Taiwanese translator

Ecrivus is a Taiwanese translation agency: because Taiwanese (Hokkien) is predominantly a spoken language, we deploy it most often as interpreting. The accompanying official documents from Taiwan are almost always written in Traditional Chinese; we translate those with certified status where an authority requires a signed statement of accuracy, and as standard professional translation for business documents.

No. Taiwanese (Hokkien, Southern Min) and Mandarin are mutually unintelligible. Assigning a Mandarin interpreter to a Taiwanese-speaking, often elderly person is a common mistake. We establish up front which language the speaker actually commands before assigning an interpreter.

Yes. Official documents from Taiwan are usually drawn up in Traditional Chinese (Hant). The UK has no sworn-translator institute, so for official acceptance we provide certified translation: a signed and dated statement of accuracy from the translator or the agency. Where a body asks for more, this can be escalated to notarisation by a solicitor or notary public, or to an apostille or legalisation through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). We confirm the level your receiving authority requires in the quote.

We choose a single system per project: the official Tâi-lô (Taiwanese Romanization System from the Ministry of Education) or the older Pe̍h-ōe-jī (POJ). We do not mix the two, and we keep the tone marks intact, because they carry the meaning.

On working days you receive a reply within 1 hour. The lead time for the work itself depends on the type of service (interpreting or document translation), the volume and any required certification, and is confirmed in the quote. For tight deadlines we confirm a workable rush schedule rather than promising a fixed turnaround.

We work with native specialist interpreters and translators and reference the recognised UK professional bodies — the ITI (Institute of Translation and Interpreting), the CIOL (Chartered Institute of Linguists) and, for interpreting, the NRPSI (National Register of Public Service Interpreters). These are bodies of reference for the profession; we name them so you can see the standard the work is held to.

A Taiwanese translation agency takes the coordination off your hands. We determine whether you need a Hokkien interpreter or a Traditional Chinese document translation, arrange certification, notarisation or legalisation where an authority requires it, and keep terminology consistent. You keep one point of contact for scheduling, certification and delivery, all under a single quote. A skilled freelance interpreter or translator does excellent work too; the difference an agency adds is bringing those moving parts together so you are not managing them separately.