Mandarin is not the only language spoken in China. It may be the lingua franca and widely promoted by the government, threatening the vitality of minority languages in the country, but the fact remains that hundreds of minority languages are spoken throughout China. Many of these languages are Sinitic languages, closely related to Mandarin yet often mutually unintelligible. A significant proportion of these Chinese languages come from the Min subfamily in southern China.
Min languages are spoken by tens of millions across southeastern China and Taiwan—but most of them are threatened by Mandarin, which is far more common and is promoted over local Min languages, with the exception of the variant of Hokkien spoken in Taiwan. Since Min languages are generally vulnerable, if not outright endangered, the majority of translation agencies don’t offer services for them, sticking solely to Mandarin. But at TranslationServices.com, we’ll always be here to serve minority languages. We’re proud to have put together a professional Min Chinese translation team.
Get started with Min Chinese translation by contacting us and requesting a free quote today!
The background of Min Chinese
The Min group of Sinitic languages covers various tongues spoken in southeastern China and Taiwan, and Min languages are also spoken widely in the Chinese diaspora, particularly in Japan, the northeastern United States, and Southeast Asia. Within China, these languages are spoken in the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, and Zhejiang, and Min languages are spoken in much of Taiwan, even though Taiwan also lists Mandarin as its official language. Among the languages in the Min family are Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese, and Fuzhounese.
Min languages can vary significantly and may not be mutually intelligible among themselves, let alone with Mandarin, native to an area considerably north of the Min-speaking area. One of the ways in which Min languages differ from Mandarin is in their preservation of features and vocabulary from Old Chinese, which have fallen by the wayside in Mandarin. Min languages may also retain features from the languages spoken in the area prior to Sinicization, and some linguists have posited that some Min words originate from Austroasiatic languages like Vietnamese. Since Min languages often use archaic characters or even entirely new characters not used in Mandarin, Mandarin speakers often cannot easily read Min texts, contrary to popular belief.
Min Chinese languages are distinct from Mandarin in many ways and are vibrant, beautiful languages. We’re proud to have a Min translation team.
You can hire our Min translators for all sorts of reasons
Why might you like to purchase Min Chinese translation services? Since our translators handle translation jobs both to and from Min languages, we feel confident that we can easily accommodate your needs—no matter what they are. How about translating historical documents written in Min Chinese, or literature (traditional or contemporary) written in a Min language? That’s a great way to share Min culture abroad. Alternatively, you could translate academic notes or entertainment content, from books to apps, to ensure speakers of Min languages have more avenues to use their minority Chinese language. Our translators are proud to help with any of these causes and more.
Ready to get started with Min Chinese translation services? Tell us what you’re looking for in an email.