China Demands Translations for Digital Music
Posted by Mike on September 11, 2009 under Translation News | 
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China, (in)famous for its tight control over the internet, has stepped up efforts to control it further by requiring that all music with foreign-language lyrics posted on the internet must have a Chinese translation available.
China has long regulated its citizens’ access to the internet, purportedly in order to “regulate the transmission of cultural information, guarantee the safety of the nation’s culture, and regulate public ethics.” In a report by Marianne Barriaux of AFP, Chinese officials go on to say that the move is only intended to “strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights, and to increase the market share of legal businesses and legal music products.” Additionally, she reports that an alarming 99% of all music downloads in China are illegal. Ironically, the new requirements may make it more difficult for legitimate music providers, while being ignored completely by those providing music illegally in the first place…
