the translated manual in its original format.
5. Check fonts, the table of contents and cross-references before printing.