Simplified Chinese subtitling services
Chinese subtitle production made simple
Whether you need Simplified Chinese subtitles burnt into an MP4 or the creation of an SRT file, we can work with all file formats. Our skilled team of in-house video engineers can also localise on-screen text (OST) if your video requires it. You can rest assured that with Matinée Multilingual you are buying our experience, service quality and expertise.
Our dedicated project management team will look after your production from start to finish, creating a clear timeline, whilst being on the other end of the phone should you need them for anything. We promise to deliver the best, no nonsense, Chinese subtitles service in the UK.
Get in touch using the Quick Quote form below, and one of our Account Managers will get back to you in just one hour with your quote. Alternatively, you can call us on +44(0)118 958 4934 or email project@matinee.co.uk.
For our subtitling rates card and FAQs
Use our Quick Quote form to get a Subtitling cost for your project within the hour
You will find our production quality second to none, and our service level to be top notch. We have a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of subtitling and closed captions, and use the latest software to complete all subtitling tasks. We work on a variety of projects including TV advertising, corporate and educational videos, business presentations and e-learning.
Your information is kept totally secure and we’ll respect your privacy at all times. If you prefer to discuss your project in more detail you can call: +44 (0)1189584934 or email: project@matinee.co.uk
Select a voice-over language
Choose English read in a foreign accent
Select a subtitle language
CSR paper-thin Bluetooth Keyboard promo – Chinese subtitling
Case Study
Matinée provided audio transcription, translation, animation, video editing and subtitling services to re-version the on-screen captions into Chinese and produce the Simplified Chinese subtitles. The final video was encoded in .mp4 format and was well received by the client.
A short history of the Chinese language
In Chinese there is a clear difference between the written language (wen) and the spoken language (yu). The relationship between the two is complicated, partly because the spoken varieties of the language evolved at different rates, while written Chinese has not changed as much.
Although there are many different Chinese dialects, standard written Chinese is understood by most Chinese speakers as it is based on the standard spoken language (Mandarin).
Written Chinese is one of the oldest writing systems in the world still in use today, originating in the late Shang Dynasty (1200-1050 BC). Its characters gradually evolved and were standardised during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).
In the 20th century, written Chinese divided into two forms, known as simplified and traditional. Simplified Chinese was developed to make the characters easier to write and memorise – it is now the standard written form of the language. Traditional Chinese is still used in Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as by calligraphy artists.
Which countries have Chinese as a national language?
Mandarin is the official language of the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan. It is one of four official languages in Singapore, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Cantonese remains one of the official languages of the special administrative regions of China – Hong Kong (with English) and Macau (with Portuguese). It is also widely spoken in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong (where it originated), as well as in overseas communities (eg in Malaysia).
Of all the Chinese dialects, only Mandarin and Cantonese are designated as official.
How many people speak Chinese as their first language?
Chinese – in one or other of its varieties – is spoken as a first language by over one billion people. This is around a fifth of the world’s total population. Of these, over 900 million speak Mandarin.
Did you know…
- There are over 50,000 Chinese characters, although only around 10,000 are in common use today. A knowledge of 2,000 characters is defined as functional literacy among Chinese workers, while well-educated readers would typically recognise around 4-6,000 characters.
- Chinese characters can be written in any direction on a square grid. Traditionally the language was written in columns, from top to bottom, right to left, with no punctuation. From the mid-20th century, left to right writing, punctuation and rows began to appear. Shop signs can be particularly confusing, as traditional and modern layouts are both common.
- Chinese characters once formed the basis for the writing systems of Vietnam, Korea and Japan. Today written Japanese is a composite of Chinese characters and syllabic Japanese scripts (kana). Chinese characters are rarely used in South Korea now, and not at all in North Korea (replaced with the Hangul alphabet). Vietnamese now uses a Latin-based alphabet.
China is the world’s second largest economy, after the United States. It is the world’s fastest-growing economy, averaging growth rates of around 10% per year for the past 30 years.
China is the largest manufacturing economy in the world, the largest exporter and the second largest importer.
However, it also remains a developing country, with the second highest number of poor people in the world after India. Over a million Chinese people live below the national poverty line of RMB 2,300 per year (about $1.8 per day).
Matinée Subtitling Montage
This video montage features a variety of subtitling projects we have completed in a number of languages. It also shows four different ways in which the captions can be displayed on screen.
Choosing the best way to display your subtitles on-screen will depend on your video content, and how much information you need to show in the captions area. When you send us your video, the first thing we’ll do is review the content, and advise which subtitle style we think will work best for your production.
However, if you have another captions style you prefer, perhaps to match a template you have used before, then we’ll work with whatever you feel works best for your video.
Please follow this link to read our blog page: Everything There is to Know About Video Subtitling & How it is DoneVoice Over
- Two state-of-the-art recording studios
- Pro-Tools recording and editing
- BBC quality acoustics and sound proofing
- Talented and helpful sound engineers
Subtitling
- Affordable subtitling in over 80 languages
- Specialised transcription & translation
- Video & graphics editing
- Burnt-in or file format of your choice
Translation
- In-country translation in 80+ languages
- 30 years experience for peace of mind
- Thorough quality check before delivery
- Affordable pricing and on-time delivery
Helpful Videos
- An introduction to Matinée Multilingual
- Why you need a properly edited voiceover
- Translating the captions within a video
- How to create a superb voiceover recording
- Transcription and how to do it well
- Video translation and the potential pitfalls
- Automated phone messages - consider this
- Grow your business with subtitles
News from our blog
Testimonials
They were so professional
Brian and Philippe…love them!! What a great call to brighten up my day! They were so professional and so funny and I could tell the client was really happy 😊
Philippe is definitely the best VO artist I’ve heard since being at Sponge! Just wow!
Maria Trathen
Pleasure to work with
Pleasure to work with these guys. Hugh and the team couldn’t do enough to help and keep us informed throughout our customer journey. Highly recommended!
Alex Carr
Delivers great work, right on time
We’ve used Matinée for several projects, from video editing to translations of marketing materials, and they’re always a great pleasure to work with. Any requests are answered right away. We’ve had tight deadlines, but we’ve never worried as the team at Matinée delivers great work, right on time.
Lisa Potrawiak
Fantastic to work with
The team at Matinée are fantastic to work with. They are really communicative, helpful and turned around the work as quickly as possible. I have no complaints at all and we will definitely be getting back in contact when we next need subtitles.
Jon Mirley
Matinée is a company I can trust
I’ve worked with Matinee for well over 20 years, and continue to go back to them because of trust; a trust in their commitment to fulfilling the needs of my project, and a trust in the quality of their work.
Bruce Corby
I use Matinee a lot for subtitling projects
I use Matinee for a lot of subtitling projects and they never fail to meet the deadlines. Great customer service and fast responses. Well done to the entire team.
Jade Burnell
Friendly and efficient service
The speed of response, and friendly, efficient service from all staff was quite exceptional. Matinee particularly stands out by putting the customer’s needs first, even when the job is relatively small and a bit of a technical challenge. I would strongly recommend Matinee for any subtitling work.
Richard Taylor
A fantastic company to work with
A fantastic company to work with. Fast email responses, rapid delivery of audio files, and all with positive and warm personalities shining through! Thank you Matinée for a wonderful customer experience.
Anne Crawford
They are always well organised
Very pleased with a number of projects completed by Matinée. They are always well organised, providing clear expectations, organisation, efficiency and always deliver a quality product on time. Recommended.
Jon Watkins
Quick response to meet my deadline
I have to mention the quick response of Sally and Nicole to my last minute request. They both understood the urgency of my need, and helped me complete the recording to hit my deadline.
Joville Villanueva
Your dedicated Project Manager has everything covered
One of our dedicated and experienced Project Managers will work with you to guide you through each step in the delivery of your project. They will review your source materials at the outset, to ensure we have everything that’s needed to provide a well-planned solution. And if your project requires voicing, they will use their knowledge of our reliable voice artists to make sure you get the very best voice at an acceptable price.
Throughout the project, they will schedule the studio time, track the progress through production and pay attention to the details of your project to ensure your media is delivered in budget and on time.
We have some fabulous reviews which bear testimony to our friendly and professional voiceover and subtitling services.