Wahed Posted June 1, 2015 at 09:42 PM Report Posted June 1, 2015 at 09:42 PM I am trying to get a rush job done on about 100 Chinese business cards. I am going off of this pattern. This is what I have so far: 加州大学中文课 本科生 小帽 按摩师, 挨踢顾问 把阿罗哈传遍整个世界 网站 http://www.random.com 电子信箱 random@hotmail.com 地址 北京市海淀区中关村南大街27号 * The information is not real since I don't want to post my information publicly but I just want to know if the terminology is correct since I can easily replace 加州 with 纽约. * "把阿罗哈传遍整个世界" <- The intended meaning is "Spreading Aloha around the world" Question: 1. Should I get a chinese type email address and put it on the business card or does it not matter ? (ie __@qq.com instead of __@hotmail.com) 2. Are there any other essentials that I am missing here? (ie wechat, etc. ) If so, should I include this information (Wechat and/or QQ etc. info) on my card? 3. Is all the Chinese perfect? Please correct me if any of my translations are not correct. Thank you! Quote
889 Posted June 1, 2015 at 10:26 PM Report Posted June 1, 2015 at 10:26 PM Do you have a teaching position or such at another school? If not, and if you're just a student in the U.S. and China, then go with the simplest of cards listing only your name and your contact information. If you already have a degree, then perhaps list that also. But junk all the extraneous stuff, and don't show your title as "student." 王无名 北京市海淀区中关村南大街27号 中央民族大学文华楼 100081 （86）18319998888 random@hotmail.com random@qq.com 微信: randomid (You don't have to say "email address" and such in Chinese since it's obvious from the context, and just crowds the name card, though wechat is an exception.) The most important contact information in China is your mobile number, which you won't have till you get to China. So I'd suggest waiting till you reach China to have cards made. Note that normally foreigners show their name and such on the reverse in English (French or whatever), but since you're in an immersion program I assume you want to go the all-Chinese route. Finally, you should show your formal Chinese name on the card, not a nickname like 小帽. 3 Quote
Wahed Posted June 1, 2015 at 10:35 PM Author Report Posted June 1, 2015 at 10:35 PM I do not have a teaching position so I can understand why you removed my school's information from the card. But I noticed you removed: 1. the side work that I do as masseuse 2. my personal (super small) website that I run - Should I not include this information? If not, why? About getting cards made in Beijing, is it something that is really easy to do, cheap, pretty high quality, and fast? I really would like to get this done as soon as possible and I am not sure if this would be too difficult a task to get done in-country. I am definitely up to the challenge of using my Chinese to try and go through with it but this sounds like it could be time-consuming to get done there. Also, I assumed that mobile numbers would be quite important there but I was thinking that email/qq might suffice instead. Your thoughts for or against? Quote
889 Posted June 1, 2015 at 10:46 PM Report Posted June 1, 2015 at 10:46 PM You're not in China on a work visa; so forget handing out cards that show sidework. If your card doesn't include your mobile number, then every time you give one out you'll have to fumble around for a pen to write it down. Really, there's no point at all in having cards made without your mobile number. Take having cards made in Beijing as your first practical challenge in Chinese. It should be fun, and there are plenty of places around to do it. As to your website, that's up to you. Frankly, no one will ever look at it. 3 Quote
Wahed Posted June 1, 2015 at 11:09 PM Author Report Posted June 1, 2015 at 11:09 PM But what about the logistics of it? Namely -> really easy to do, inexpensive, pretty high quality, and most importantly fast (as 1-2 day turnaround)? - So, you feel that QQ and Wechat are essential and that I should make an account and put the info on my card? Ok, I wasn't sure at first if it was essential but if so then I will get to making an account now. I'm going to take a couple of pics in a tie to make it more formal. - I will not have time to do any sidework with the immersion program. I just want it there so they know that I am not only a student and that I work while attending school. I like to emphasize that work/school balance that I do. How about I list it as 按摩师学生 'massage student'? I understand your viewpoint but I would like it on there one way or another personally. I also would like to keep the "Aloha..." message that I wrote as well. I know it may sound cheesy but that is fine with me as long as the Chinese is correct and it makes sense. Without it, the card just looks so dead to me. Is all the Chinese correct? - For my website, I think I will just have the title of my website placed where I originally had my school information. How about this: random.com 把阿罗哈传遍整个世界 小帽 按摩师学生 北京市海淀区中关村南大街27号中央民族大学文华楼 100081 （86）18319998888 random@hotmail.com random@qq.com 微信: randomid ^ So, how does the second draft look? Quote
chinesenoob Posted June 1, 2015 at 11:15 PM Report Posted June 1, 2015 at 11:15 PM just wondering - why are you getting business cards if you're a student? 1 Quote
889 Posted June 1, 2015 at 11:45 PM Report Posted June 1, 2015 at 11:45 PM Sorry to be blunt about it, but in China "massage" on a business card has implications, certainly if you are a masseuse. It's in the same category as "Public Relations" on a name card. Forget it.As to the aloha slogan, no one will understand it, and you need a native speaker with a poetic touch to get something like that sounding right.If you put your website at the top, it looks like you're somehow employed by it. At least put it at the bottom, centred perhaps.Finally, to repeat and repeat, without your mobile number you're wasting your time having name cards made. It won't take long to have them done in Beijing. And you're going to find it challenging to open those wechat and qq accounts without a mobile number. 4 Quote
Wahed Posted June 2, 2015 at 01:04 AM Author Report Posted June 2, 2015 at 01:04 AM Good point about the potential misunderstandings. I will leave that out. I'll just stick with your recommendation then. Third draft: 王无名 random.com 北京市海淀区中关村南大街27号 中央民族大学文华楼 100081 （86）18319998888 random@hotmail.com random@qq.com 微信: randomid I'll show this post to them when I go to get it made. Thank you! - Regarding prices, I'm sure you have experience here. Is this something to haggle about the price? Or are they pretty set in stone and I don't have to worry about getting ripped off? Any other things to keep in mind when I go to get this done? - On another note, I was considering tranlsating my site to Chinese and getting just a bit of work done on it. It's not much so it's not a big job. Do you think something like that is also worthwhile to get taken care of in China by a Chinese developer? If so, are there any things to keep in mind/warnings or is it pretty much the same as what you wrote above about business cards? Quote
889 Posted June 2, 2015 at 01:28 AM Report Posted June 2, 2015 at 01:28 AM Haggling in China is not what you may think. There are certainly times for it -- if you head out to Panjiayuan, for example -- but for basic services, especially relatively cheap things like name cards, you don't haggle unless you're ordering large numbers. If you're worried about being ripped off for 10RMB or so, then look for a place with posted prices; I think you'll find posted prices in most places. You don't really need a web developer to just translate your site. If you want the site redone so it looks professional, of course that can be done, and I suspect that like many things in China, it's no longer very cheap. But you still have to be able to communicate to the developer exactly what you want, and in Chinese given your immersion. Keep in mind that updating a site done professionally can be a lot more difficult than updating a simple site you made yourself. Myself, I'd be reluctant to start hiring a web developer and such in China, at least until I had a firmer grasp of Chinese and of Chinese business practices. (I assume you're aware that 小帽 sounds a bit like 小猫， hence some of the concern in my earlier post.) 1 Quote
Lu Posted June 2, 2015 at 09:08 AM Report Posted June 2, 2015 at 09:08 AM There's another advantage to getting business cards done in China: the business card folks there will understand Chinese, something you won't get in most foreign countries. It will be fairly cheap and likely fast, and quality will usually be decent though not spectacular. But since you're not the director of a multinational, there's no real need for a spectacular business card anyway. Compare some prices if you can, so you know you're being quoted something reasonable. But don't haggle, there won't really be room for that. Make sure you carefully check for typos when you give them the information, and if possible don't pay the full amount until everything is in order with what they printed. I agree on not mentioning the masseuse thing (unfortunate implications and you won't be allowed to work anyway), the Aloha thing (the idea is very nice, but since most Chinese will have no clue what 'aloha' is, it'll just be confusing), and the phone number (you need this, more than an email address). Weixin/QQ is good to include but obviously only if you plan on using it. If you have a phone number, people will generally be able to find your Weixin with that. Hotmail is fine, there's no need for a more Chinese email address. Many Chinese use hotmail as well. As for the phone number: instead of （86）18319998888, consider （+86）183-1999 8888. It makes it easier to read. And since the card is in Chinese and will only be seen/used by people in China, you can leave off the 86 and just write 183-1999 8888. 2 Quote
renzhe Posted June 2, 2015 at 10:20 AM Report Posted June 2, 2015 at 10:20 AM just wondering - why are you getting business cards if you're a student?It can be useful for networking, especially if you're looking for a job, internship, want somebody to cite your publication, etc. Or if you go to conferences, fairs, etc. and would like people to remember/contact you. 2 Quote
chinesenoob Posted June 2, 2015 at 11:44 AM Report Posted June 2, 2015 at 11:44 AM @renzhe ahh ok, just seemed abit formal to me if it's not a business thing! personally i just give out my weixin to anyone worthy maybe he could get a business card with a wechat QR code on it instead and just carry 1 around lol Quote
889 Posted June 2, 2015 at 12:14 PM Report Posted June 2, 2015 at 12:14 PM I think the OP has made clear that she prefers to be a bit formal at school, and there's nothing wrong with that. Indeed, I think handing out name cards is a nice approach, especially in an immersion program since it avoids mistakes in telling others your name and contact info by voice. But I agree it's an approach Chinese are more likely to appreciate than fellow foreign students. 1 Quote
Wahed Posted June 8, 2015 at 09:45 AM Author Report Posted June 8, 2015 at 09:45 AM 我剛才去甚麼店查看名片。說'to get something made'太難了。但到了他想通我想說的還有說一百張會是大概50块還有差不多三天後準備好了。 我還在等手機來。。。 Quote
Lu Posted June 8, 2015 at 10:29 AM Report Posted June 8, 2015 at 10:29 AM 說'to get something made'太難了。Just 作 often works. Or 请帮我作... Glad you found a shop already! Quote
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