AuthentiKan

Because of our reputation for absolutely the best Chinese name translations, we have been getting more and more orders for certificate stamps orders and Certificates of Meaning. We don’t just copy and paste from a dictionary; our naming process takes almost two hours plus time for reviewing and editing. It takes so much brain power that we are limited in the number we can do per day. We have some jobs still pending from December. I apologize for the long delay but want you to know that we do only the best, even though it takes considerable time.

To reduce the load, we have increased the price for a Certificate of Meaning from $50 to $99. The price for the stamp only remains the same. We will have another price adjustment in the near future. What we really want to do is not increase the price, but devote more time to martial artists who really care about their good name and image. We will be creating packages instead of selling just “self-inking stamps.” The starting price will be higher, but the true value you will receive will also be higher. We have been providing stamps but have not been giving you the advice on how to use them and make them really work to enhance your personal brand. Now we are going to do that.

You will be given a special discount if you have purchased school or instructor stamps in the past and would like to upgrade to the package offering. What you have paid can be applied to the new package price plus you will receive an extra discount. We will send you the details via e-mail.

A typical technical or literal translation can be done by a native Chinese language speaker with adequate understanding of both written Chinese and written English. Translating a certificate, however, requires a much higher level of language skill plus greater understanding of both cultures. The reason is that most serious certificates are written in Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese, which a traditional style of written Chinese based on the grammar and vocabulary of ancient China. This type of Chinese is different from any modern spoken form of Chinese.

Here is an example of a martial arts certificate translation we recently completed.

The original text:

“Be it known that the named individual has appeared before the governing council of Feng Quan Si Wu Shu.  After examination in the science of Zhen Shou Dao, the named person has satisfactorily passed examination and has attained the rank of _______ (rank attained)”

The Chinese translation:

Note that:

1. The Chinese translation retains the essence of the original English text but is written in the proper Chinese order that reads the most authentically. In English the name of the governing council appears first and then the style (Zhen Shou Dao), but in Chinese translation, in this particular case, it is more proper to mention the governing council at the end.
    
2. Each word and each name can be translated many ways. Often the literal translation is not the best translation. The words we used were carefully chosen to retain the meaning and yet demonstrate authenticity with a high language level.
    
3. The sentences were formed so they have exactly the same number of characters, a form of symmetry that is valued by the Chinese because it demonstrates mastery of the language.

We have created this large 11″ by 17″ medium-weight cardstock black belt martial arts certificate for Anshin Arashi Budo Bugei Kai. The client, Dr. Vernon Love, provided the beautiful vector aikido artwork and we created the unique layout and added the black belt heading, Japanese translation, and typesetting. The images below show the way the certificate looks after adding instructor stamps and a security edge stamp.

Concept 3
 

Final version

The header is a black belt across the top of the certificate with the organization’s name in English and in Japanese kanji. Japanese kanji is the Japanese adaptation of Chinese characters.

The school, Anshin Arashi Budo Bugei Kai, practices Aikido, Aiki Ju-jutsu, and judo. It is heavy into throws, especially aiki-type throws. The image in the center is a good representation of what the school does. The same image is also used as a watermark in the background to help prevent forgery.

On the right side of the certificate is a description of the school and art in Japanese. It shows that all members achieving the specified rank have been certified by the Ryu Soke’s personal authority.

On the left side is a typical diploma format and text in English: “This certifies that [name] has successfully completed all of the requirements and standards required for promotion to [rank] in the art of [name of the art] and is entitled to all of the rights and privileges appertaining thereto.”

We provide Word and PDF templates that allow the client to easily customize the name, rank, and art on the certificate. Since the certificate is 11 inches tall and 17 inches wide, a wide-format printer is needed to print onto the certificate.

“I like it just how it is, everything is perfect, print it up. Thanks, V. Love, MD”

“I am really pleased, I know I gave you a very difficult order, and you did excellent. I will pass your company’s name to all of my martial art associates. Thanks, Vernon M. Love, MD“

Certificate Front

These full-color, single- or dual-sided certificates are created on medium weight cardstock and are customized to meet your needs. Inspired by your business, these certificates incorporate your logo, and/or elements of your logo, such as specific colors or patterns, to provide a unique and more cohesively integrated design. This sample certificate, created for Good Characters, has its enlarged logo on the certificate back, incorporates a scaled down version of the logo in the certificate face corners, and displays the website on the lower left front. A security watermark is added to the certificate front center to prevent forgery and to further authenticate it. Our certificates look traditional, but are designed for use with modern technology. We recommend using a laser printer for sharper text, but an inkjet can also be used.

American Combined Combatives Association (ACCA)

Final Design 

We recently designed this certificate for the American Combined Combative Association. This final design and suggested customization demonstrates the use of the “School Stamp”, “Master Stamp” and “Security Stamp”.  The thick red-bordered School Stamp can overlap text and is traditionally placed on the left-hand side of the certificate. The Master stamp can be placed on the right hand side of the signature. The Security Stamp (shown on far right hand side) can be stamped on any edge of the certificate as long as part of the stamp is on certificate and the other part is on your logbook.

Word Template 

A pre-formatted custom template is created in Microsoft word so that the certificate issuer can easily add text and print without any guesswork.

Design Concept 1

The above design was one of the initial concepts created for the American Combined Combative Association.  It is shown here to demonstrate our ability to print borders “full-bleed”, meaning there is no white edge on the certificates. Printing full-bleed can serve as a security feature because most printers do not have this capacity; this makes it difficult to forge your certificate.

Design Concept 2

The above design was a second concept created for the American Combined Combative Association; this shows the incorporation of a Chinese character security watermark.

Some of certificates I design are inspired by awards and certificates I received when I was a student in Taiwan. As you can see in the examples below, there are a great variety of designs, and not all have the old-fashioned dragon or phoenix borders.

 
Figure 1. International Model Children Certificate

This Model Children of Taiwan Certificate was the first certificate I received that has English on it. I was 8 years old and hadn’t yet learned English. The red rectangle organizational stamp with a thick border was imprinted on top of the date the certificate was issued. The date, the Chinese line in the middle of the page, written vertically, according to the proper Chinese order, reads “the Republic of China year 68 (that is 1979) December 27th.”

Figure 2. Art Award

I received this award when I graduated from grade school for being good at art. The two large characters that appear as watermarks in the background are the same characters that are on the right hand side. They say, from right to left, “award certificate.” The characters on the four corners, from top to bottom, from right to left, are the four anchors—禮義廉恥 (li yi lian chi), meaning propriety, justice, honesty, and honor. The big square school stamp was stamped over the name of the school president and the issue date.

Figure 3. Graduation Certificate

This is my 6th grade graduation certificate. The border is a plum blossom design; the plum blossom is the national flower of Taiwan, the Republic of China. The background watermark has the same four anchors mentioned above, the four anchors. The school logo is in the middle at the top, in blue with gold foil printing; it also is inspired by the national flower logo.

Figure 4. Manga Drawing Award

I won first place in a traffic safety manga (comic style drawing) drawing contest at school. The seal and ribbon design at the top has the character that means “award.” There are two phoenixes on the top and a plum blossom pattern beneath.

Figure 5. Anti-Communists Education Poster Design Award

In the 1980s when I was in Jr. high school, Communist China was seen as the biggest threat to Taiwan. Every semester students had to write, draw, and give speeches against communists. I was awarded the 2nd place prize in Taipei County’s anti-communist poster design competition. The big red square school seal is imprinted over the school president’s name and the issuing date. Gold borders are on the top and the bottom.

To have me or one of our other designers create a unique and authentic certificate for you, visit our Custom Certificates page. You can also order a big School Stamp or Certificate Stamp Package from us.

Authentikan has redrawn Double Crescent’s logo to make it look clean and sharp. We added a light drop shadow to the crescent image to make it stand out. Immediately below the logo are the words “Double Crescent TaeKwonDo,” the name of the school, and its Korean hangul transliteration. The light gray watermark in the background is Taekwondo written in hangul.

Double Crescent TaeKwonDo Certificate (Blank)

We used a traditional border that is rich in detail and somewhat resembles clouds moving in the sky. To repeat the curvature of the crescent logo, we gave the border rounded corners. The Chinese characters on the four corners translate to Double Crescent Martial Arts School in Korean hanja, which is written with Chinese characters. The fine print at the bottom of the certificate says “that God may know my integrity” from Job 31:6. The paper stock is medium weight 14 pt cardstock. 
 

Double Crescent TaeKwonDo Certificate (Filled)

It’s easy to fill in and print the perfect certificate with the custom Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF template we made. I’d recommend using a laser printer rather than inkjet for higher text quality.

For this certificate, the School Stamp can be placed on the left-hand side over the Taekwondo watermark. The Head Instructor and the Testing Instructor sign and place their Master Stamps slightly above and to the right of their signatures. A Security Stamp, if used, can be placed anywhere on the edge.

Compare to generic certificates anyone can get from an office supply store, this custom certificate is unique, designed just for Double Crescent. It signifies that the school and its instructors believe in what they teach, demand quality and excellence, and think long-term.

Master A teaches traditional Chinese kungfu, including Kung-Fu Shaolin 5 Animals and Five Family Ng Ga Kuen. His school, Black Tiger Academy, is located in California.

Master A contacted us for an authentic martial arts certificate. He would like to have the name of his school, the motto, and the names of the martial arts styles he teaches translated to traditional Chinese characters. He wants the school name gold foiled, the Chinese text in raised print, and the entire certificate on card stock so it is of high quality and not easily forged. He would like to be able to use his computer and printer to place the student’s name on the certificate.

Initial design

We have explored several different designs and made a number of revisions. The main colors his school uses are black, gold, and red. So that is the color scheme we used for the certificate as well.

At the center is 英勇黑虎館 (ying yong hei hu guan), literally, heroic or courageous black tiger academy, the Chinese name of Black Tiger Academy.

On the right, the first three characters, 黑虎館 (hei hu guan), say Black Tiger Academy. Then, 信 (xin) 敬 (jing) 力 (li) 尋 (xun) 慈 (ci) are the characters representing the concepts of trust, respect, strength, seek and find, and compassion, five values that are the school’s motto.

On the left are characters for the martial arts styles of the school, 少林 (Shaolin) 五形拳 (Five Animal Fists) 五家拳 (Five Family Fists, or Ng Ga Kuen).

 
Revision 4

Revision 4 gives more room to add text to the certificate.

We decided on a more traditional border design. The school name is gold foiled and everything in black is raised printed. The red decorative borders are printed flat to contrast with the printing and allow the printing to stand out.

 
Final Design

Mr. Theodoros Papadopoulos is the owner of the Tai Wing Chun Kwoon, the Training Hall of the Great Everlasting Spring, in Greece. He teaches Wing Chun and Chen Tai Chi. He wants an authentic and traditional translation of his school’s certificate with an air of sophistication.

The text to be translated from English to Chinese is as follows:

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT (PERSON’S NAME GIVEN ABOVE IN ENGLISH) HAS SUCCESSFULLY PASSED THE EXAMINATIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TAI WING CHUN KWOON’S CONSTITUTION, AND HAS PROVEN WORTHY TO BE AWARDED THE DEGREE OF (GIVEN ABOVE IN ENGLISH) IN THE ART OF WING CHUN KUEN WITH ALL THE RESPONSIBILITIES, RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES APPERTAINING TO THAT DEGREE, IN HOPE OF CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE KWOON

A literal translation of this text into Chinese will read awkwardly in Chinese. We have thus made some adjustments in the Chinese translation but maintained the original meaning. The resultant translation is as follows:

Literally, it is:

茲證明 (this is to certify, hereby certify) 上列 (the above) 學員 (a student or a trainee) 通過 (has passed) 太詠春館之 (the Tai Wing Chun Kwoon’s) 考核認證 (examinations) 
經審定 (after examining, checking, and verifying) 特 (special) 頒 (grant) 詠春拳 (Wing Chun Kuen) 段證 (the certificate of the degree) 及 (and) 授與 (give) 相關之 (related) 權利 (right; authority and benefit)
義務 (obligation or responsibility) 與 (and) 榮譽 (honor or glory) 並 (and) 期 (to expect) 勉 (to urge and exert) 繼續 (to continue) 為追求 (to pursue) 卓越 (excellence) 而努力 (to strive).

Not every English word has been translated, but the overall meaning is retained. For example, “successfully passed” is translated as simply “passed,” and “constitution” and “has proven worthy to be awarded” are understood by the way the Chinese sentence is structured.

“The responsibilities, rights, and privileges” are translated as 權利 (rights), 義務 (responsibilities), and 與榮譽 (honor, used here to imply privileges) according to the proper Chinese order. The word “privilege” has many translations in Chinese. The literal translation of privilege, 特權, special right, has rather negative connotations. Privilege is sometimes translated as 權利, the same as the translation for the word “right” already used, or 殊榮 (great privilege or honor). We have decided to use 榮譽 (honor or glory) to imply the honor and privilege that is associated with attaining that degree.

The most traditional and official Chinese certificate uses traditional character (versus the simplified characters used in mainland China). It uses no punctuation. The widespread usage of modern punctuation didn’t start until Western usage influenced Chinese writing about 100 years ago. This certificate translation uses traditional Chinese characters and no punctuation. It is structured so that:

• each line ends where a period or a comma occurs in English, a natural stopping place,
• it is easy to understand and won’t be misinterpreted even without punctuation,
• each line has the same number of characters, giving the whole a beautiful symmetry.

The Chinese characters on the certificate read like English, horizontally from left to right to accommodate the English text above.

About Tai Wing Chun:

It is my understanding that the Tai Wing Chun school’s teachings combine Tai Chi and Wing Chun. The character 太 (tai) means great and it may also represent 太極 (tai ji), which is Tai Chi. 詠春 (yong chun) is Wing Chun. It may also mean the chant of spring. 詠 (yong) means to sing of or to express in poetic form. For example, the Chinese term 詠嘆 (yong tan) means to sigh and it is usually used of a sigh of admiration. 春 (chun) means spring, or something green and fresh.

You are welcome to leave comments here. If you are interested in having us translate your most important certificates, please visit Certificate Translation.