Menu descriptions in English and Chinese (or any language)

How to do it

1. 1

   Go to claude.ai — it's free and handles Chinese particularly well

2. 2

   Start a new conversation and paste this prompt:

3. 3

   PROMPT: 'I run a [cuisine type] restaurant in Burnaby BC. Please write appetizing menu descriptions for the dishes listed below. For each dish, write: (1) an English description that is warm and clear for Canadian customers who may not know the dish, and (2) a Chinese description that sounds natural and authentic — not a word-for-word translation. Specify Traditional or Simplified Chinese based on your community. Keep each description under 30 words. Dishes: [list your dish names and a brief note on each, e.g. Mapo Tofu — spicy silken tofu with ground pork in chili bean sauce]'

4. 4

   Review both versions — read the Chinese aloud if you can

5. 5

   Have a fluent speaker do a quick check before it goes on the menu

6. 6

   Copy into your menu design software (Canva works well and is free)

Watch out for

• ⚠

  Always have a fluent speaker review the Chinese — AI is good but occasionally uses formal phrasing that sounds awkward in a menu context

• ⚠

  Tell Claude which Chinese you need: Traditional (used by Hong Kong, Taiwan communities) or Simplified (Mainland China, many newer immigrants)

• ⚠

  For Cantonese-speaking customers, add 'write the Chinese in Cantonese colloquial style' to your prompt

• ⚠

  Use Claude.ai for this recipe, not a local Ollama model — the Chinese quality difference is significant