Quality Assurance in the Chinese Translation Market

This chapter synthesizes findings from six Chinese translation companies to examine quality assurance (QA) mechanisms in China’s professional translation market. Through comparative case analysis, two dominant QA approaches emerge: procedure-based mechanisms and expert-oriented mechanisms . While both approaches demonstrate capacity to meet client specifications, textual analysis reveals procedure-based systems yield more consistent linguistic quality, particularly in fluency and error reduction. The study also identifies three critical QA elements: (i) client specifications as the primary quality benchmark, (ii) rigorous translator selection through competency testing and (iii) professional revision to enhance functional adequacy. Notably, market realities—including price competition, tight deadlines and uneven client expertise—often compromise procedural adherence, exposing tensions between international QA standards and local practice. Follow-up research on AI’s emerging impact reveals the translation industry in China is adapting to technological disruption. While some clients adopt AI tools for routine content, high-value sectors maintain traditional QA protocols due to concerns about accuracy and security.