Translate an XLIFF File into Simplified Chinese

What Chinese changes in an XLIFF file

Simplified Chinese uses no spaces between words and full-width punctuation: ， 。 ： ？ ！. The target for Delete {name}? becomes 删除 {name}？, and that question mark is a different character. An automated test asserting that a string ends with ? will fail on the Chinese build; fix the test, not the translation.

Text is two to three times shorter in characters, but each character is wider, so the screen space taken changes little. If your trans-unit elements carry a maxwidth attribute or a size limit designed for Latin script, do not assume everything fits because the character count dropped.

Chinese has a single CLDR plural category: other. The ICU message {count, plural, one {# file} other {# files}} needs only one form in Chinese, and the number takes a measure word that depends on the noun: %d 个文件 for files, %d 条消息 for messages. A lone %d in its own unit, separated from its noun, leaves the translator unable to choose.

This page covers Simplified Chinese (mainland China, Singapore). Traditional Chinese, for Taiwan or Hong Kong, is a separate language at Manuce; order it on its own if you target those markets.

What Manuce returns, and what it does not do

• XLIFF 1.2 and 2.0: each source is translated into the target element and the state attribute is updated.
• Protected units: translate="no" is respected. Notes in the file are passed to the translator as context, which matters for a short label like “Open”, rendered 打开 (action) or 已打开 (status) depending on use.
• Inline tags: <g>, <x/>, <ph> are kept in the same order. A string that would lose them is rejected and flagged.
• Checks: every translated value is compared with its source (variables, tags). If a mismatch persists, the source value is kept and the report says so.
• Left untranslated: keys, empty values, URLs, email addresses, numbers, colours, date formats, identifiers and anything marked as non-translatable.
• Same file: indentation, order, quotes, comments, line endings, encoding and BOM are preserved; only the values change.

You also get a report listing translated strings, strings left as they were and why. Manuce does not take glossaries or translation memories, does not alter the file structure (it neither adds nor removes plural forms) and cannot see how strings render in your interface, so display testing stays on your side.

Pitfalls specific to XLIFF and Chinese

Sentences split across units. Chinese word order often differs from the source. “Sent by {name} on {date}” becomes 由 {name} 于 {date} 发送, with the verb at the end. If the source is split into three trans-unit elements (“Sent by”, “{name} on”, “{date}”), no correct translation is possible. Merge the sentence into one unit before uploading.

Several tags in one string. Tags stay in source order. Click <g id="1">here</g> to save becomes 点击<g id="1">此处</g>保存 without trouble. With two tagged segments that Chinese would naturally swap, the sentence has to follow the imposed order, so review those strings first.

Spaces around placeholders. Hello, {name}! becomes 你好，{name}！, with no space after the full-width comma. Whether to put a space between Latin words and Chinese characters (上传 PDF 文件 or 上传PDF文件) is a house-style choice: pick one and check it is applied.

Encoding. It is preserved as is. A file declared as ISO-8859-1 or Windows-1252 cannot hold Chinese characters: convert it to UTF-8 before uploading.

Preparing the file and checking the result

1. Check the target language attribute (target-language in 1.2, trgLang in 2.0): zh-CN or zh-Hans, whichever your framework expects.
2. Save the file as UTF-8.
3. Add notes to short, ambiguous labels (buttons, tabs, statuses): notes are the only context the translator sees.
4. Mark brand and product names with translate="no". For a term that must stay unchanged, check it in the free sample, then in the delivered file.
5. On delivery, read the report: a string left in the source language often points to a misplaced variable or tag in the original.
6. Test the display with a font that includes Chinese characters. A Latin-only font shows empty boxes; declare a Chinese fallback font in your stylesheet or theme.

The price is based on the words in the values, excluding keys and tags, with the ×1.6 coefficient that applies to Chinese.

In practice

1. Check the file is UTF-8 and the target language attribute reads zh-CN or zh-Hans.
2. Upload the XLIFF file; the quote appears at once, based on the words in the values.
3. Read the free sample, focusing on strings with variables or tags.
4. Pay, then download the translated file and its report from your account.
5. Import the file and test the display with a Chinese font.