By David Mendoza As a migrant growing up in Australia, I have always been aware of the crucial role played by interpreters and translators in Australia’s multicultural communities. Some of my earliest memories include attending community events where young interpreters would bridge the language gap in real time using simultaneous interpreting equipment: booth, microphone, and headsets. These interpreters, who were bilingual children of people I knew, were highly respected and admired for their ability to navigate between languages, helping us understand English verbally and in writing. While t ..read more

By Doris Yinuo Xiao “Your new shoes look great!” “I got seeded to buy them after seeing them on RED.” “These cookies are delicious!” “I got seeded to try them after seeing them recommended on RED.” Conversations like these are common among Chinese consumers. In the Chinese online world, “种草” (zhòng cǎo), or “product seeding” in English, is a popular internet term. It refers to the act of sparking others’ desire or interest in purchasing a certain product, service, or experience through sharing or recommending it. The term originated from “planting seeds,” metaphorically suggesting that by plan ..read more

By David Mendoza GAICD As a marketer, there will come a time when you need to translate your content to another language, whether it’s for business-to-consumer, business-to-business, or government messaging. You are responsible and you will take the flak if something goes wrong. But each language has its quirks, its cultural nuances, and its hidden pitfalls. Sometimes idioms fall flat and formality turns robotic. Suddenly your carefully crafted English copy feels lost in translation. That’s where the real challenge lies. For example, how do you ensure that the translation of your English copy ..read more

龙腾虎跃·天翻地覆 By CHIN’s soothsayers There is nothing like a dragon year – the luckiest of all years. Expect plenty of action, abundant opportunities and there is no time to waste. Dragons represent prosperity, success and honour in Chinese culture. Dragon years bring discoveries, innovation and new technologies.  Apple and Wikipedia both arose in Dragon years. The dragon roars into our lives on 10 February 2024. It flies away on 28 January 2025 when the Snake slithers in. In Chinese astrology the dragon is the only animal of the Chinese zodiac that is not real. Be that as it may, the Dragon i ..read more

By David Mendoza GAICD If you are hosting guests from overseas who may not speak English well and you want to make sure they are welcomed and included in your event, you must consider interpreting services – especially simultaneous or ‘live’ interpreting (also called “conference interpreting”). John Zhou, NAATTI Level 4 in the Interpreting Booth In an increasingly globalised Australia, events drawing attendees from different countries and language backgrounds rely heavily on experienced simultaneous NAATI interpreters. Think industry summits in tech or finance, sporting competitions, bilateral ..read more

By Kate Ritchie If you would like to have Chinese customers for your products or services, this article will help you; in particular tourism and hospitality, health and wellness, retail, sport like the Australian Open Tennis, and local activities like a concert. Chinese visitors and locals alike will want to travel, dine out with friends and family and share gifts and experiences and buy up big. Now that Australia is a top destination of choice with Chinese travellers once again, the opportunity for local businesses to tap into this rich vein has never been better than Chinese New Year 2024. T ..read more

By Yayi Wang In any social media endeavour it is important to find a good fit for your messages. But in the dynamic world of Chinese influencer marketing, choosing the right platform will make or break your promotional efforts. In 2023, CHIN helped clients from different industries achieve their promotional goals via influencer marketing. RED (or Little Red Book), a user-generated content platform, has proven to be a powerhouse for influencer marketing for our clients.  But why RED over the widely recognised WeChat? RED: Where Diversity Meets Entertainment Founded in 2013, RED has evolve ..read more

By Charles Qin “Thank you, young man,” he warmly shook my hand at Te Whare Pirimia, the Premier House of New Zealand, the official residence of the Prime Minister of New Zealand. “I appreciate your efforts in strengthening the relationships between China and New Zealand, as well as China and Australia. It’s a pleasant surprise to see you here in New Zealand so soon after our meeting in Australia just yesterday.” “I’m here to assist and make sure the language is right, Premier”, I replied to Mr Li Keqiang, who was Premier of China at that time and on a state visit to Australia and later New Zea ..read more

By Kate Ritchie International Translation Day, celebrated on 30 September every year, presents an opportunity to pay tribute to the work of language professionals – translators and interpreters – who play a vital role in understanding and humanity. Indeed, the value of translation is in the news regularly and was highlighted as a factor helping keep people safe during COVID. And right now, The Voice Referendum is not only giving indigenous Australians a chance to be recognised in our Constitution, but also enabling people from all language backgrounds to understand and exercise their rights by ..read more

By Charles Qin Non-English speaking populations endured hardships during Covid when translations – or the lack of them – badly impacted the well-being of many migrant groups. Now in light of the upcoming referendum on the question of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, it is not only migrants being sidelined. Many of our remote indigenous populations – because of a lack of English language proficiency – are being excluded from the referendum. There is a chronic shortage of translators and interpreters in indigenous languages as well as other culturally and linguistic diverse (CALD) communities ..read more