A Japanese sentence can be translated correctly, word by word, and still mislead the person who reads the English. The words are right. The message is not. Here are five places where this happens most often in business and technical documents.
1. Polite phrases that are not statements
Japanese business writing uses set phrases whose job is to manage the relationship. Translated literally, they turn into commitments or opinions that the writer never made.
前向きに検討いたします。
Word for wordWe will consider it positively.
What it meansWe will look into it. (No commitment has been made, and in many contexts this signals a polite no.)
An English reader who sees "positively" expects a yes. The translator has to judge from the context how firm the statement is, and write English with the same level of commitment.
2. Sentences with no subject
Japanese routinely leaves out the subject when it is clear from context. English cannot. Someone has to decide who is doing what.
来週までに送付します。
Word for wordWill send by next week.
What it meansWe will send the revised drawings by next week. (Or: “Please send them by next week”, if the surrounding text shows it is a request.)
In a contract, a specification or a set of meeting minutes, guessing the subject wrongly assigns a task to the wrong company. A careful translator checks the surrounding text and, where it is still unclear, asks.
3. Cautious wording in technical reports
Japanese engineers write conclusions in a cautious, indirect form. Carried over word for word, a clear finding reads like a rumour.
原因はベアリングの摩耗と考えられます。
Word for wordIt is thought that the cause is the wear of the bearing.
What it meansThe probable cause is bearing wear.
The Japanese expresses a reasoned conclusion with normal engineering caution. The English should do the same, in the form an English-speaking engineer would use.
4. Loanwords that look like English
Katakana words borrowed from English often carry a different meaning in Japanese. They are the easiest mistakes to make, because the wrong translation looks obviously right.
| Japanese | Looks like | Usually means |
|---|---|---|
| クレーム | claim | a customer complaint |
| ノルマ | norm | a quota or target |
| リストラ | restructuring | layoffs, job cuts |
| マンション | mansion | an apartment or condominium |
A quality report that mentions クレーム対応 is about handling complaints. Translate it as "claim handling" and an English reader will think of insurance or legal claims.
5. Contract language
Japanese contracts have their own fixed forms, and each has an established English equivalent. A literal rendering produces text that no lawyer would accept.
乙は、甲に対し、本製品を納入するものとする。
Word for wordB is to be a thing that delivers this product to A.
What it meansThe Supplier shall deliver the Products to the Purchaser.
Here 甲 and 乙 are placeholders for the two parties, and ものとする marks an obligation, which English contracts express with "shall". The translator needs to know both drafting traditions.
What to give your translator
Most of these problems are solved by context that only you have. Four things make the biggest difference:
- Who will read it and why. A manual for technicians and a summary for directors need different English.
- Reference material. Earlier translations, drawings, a glossary or the product name list.
- Someone to answer questions. A translator who never asks anything is guessing.
- Time for a second read. Editing against the source and then proofreading the English alone catches what one pass misses.
If you have a Japanese document that needs to work in English, send it to us for a quote.