This guide adapts rules and examples from Microsoft’s Chinese (Simplified) Localization Style Guide (originally written for software/UI localization). The underlying linguistic rules apply universally — to legal contracts, medical documents, marketing copy, and any Simplified Chinese translation work for Mainland China. Restructured and reformatted as a general Simplified Chinese translator reference by ChatsControl.

Chinese (Simplified, Mainland China) Translation Style Guide — Voice, Word Choice & Common Pitfalls (Legal, Medical, Marketing, IT)¶

TL;DR¶

• Use 你 (informal) instead of 您 (formal) for Microsoft voice; omit pronouns when meaning is clear.
• Use 应用 for app, 应用程序 for application, 电脑 for PC, 计算机 for computer.
• Punctuation differs between Software (mix of half-width and full-width) and Documentation (mostly full-width).
• Don’t use English em dash (—) in Chinese — looks like 一 (one); use 、 (pause symbol) between list items.
• Reference 《现代汉语词典》, 《辞海》, 现代汉语规范词典 for normative usage.

Register and tone for modern Simplified Chinese translation¶

Register is the level of formality, warmth, and conversational ease the target text projects. Three principles define the modern Simplified Chinese register for consumer-facing content:

• Warm and relaxed. Natural, less formal, more grounded in honest conversations.
• Crisp and clear. Written for scanning first, reading second. Sentences short enough to parse on a phone screen.
• Ready to help. Anticipates what the reader needs and offers it at the right moment.

The general style should be clear, friendly, and concise. Translators are free to choose words that aren’t standard translations if that’s the best way to stay true to source intent.

Why this matters: Bureaucratic register damages outcomes across spheres. In marketing copy it kills conversion. In patient-facing medical materials it reduces comprehension and compliance. In software UI it creates friction. In consumer-facing legal documents (terms of service, privacy notices) regulators increasingly demand plain language.

Flexibility¶

Modify or rewrite strings so they’re appropriate and natural for Simplified Chinese readers. Sometimes remove unnecessary content.

Words and phrases to avoid¶

Word choice¶

Use approved terminology. Some terms have different translations in different products — check metadata. In technical documents/UI translation, choose formal translation; in marketing documents, choose informal translation.

Word-to-word translation: why direct mapping fails¶

Inclusive language¶

Use plain language. Don’t generalize or stereotype.

Avoid gender bias¶

Don’t use gendered pronouns (她, 他) in generic references. Instead: rewrite using substitutive form (其); omit pronoun (文档 instead of 他的文档); refer to a role (读者, 员工, 顾客, 客户); use 人员 or 个人.

When writing about a real person, use their preferred pronouns (他, 她, 他们).

Accessibility¶

Focus on people, not disabilities. Don’t use words that imply pity (患病, 遭受痛苦).

Keep paragraphs short. Spell out 和, 外加, 关于 — screen readers misread &, +, ~.

Language-specific standards¶

Abbreviations¶

Simplified Chinese doesn’t generally use abbreviations. For English abbreviations: use based on source; no spaces in abbreviations; use NBSP (Ctrl+Alt+空格键) to prevent line breaks.

Don’t abbreviate: Microsoft as MS (in product names); Visual Studio as VS (in product names); operating system names.

Acronyms¶

• Acronym letters all uppercased.
• Drop “s” at end of plural English acronym when localizing.

Localized acronyms¶

Unlocalized acronyms¶

HDMI, MB, GB stay as-is.

Adjectives¶

Don’t use “最好”, “最强”, “唯一” generally.

Possessive adjectives¶

Avoid translating every possessive even if present in English. Avoid using too many 的 — omit where meaning unaffected.

Articles¶

For most cases, no need to translate articles to Simplified Chinese for fluency and conciseness. Translate articles only when needed to emphasize the noun and avoid confusion. Microsoft product names and translated feature names used without articles.

Conjunctions¶

Some conjunctions need verbs in Chinese:

Contractions¶

Chinese doesn’t have technical contractions. For some particles, adverbs, conjunctions there are shorter everyday forms.

Font localization¶

• Font: SimSun (宋体), 9 point for Chinese text.
• Don’t use italic/bold font style — use bold/italic tags instead.
• UI terms within software messages enclose with double-byte double quotation marks (“”).
• For UI terms in documentation/online help, move UI out of <bold>, <italic>, <ui> tags and enclose with double-byte double quotes.
• Office UI strings: keep inside UI/bold tags AND add quotation marks outside tag pairs.

Bold headings remain in translation — don’t add quotation marks and remove bold font.

Italic font for book/manual/online guide/magazine/newspaper/movie/drama/TV/poem/song names: use book title marks 《》 for Chinese titles and remove italic.

Localizing colloquialisms, idioms, and metaphors¶

Three options:

1. Don’t replace source colloquialism with Chinese unless perfect fit.
2. Translate intended meaning if integral.
3. If omittable without affecting meaning, omit.

Acceptable zh-CN colloquialisms: 写手、粉丝、方便快捷、量身打造.

Context-specific: 菜鸟 (only with gaming — e.g. first level of a game).

Unacceptable: 给力、山寨、亲、神马、偶、童鞋、酱紫.

Modifiers¶

Translate modifiers into different parts of speech (verb, complement, adverb) for better readability.

In Chinese, modified element always follows the modifier. Avoid literal word-for-word translation or stacked modifiers:

Numbers¶

• Numerals with measurement units: write as numbers.
• Data formats (MM-YY-DD): numbers.
• Equations/functions: numbers.
• Otherwise: match source (numeral in source → numeral in target; letter in source → usually Chinese character).

Measurement units after numbers should use specific units (avoid generic 个):

Prepositions¶

Pronouns¶

In general, don’t translate every pronoun. Omit when meaning unaffected. Use 你 instead of 您.

Punctuation¶

Simplified Chinese has two conventions: Software (mix of half-width and full-width) and Documentation (mostly full-width).

Software punctuation:

Documentation punctuation:

Comma¶

Chinese comma (，) used in both. Pause symbol (、) used between parallel list items, NOT comma.

Colon¶

Software: English colon (:). Single-byte space between colon and subsequent characters (excluding Chinese full-width punctuation).

Documentation: Double-byte colon (：). No space between colon and subsequent characters.

Dashes and hyphens¶

Wave dash (~) — separates alternatives/approximates.

En dash (–) — minus sign with spaces. Same in zh-CN as English.

Em dash (—) — should NOT be used in Chinese (looks like 一/one). Rephrase or use ( ), ：, or en dash to emphasize.

Ellipses¶

English (…) used in both software and documentation. Some software may require double-byte dots (···).

Period¶

Chinese period (。) used in both.

Exceptions: - English period (.) used in English abbreviations, trademarks, product names, company names: const., U.S.A., Hitachi Ltd. - English period (.) as separator in digit groups or file names: 123.45, CONFIG.SYS.

Quotation marks¶

Software: Double-byte quotes (“”) if text includes double-byte characters and/or tags; single-byte quotes (“”) if text is single-byte characters (with single-byte space between quotes and outside text, except Chinese full-width punctuation).

Documentation: Double-byte quotes (“”).

Single quotes within double quotes:

请查阅第一章的”运行 Setup 出问题时查阅’诊断和解决问题’一章”的内容。

Question mark¶

Software: English (?). Single-byte space before subsequent characters.

Documentation: Double-byte (？). No space between ？ and subsequent characters.

Parentheses¶

Software: English ( ). No space between parentheses and Chinese characters outside; single-byte space between parentheses and English characters/numbers outside.

Documentation: Double-byte （） if text includes double-byte characters (no space). Single-byte ( ) if text is single-byte/numbers (single-byte space).

Square brackets¶

Single-byte square brackets in both software and documentation.

Used as substitute for inner parentheses when nested: （不能是简单 Type [如 string 或 Guid]）.

Slash¶

Forward slash (/) — single-byte; no spaces around. Use for: alternatives (显示/不显示), command line (a:setup/u), fractions (1/72 英寸), dates (1994/1/1).

Back slash (\) — single-byte; no spaces around. Use in path names.

Exclamatory mark¶

Software: English (!). Single-byte space before subsequent characters.

Documentation: Double-byte (！). No space after.

Book title marks 《》¶

Use 《》 for Chinese book titles, online guides, manuals, magazines.

Sentence fragments¶

Sentence fragments help convey conversational tone.

Verbs¶

Simple tenses preferred. Continuous operations (English gerund) translate with 正在… pattern.

For chapter titles like “Working with…” or “Using…” do NOT apply 正在… pattern (these aren’t continuous operations).

Localization considerations¶

Accessibility¶

Accessibility options make computers usable by people with cognitive, hearing, physical, or visual disabilities. Some accessible products may not be available in Chinese-speaking markets.

Applications, products, and features¶

Application/product names often trademarked, rarely translated. Some product names (Microsoft Notepad → Microsoft 记事本) are built-in components and can be localized. Some are translated in unavoidable circumstances (packages, marketing materials, press releases).

Version numbers¶

Version numbers contain a period.

Translation of version strings¶

Version strings with copyright info should always be translated.

Copilot predefined prompts¶

Best practices: clear and specific; keep conversational; polite and professional; use quotation marks; pay attention to punctuation/grammar/capitalization; correct entity token placement; be consistent.

Trademarks¶

Trademarked names and “Microsoft Corporation” should not be localized unless local laws require translation and an approved translated form exists.

Software considerations¶

Arrow keys¶

Arrow keys move input focus within a group.

Error messages¶

Apply Microsoft voice principles for natural, empathetic, non-robotic translation.

Keyboard shortcuts¶

Standard rules apply per general Microsoft localization practice. Most access keys use Alt; most shortcut keys use Ctrl. Ctrl+letter and F1–F12 are best choices for shortcut keys.

Keys¶

Key names follow standard Microsoft localization.

Numeric keypad¶

Don’t distinguish numeric keypad keys from other keys unless required.

Voice video considerations¶

Good voice video addresses one intent, brief, high audio quality, informative visuals, right language variant in voiceover.

English pronunciation¶

English terms pronounced English way. Microsoft pronounced English way. Adapt to Chinese phonetic system if original sounds awkward.

Tone¶

Match target audience: informal/playful for products and games; formal/informative/factual for technical content.

Reference materials¶

Refer to:

• 《现代汉语词典》 (Xiandai Hanyu Cidian — Contemporary Chinese Dictionary)
• 《辞海》 (Cihai)
• 现代汉语规范词典 (Standard Contemporary Chinese Dictionary)
• Microsoft Terminology — Globalization

FAQ¶

What’s the modern register for Simplified Chinese translation across professional contexts?¶

Clear, friendly, concise — uses informal 你 not formal 您 for Microsoft voice. Avoid word-for-word translation, formal antiquated vocabulary (倘若/假使 → 假如/如果; 仅是 → 只是). Sworn legal translation, formal government documents retain more formal register.

How does Simplified Chinese punctuation differ from English?¶

Software localization uses mix of half-width (, : ! ? ( ) … -) and full-width (。 、 《 》). Documentation uses mostly full-width (， 。 、 ： ； ！ ？ « » ” “). Use 、 (Chinese pause symbol) between list items, not English comma. Don’t use English em dash (—) — looks like 一 (one).

How should I handle informal vs formal addressing?¶

Use 你 (informal) instead of 您 (formal) for Microsoft voice. Omit pronouns when the meaning is clear — Chinese tolerates pronoun omission much more than English. Use 应用 (app) for consumer/UI; 应用程序 (application) for technical docs.

What are the most common Chinese Simplified translation pitfalls?¶

Word-for-word translation that misses fluent Chinese (反映你的个性 → 彰显你的个性; 严肃。有趣。 → 张弛有度。), too many 的 (omit where meaning unaffected), using English comma between list items instead of 、, using em dash (looks like 一), over-translating articles (Chinese rarely needs them), keeping all possessives from English source.

What are the font and font size requirements?¶

Use SimSun (宋体) at 9 point for Chinese text. Don’t use italic/bold for words italic/bold in source — use formatting tags. Use double-byte double quotes “” around UI terms within software messages.

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guide for Chinese (Simplified)
• Microsoft Globalization Style Guides hub