Hi,
Soon I'll spend few weeks in China. I hope to take a lot of photos, including people shots. I take models releases in english but I thing that chinese MR-PR can help to explain (to non english speaking people) how it works. Do you have an idea if chinese MR exist somewhere ?
Thanks

Do you have an idea if chinese MR exist somewhere ?

I don't think that RF sites take MRFs in Chinese. Unless you speak Chinese yourself or your model speaks English, you'd better ask a local to explain the essentials. One could wonder though what the legal value is of a document signed by a party that doesn't understand the language of the contract. To be on the safe side, I'd let them sign both a Chinese and and English version, but you will need to make sure that those are exact 1:1 translations and certified like that by a notary public.

Hi Rene,

 You have a challenge ahead of yourself don't you. Good for you, whatever you screw up on this trip will just serve you better next time. I would check with Istock if you are a member they might help with the releases. Having them sign both is a very good idea. The other thing is to have someone local that can read the dialects in use and then have them read the model releases back to you in english.

 I once had an Italian model release that was given to me by one of the Big agencies. When one of my models read it they became very concerned. It turned out that the portion of the model release that mentioned that I will still have the right to sell this picture after your death read to the italian model " I have the right to take your life " We all had a good laugh when we were able to translate the problem.

 We also take a photo of the person holding their signed release for proof as well as a tracking system when you get home. Just zoom in on the release and you can see who is who. After a long trip and lots of models it can really save you.

 I would also consider having a translator if you can find one when you are shooting. I know it might add a bit to your budget but you would be surprised what a young student will work for. I think the cost will easily be offset by the number of good selling images you get back. They also like an opportunity to work at their English.

 Good luck and please share your experience when you return.

Best,
AVAVA

You are aware that there is cantones, mandarin etc.? I'm not an expert at all but maybe you should check which kind of language is actually spoken in the area you would like to visit.

There are many types of spoken Chinese, yes - Mandarin (aka Putonghua), Cantonese, Shanghainese, Fukianese etc ... however there are only 2 written forms (it does not have an alphabet but characters) - Traditional (used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, although they do use different characters to mean different things) and Simplified (used on the Mainland and in Singapore) .... If you want a written release I would suggest you have it done in Simplified characters as Traditional readers can understand Simplified but Simplified readers cannot necessarily understand Traditional.

You will also be pleasantly surprised to learn than an increasing number of Mainlanders do speak English (though legalese is a diiferent thing entirely so a translated release is advisable) and of course English is spoken in Hong Kong and Singapore almost universally. Taiwan is similar to the Mainland.

Hope that helps ... have fun ...