Problem: Insert Chinese characters (or other Unicode) into SQL Server (or SQL Server Express).  The characters are inserted as question marks.  What gives?

Solution:

Instead of this: insert into table(field) values (’惨’)

Do this:  insert into table(field) values (N’惨’)

Just use the N prefix on any unicode field and it should work.

Source:http://www.experts-exchange.com/Microsoft/Development/MS-SQL-Server/Q_21699281.html (just scroll down to the bottom)

You can quickly and easily learn to read Chinese newspapers with a dual-language newspaper and a pop-up dictionary.

I’ve just started using this chinese pop-up translator. I’ve been using it to read:

• Chinese Language Wall Street Journal
• Chinese Language BBC
• Chinese Voice of America

I like the Wall Street Journal one the best because some of the articles are available in English and Chinese. Some of them are not dual language, but many are (see screenshot below). This dual-language newspaper in English and Chinese is very useful.

This is a screen-shot of an article that has the English translation.

Anybody know of other useful tools for reading Chinese online?