There are two forms of characters in Chinese language: traditional and simplified. Simplified character forms were created in the late 20th century by decreasing the number of strokes and simplifying the forms of a sizable proportion of traditional Chinese characters.

Traditional Chinese characters are currently used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. While traditional characters can still be read and understood by many mainland Chinese, Singaporeans and Malaysians, these groups generally retain their use of Simplified characters.

So, which form should you use in the U.S.?

In general, overseas Chinese communities tend to use traditional characters. Major Chinese newspapers in the United States targeting all Chinese are all in traditional Chinese. However, media that primarily target mainland Chinese immigrants are in simplified Chinese.

Most of the websites that serve Chinese from various origins offer both traditional and simplified forms. It doesn’t require additional translation or data storage. Each traditional character has its corresponding simplified or unchanged form. Thus, content can be stored in traditional form; and the system can convert it to simplified form if website visitors choose to view in simplified Chinese.

Do NOT do the opposite though. Many simplified characters represent more than one traditional characters. Therefore, the reverse does not always convert right.

How about printed materials?

That depends on your target audience and the nature of the content. When all eyes are in China, people would naturally think simplified Chinese is the way to go. Nevertheless, if the material is intended for the larger Chinese audience overseas, traditional Chinese should be considered seriously. Any decorative contexts such as shop signs and calligraphy should always be in traditional Chinese.

It is okay, but most of the time unnecessary to print material in both forms side by side. Just make sure not to have it half and half, for example having the headline in traditional and the body in simplified or vice versa. That would be very unprofessional.

* Chinese characters are adopted by Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese. There are less characters are used in those languages.

The U.S. government defines Hispanic as people “who trace their origin or descent to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America (except for Brazil), and other Spanish cultures.” This includes Spain, which is the origin of Spanish culture. While Hispanic shares the same language and similar culture, each country has its own dialect and subculture.

There are Chinese all over the world. Like Hispanic, Chinese in different region has its own dialect and subculture. Mainland Chinese has quite different lifestyle and mentalities from Chinese in Taiwan or Hong Kong. They even have different character forms in writing. (See Traditional and Simplified Chinese)

Though population of China (1.37 billion) represents 19% of the world population (7.23 billion), marketers should not ignore Chinese from other regions. It is not just because the sizable population of Chinese outside of China. It is more about the exposure of your marketing materials to the other Chinese groups.

Unless your marketing communication is within mainland China, you should avoid images, assumptions and expressions that may cause any misunderstanding or displeasure to Chinese in other areas. For instance, the flag of the People’s Republic of China should be used to represent the country only, not the overall Chinese race or the language. Traditional characters should be used for advertisements on the traditional Chinese newspapers. 窩心 (woxin) means heartwarming and loving in Taiwan, but heartbreaking and aggrieved in China.

Do not scared by the variances of Chinese subgroups. In fact, they have more similarities than differences. Consult with local Chinese marketing professionals who understand the mix of your target audience. It is particularly important in the United States since it has Chinese from everywhere, visiting and staying. Do not count on Google or one Chinese-speaking intern to do the right work.