Think Mandarin is the only language in China? Think again! China is actually one of the most linguistically diverse countries on the planet, with nearly 300 different languages spoken natively in the Middle Kingdom. Of course, Mandarin is the majority language, used in official, educational, and administrative contexts, and most Chinese citizens speak it as their first language. Even those who speak a different native language generally learn Mandarin. But China’s minority languages are still big—such as Hainanese.
With roughly 5 million speakers, Hainanese isn’t exactly a small language. Of course, it pales in comparison to Mandarin, but roughly half of the population of Hainan speaks it, rendering it a regionally important language. Hainanese is used widely in Hainan, acting as a lingua franca in some contexts, even though most Hainanese residents also speak Mandarin. Despite the local prominence of Hainanese, it’s rare to find translation services for the language—so we at TranslationServices.com have compiled our very own Hainanese translation team.
How about a free quote for our Hainanese translation services? We’ll provide one upon request!
What makes Hainanese distinct from Mandarin?
Hainanese and Mandarin have a lot in common—they’re both considered “Chinese,” which is more of a language family rather than a single language. Hainanese is the Sinitic language native to China’s southern island of Hainan, as well as some ethnically Chinese people living in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Sometimes, the Hlai languages spoken by the indigenous Hlai (or Li) people are also called Hainanese, so to avoid confusion, Hainanese is sometimes called Qiongwen or Qiongyu instead.
Hainanese bears no relation to Hainan’s indigenous Hlai languages, which hail from the Kra–Dai language family, like Thai and Lao. Instead, Hainanese comes from the Sino–Tibetan family and is similar to—though by no means mutually intelligible with—Mandarin, Cantonese, and other Chinese languages. It’s part of the Southern Min branch of Sinitic languages, which includes Hokkien, Taiwanese, and Teochew. Hainanese has eight tones as opposed to Mandarin’s four, making it a phonetically more complex language, and its writing also differs from Mandarin. Though it’s written in Chinese characters, the precise characters often differ, making written Hainanese difficult for Mandarin speakers to understand. That’s why it’s imperative to work with translators dedicated to Hainanese, not Mandarin, when you’re looking for high-quality translation services.
Our team offers specially tailored Hainanese translation services
If you want Hainanese translation services, our team endeavors to provide whatever you’re looking for. Since our team is large and diverse, covering different dialects of Hainanese from all across Hainan and other countries where Hainanese is spoken, such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, we’re able to provide translation services both to and from Hainanese in a wide range of dialects. In this way, we cater to the diverse needs of our clients from all across China, Southeast Asia, and the rest of the world.
Some clients may seek more specific translation services for Hainanese, including academic translation services, business translation services, and literary translation services. If your Hainanese translation project requires a specialist in one of these areas (or another area), simply let us know. Our skilled academic translators can cater to the needs of researchers, professors, students, and other scholars, even for highly technical documents in various academic fields, and our business translators can confidently accommodate CEOs, entrepreneurs, marketers, and other business leaders across a number of sectors. Our literary translators are here for any novelists, poets, screenwriters, or any other creative writers who want to widen their audience with meticulous Hainanese translation services. If your document includes technical jargon, you can request a translator with expertise in your field—with a team as diverse as ours, we have translators from all sorts of backgrounds.
Are you ready to get started with Hainanese translation services? Message us if you’d like to place your first order!