Modern & Classical Chinese TRanslation

Eric R Stone translates Classical Chinese (文言文) literature, philosophy texts, historical records, religious scripture, and more. He also translates modern Chinese texts, with a focus on journalism and helping others tell their stories.

Client Testimonials

Ultrabliss Yoga Books

"Eric’s translations left me in awe. His grasp of Classical Chinese literature surpasses that of most native speakers."

"His choice of words and sentence construction are remarkably precise... With his meticulous wordcraft, rigorous attitude, and detailed annotations, he not only makes the original content easier to understand but also broadens the reader’s knowledge and awareness. Eric is without question a rare talent in the world of translation..."

Jean Liang
🇸🇬 Singapore

Ultrabliss Yoga

Taiwan High Speed Rail

"[Eric R Stone's] translations are incredibly meticulous, with extraordinary attention to detail."

"He has an exceptional grasp of material for even the driest and most technical of subjects. He's also been great about communicating with our team about questions and comments, and I've been deeply impressed by his professionalism!"(Original in Chinese; translated by Eric.)

Jianying Dong
🇹🇼 Taiwan

Simple Info

The Voice of Silence

"Working with Eric [R] Stone was a real pleasure... He brought a remarkable level of care, insight, and depth to the work."

"His translation was not only clear and accurate but also enriched by thoughtful commentary that added genuine value. I’m very happy with the result and would gladly work with him again or recommend him to anyone seeking high-quality translation from Chinese."

Alexander Gerasymchuk
🇺🇦 Ukraine

Radiant Books

Process and Approach

Eric approach to translation is goal-oriented.
Some texts call for meticulous academic analysis, word for word, while others benefit more from a more freeform approach that's about recreating the sense of the text as a whole in the most readable way possible
Ultimately, its up to you what style of translation you want to commission.
Don't be intimidated though. All you need to do is tell Eric a little about the material and what you want to use the translation for, and he'll guide you through the rest.
Expect lots of comments in your translation. A lot of the material Eric translates involves hefty research and idiosyncratic knowledge, and he'll be guiding you through his process with annotations every step of the way.

Background

Eric R Stone has been a translator and full-time freelancer for over 10 years (since 2015).
Early on, he cut his teeth on work through translation agencies, largely made up of marketing materials and product-related copy (business & technical). He also worked on a few major subtitle projects for Chinese costume dramas.
Around 2018, he transitioned fully to direct client work, and began translating news reports about human rights violations for an organization called CANAAN, as well as Buddhist and Taoist scripture, commentaries, and lectures.
Nowadays, Eric continues to work on a little of everything -- though whether it be translation or journalism, its projects about human stories that he's most excited about.

Get a Quote

Want to work with Eric for your next Chinese to English translation project?
Fill out the form below (or e-mail Eric at ericrstone [at] pm [dot] me) and Eric will get back to you within 1 business day.

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Translation RElated ARticles

Read more about Eric's thoughts on Chinese to English translation.

Translation Blog

Demystifying Sunzi’s Art of War: Initial Calculations

July 14, 2025
Many respected translations of “Sun Tsu’s (Sunzi’s) Art of War” look like they came out of a fortune cookie. The following new translation (with commentary) attempts to instead show you what I actually see when I read “Sunzi,” as a translator of Classical Chinese. In this article, I start from the beginning with the first chapter of “Sunzi” on “Initial Calculations.”
Read on

The ATA Chronicle

How Literally Should Spiritual Texts Be Translated?

August 1, 2024
Do translations of spiritual texts have to be so foreign-sounding? Do non-literal translations distort the words of the prophets and sages? A translator of Chinese Buddhist and Taoist scripture weighs in on the subject.
Read on
MORE →