Private car, guide and interpreter in China
Interpreter
An interpreter works between two languages while something else is happening — a negotiation, a clinic visit, a factory floor, a school, a family introduction. Do not book a sightseeing guide and hope the meeting takes care of itself.
When to ask for an interpreter
Ask when the words themselves are the job. Trade conversations, supplier visits, university or hospital appointments, and family matters need someone who will follow the speakers, not the skyline.
If the same day also includes a museum or an old town, say that. We may propose a guide for those hours and an interpreter for the meeting, or one person only when the brief truly allows it.
What to send
City, dates, party size, and the language pair: for example English and Mandarin, or Japanese and Mandarin. Add the setting and the address area. A factory gate and a hospital lobby are different rooms.
- The hour you must arrive, and how long the meeting is likely to run
- Whether you need consecutive interpreting, which is the usual request
- Any topic that is technical, medical, or sensitive, in plain words
How the match works
China On Call confirms an interpreter only when a person with that language pair is free. We do not pretend every language is on call in every city. The quote comes back on WhatsApp and is not printed here.
The website language is not the interpreting language. You can read this page in English, Simplified Chinese, or Traditional Chinese and still ask for another pair. Hong Kong and Macau are outside this service.
Questions
Is an interpreter the same as a tour guide?
No. A guide explains a place. An interpreter carries a conversation. Tell us which hours are which.
Can you cover a hospital or a school?
Often, if we say so after the brief. We are not a clinic and we do not give medical advice. Send the appointment time and the language pair.
Do you offer every language in every city?
No. English and Mandarin are the common pair. Other languages are a question, not a promise, until someone is free.
Will you sign a document for us?
No. Interpreting is spoken help in the room. Certified translation of papers is a different job and not what this page arranges.
From the how-to notes
These pages say what to send. They do not list a rate.
Read the note
How to brief a guide or interpreter on WhatsApp
The few lines that let a coordinator tell a sightseeing day from a meeting, and a sample you can rewrite without adding a life story.
Read the note
Tour guide or interpreter: which brief to send
A guide explains a place. An interpreter carries a conversation. Here is how to tell them apart before you write.
Start from a published city
Another mainland city can be named in the form. Hong Kong and Macau are outside this service.