Why "打造" Is a Banned Word: Luxury Fashion Translation for Hong Kong vs Mainland China

While working on product descriptions for a leading luxury fashion brand (sorry, NDA – but trust me, it’s one everyone knows), I stumbled upon something that sparked the curiosity of my inner language nerd.

The word 打造 was on their banned words list for Hong Kong localisation.

Now, if you’re familiar with fashion translation – especially for the Chinese market – you’ll know that 打造 is everywhere.

It’s often used to mean “crafted,” “created,” or “designed” – and for many mainland Chinese brands, even high-end ones, it works just fine. In fact, back in my NET-A-PORTER days in the 2010s (I had a two-year stint there as an in-house translator/ Sub-Editor), we used the word 打造 regularly in our product descriptions.

Yet seeing this client ban 打造 for the Hong Kong market really got me thinking about the nuances in tone. In Hong Kong, 打造 can come across as a bit… mass market. Maybe even — dare I say — cheap.

It’s a subtle difference; in fact, so subtle that it's hard to put your finger on and explain why. However, as a seasoned translator, you really do develop this intuition when a word sounds right and when it doesn't. This kind of intuition can only come from experience and cultural awareness.

This example really stuck with me. Because these nuances – the way one word feels depending on the market – are exactly why human translators matter so much. AI might churn out decent translations, but it won’t stop and think, “Hmm… will this word land differently with a Hong Kong audience?”

In actual fact, this particular client has integrated MT into their translation workflow and its MT didn't get the memo about 打造 being a "banned word", so in the MTPE process, I've had to amend 打造 to more "elevated" alternatives such as 塑造 or 營造.

It’s what makes fashion translation equal parts art and science. And it's why I love it!

Confused about all the regional variants within Chinese? Check out my previous blog post which explains the differences between simplified and traditional Chinese!

Want your fashion translations to hit the right tone for your audience? Get in touch – I can definitely help your brand perfect its messaging in Chinese.