Restaurant Resource

Chinese Menu Translation Audit

Menu audit · Scorecard · Restaurant resource

A translation audit asks whether the diner can understand what will arrive at the table.

Translation audit questions

  • Does each unfamiliar dish have a functional English name?
  • Are Chinese characters preserved for real dish names?
  • Is pinyin used consistently?
  • Are poetic names explained rather than left alone?
  • Are potentially alarming literal names handled carefully?
  • Are hidden ingredients disclosed?
  • Are regional terms explained briefly?
  • Are descriptions short enough for menu use?

Pinyin is a pronunciation system, not a translation, so it works best when paired with a plain-English dish explanation. Hanyu Pinyin is the standard Mandarin romanization system, which helps keep spellings consistent across menu pages and glossaries.

Bad to better

Weak translation Better treatment
Fish Fragrant Eggplant Yu Xiang Eggplant: Sichuan eggplant in garlic, chile, vinegar, and soy-based sauce. No fish.
Ants on Tree Glass noodles with minced pork and chile-bean sauce.
Lion Head Lion's Head Meatballs: large braised pork meatballs with greens.
Husband and Wife Fuqi Feipian: chilled sliced beef and tripe in spicy Sichuan chile oil.

Downloadable translation audit template

Template Download Use
Translation audit translation-audit-template.csv Spreadsheet-ready translation audit template. 
dish_name,chinese_name,current_translation,problem_type,better_translation,one_sentence_description,dietary_notes
鱼香茄子,鱼香茄子,Fish fragrant eggplant,Literally accurate but misleading,Yu xiang eggplant,Eggplant with garlic, chile, vinegar, and soy sauce in Sichuan yu xiang sauce.,Contains soy; does not contain fish unless recipe differs.
水煮牛肉,水煮牛肉,Boiled beef,Literally misleading,Sichuan chile oil beef,Beef slices served in a spicy Sichuan chile broth with vegetables.,Spicy; contains soy; ask about wheat.
夫妻肺片,夫妻肺片,Husband and wife lung slices,Literally alarming,Sichuan sliced beef and tripe,Cold sliced beef and tripe in chile oil and Sichuan peppercorn sauce.,Spicy; contains beef/offal.

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