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FAQ

China Law Translate (CLT) is a collaborative translation project dedicated to facilitating communication between Chinese and foreign legal professionals by creating fast and reliable translations of Chinese legal authority. Since its launch in 2013, CLT has become an authoritative English-language source for news and analysis on Chinese law, as well as an indispensable source of quality translations.

 

The following are in response to the actual questions most often asked of the site.

Who is Chinalawtranslate (CLT)?

You are.

Sadly, there are no anonymous internet elves that produce content and translations; CLT’s work is generated by me, you, your friends, students and colleagues.

CLT is a community, and we rely on every user to translate, curate, and proofread the articles and translations that appear on the site. Click here to learn more about the ways you can PARTICIPATE!

For more on our core contributors, click here.

Is CLT pro or anti China?

No, we are not.

How do you ensure translation quality?

Our site has been operating since January 26, 2013 and the quality speaks for itself.

On CLT, committed community members and casual readers all review each other’s work by correcting or respectfully commenting on translation choices. While there are occasional omissions, typos, and stylistic variations, we think that our translations have achieved a level of accuracy and readability that we can be proud of. No translation on the site is static and they are always improving, so, with your help, they can be even better.

How is CLT funded?

After four years of reliance on the generous support of contributors in a total volunteer system, the site began trying a new model beginning May 29, 2017.

Users are now expected to either contribute financially or through their own translation efforts in order to have full access to the site. Read more here about plan specifics.

How Do I translate on CLT?

Check the Instructions HERE!

In short:

  1. Open the page or post that you want to translate.
  2. Change the language to the DESTINATION language for your translation on the right of the screen.
  3. Check the ‘translator mode’ box on the TRANSLATION TAB AT THE LEFT.
  4. Click the little colored dots after the sections of text you wish to translate to open a translator panel.
  5. Click Check, or next segment to save the Translation.
Why would anyone translate?

If you are reading the FAQ page of a Chinese Translation site, you probably believe that Chinese law is important, and that translation is a valuable tool for expanding access to it. You also probably have already used CLT translations.

While there is no ‘compensation’ for contributing to translations, we all benefit from each other’s work in generating fast reliable translations. If every visitor to the site translated one sentence, our output would expand astronomically, and the translations you need would be there when you needed them.

Further, each translator’s contribution is recorded in the translation history visible from the translation panel, and it is also a great way to advertise your skills. I am eager to serve as a reference vouching for the contribution of any individual who regularly uses the site.

I believe in the goal- and am responsible for >85% of the translations on CLT and try to edit all work on the site.

How do you select documents to translate?

The documents come from a number of sources but are primarily selected by core CLT volunteers on the basis of their importance, unavailability elsewhere, and perceived interest of the community.

We also sometimes receive completed translations, or suggestions for materials to translate, through our contact form.

Can I submit a document to be translated?

Of course! If you are a regular contributor to the site, we will put it up with no questions asked. If you are a new user, we will first consider the importance of the document and the interest level of the community. Ideally, you should be able to mobilize volunteers to contribute to the translation- ideally, documents should get completed once they are up, and not just linger and become forgotten.

Can I donate a completed translation?

Please! If you have a completed translation, let us know through our contact form and we will put it up. We will credit you at the top of the page. While we like to keep all translations ‘live’ and editable, we will also put a link to a PDF version of your work, so that others can see your original draft unaltered by the site’s other users. This is a great way to get full access to the site.

Can I Use/Distribute CLT translations?

Yes! Please do, but don’t forget to credit CLT when you are giving them out at meetings, putting them online or otherwise sharing them. You may not charge for CLT translations or derivative translations, and reposting our translations in large quantities is also forbidden.

Below, is a description of our preferred citation methods, and you should consider joining our community if you are using the translations professionally.

How should I Cite CLT Translations?

For Original Articles, please contact the author directly, or contact us for assistance.

A prominent link to a translation is generally sufficient in an online article or post about a law. Sending more people our way increases the size of our community and the number of projects it can undertake! Thank you!

For larger quotations, please mention CLT in the body of the post or article, and provide an active link to our version.

If you are reprinting or distributing the full text or substantial portions of our translations, or a heavily derivative translation, please cite CLT on EACH PAGE of a downloadable or distributed document. Please do not make full text of our content generally available on other websites.

Copying or reproducing multiple articles onto other websites without permission is prohibited.

Non-commercial:

If you are distributing a CLT translation, a modified derivative translation, or a translation that has directly borrowed or quoted portions of the CLT translation – CLT should be mentioned by name along with a link to the relevant translation.

If you prefer to credit an individual CLT translator responsible for a specific segment, rather than CLT, please feel free to do so with reference to either their user name or actual name, viewable in the translation log for every single segment on the site.

Non-commercial means not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation.

For Profit: If you are hoping to guide folks to our translations, or directly quoting the site's work, please link clearly and conspicuously to CLT.

If you would like to directly copy a substantial portion of one of our translations, distributing our translations, or making derivative translation thereof, please contact us for permission first.

Full Terms of use available here

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