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Similar to 10 Pitfalls in Japanese to English Translation
Similar to 10 Pitfalls in Japanese to English Translation (20)
10 Pitfalls in Japanese to English Translation
- 4. Singular and plural nouns
English has them, but Japanese doesn’t
English has singular and
plural forms of countable
nouns.
▪ One device
▪ Two devices
Most Japanese nouns don’t
have singular and plural
forms, so unless a number
is explicitly stated or given
somewhere else (e.g. an
illustration or table) it won’t
be clear if there is one or
many.
Without the “clue” of a
singular or plural noun, the
translator will have to make
a best guess based on
context, or be consistent
and always translate the
same noun as singular or
plural.
Without an external source
of information,
singular/plural nouns may
end up being incorrect or
inconsistent in the
translation.
Solutions
▪ Provide as much
reference material
as possible:
diagrams, figures,
tables, user manuals,
catalogues, etc.
▪ Expect queries as the
translator works and
give them a contact
person who has, or
can get, the answers.
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 6. Gendered pronouns
English uses them but Japanese doesn’t
English uses gendered
pronouns to refer to people
already mentioned.
▪ He mentioned
▪ She disagreed
Japanese has equivalents,
but they’re rarely used and
a text may not give any
clear indication of the
gender of the people
involved.
Not knowing how to refer
to a person can force
unnatural translation
choices (e.g. constantly
referring to people by
name) or cause
embarrassment by using
the wrong pronoun.
Japanese forms or
registration processes also
explicitly ask for a person’s
gender, where English gets
that information implicitly
from their salutation
(Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss).
Solutions
▪ Provide reference
material such as
personal biographies
or photographs.
▪ Confirm the gender
of people who appear
in the text.
▪ Check forms and
processes where
personal data is
collected to see if the
user is asked for their
gender. Where
possible, ask for a
salutation instead.
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 7. 3.
What’s in a name?
Reading Japanese first, last and place names
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 8. Converting Japanese names into English
English names read phonetically, but Japanese ones do not
Pronunciation of names in
English is not always
simple or consistent.
Japanese has an additional
complication: the
pronunciation, or reading,
of characters used for
names is not fixed.
▪ 光 can be read
Hikari, Hikaru, Aki,
Akira, Kou or Teru
This applies to first, last
and also place names.
(Japanese has no concept of
middle names.)
The reading of Japanese
names have to be rendered
in English in translation, but
it’s not possible to
determine the correct
reading from the Japanese
characters alone.
There are dictionaries of
name readings, but
ultimately only the person
in question or someone
who knows them can
confirm how to read the
name.
Solutions
▪ Provide reference
material such as
personal biographies.
▪ Confirm the reading
of the names of
people who appear in
the text.
▪ Confirm the reading
of place names in
addresses if possible.
▪ Article: What’s in a
name?
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 10. Dates may need translation
Japanese doesn’t always use the same date system as English
English uses the Gregorian
calendar, divided into BC
(Before Christ) and AD
(Anno Domini).
Japanese sometimes uses
the Gregorian calendar, but
also expresses dates as
years of the reigns of
Japanese emperors.
▪ 2016 = Heisei 28
(28th year of the
Heisei Era, the reign
of Emperor Akihito)
Some QA systems (human
or automated) expect dates
to be identical in the source
document and the
translation. But as era
dates are not widely
understood outside Japan,
they should be converted to
the Gregorian calendar.
Some documents may also
give both era and Gregorian
dates, but only the
Gregorian one is needed for
English.
Solutions
▪ Build flexibility into
the QA process to
handle correct
localisation of dates.
▪ Make sure that
numbers are not
removed or locked in
text to be translated.
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 12. Numbers need localisation
Japanese and English use different number systems
Numbers in English are
usually delimited with
commas at thousands,
millions and billions.
Japanese can use the same
system, or another based
on 10,000 with units
written in characters, or a
mixture of both.
▪ １千 = 1,000
▪ １万 = 10,000
▪ １億 = 100,000,000
Some QA systems (human
or automated) expect
numbers to be identical in
the source document and
the translation.
This does not account for
the need to convert
characters representing
units into English,
particularly when based on
unfamiliar units of 10,000.
Solutions
▪ Build flexibility into
the QA process to
handle correct
localisation of
numbers.
▪ Make sure that
numbers are not
removed or locked in
text to be translated.
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 14. One sound maps to many
Japanese sounds do not map neatly to English ones
Japanese uses a simple set
of sounds laid out on a
5x10 grid.
There are several systems
for converting Japanese
phonetic alphabets into
English, and differences
between them can cause
discrepancies in the spelling
of Japanese names.
▪ 松本: Matumoto /
Matsumoto
▪ 石田: Isida / Ishida
The Hepburn system is
widely used because the
sounds are closer to
English, but individuals or
official documents may use
another system where
some sounds are given
different readings.
This can lead to one
spelling being used
customarily (e.g.
Matsumoto) but another on
a passport (Matumoto).
Solutions
▪ Be aware that
Japanese names may
not be pronounced
as they are written.
▪ Always check
spellings on official
documents, e.g.
passports, especially
when applying for
visas.
▪ Article: How are
Japanese words
written in English?
▪ Article: What sounds
are used in Japanese?
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 15. Shifting sounds:
R <-> L
This infamous shift is caused by the English
R and L sounds mapping to the same
phonetic character in Japanese. Problems
arise when a loanword from English (e.g.
“fabric”) is transliterated back from Japanese
but mapped to a different spelling (“fablic”).
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
© 2016 Nissen Co., Ltd.
Screenshot from a Japanese online clothing retailer
“Craftsman” is probably a singular/plural error.
- 16. A Japanese client puts the English term biotip in a catalogue.
The translators working on the project didn’t have the background knowledge
in analytical science to realise that it originally was and should be biochip
(which it is in the Hepburn system). The client was working from an English
loanword but using a different system to convert it back into English.
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
Shifting sounds:
TI <-> CHI
- 18. A translation can be too faithful
Japanese sentence structure does not map neatly to English
Translation involves an
inherent tension between
faithfulness to the source
text and deviation from it to
create content that reads
naturally in the target
language.
Accuracy is important, but
staying too close to the
Japanese results in stilted
English.
▪ インストールについて
▪ ✘ About Installation
▪ ✓ Installation
Although there are some
exceptions, translation
should focus on conveying
the meaning of the original
- not mimicking the
structure at the sentence
or phrase level.
Solutions
▪ Use a style guide or
example English
documents to guide
the style of the
translation.
▪ Make sure the
translator knows the
subject and has
enough time and
resources to do the
job properly.
▪ Article: What are
source and target
languages?
▪ Article: All about
titles
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 19. 8.
The anatomy of a Japanese typo
Japanese input systems and what can go wrong
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 20. A case of the wrong characters
Typos in Japanese result in completely different words
Typos in English are often
easily resolved - there are a
limited number of
possibilities for what a
word should be, especially
when seen in context.
Japanese input involves
typing the pronunciation of
the word and choosing the
correct characters from a
list, so a slip of the mouse
can give a very different
word to the one the writer
intended.
Input: tenki
Choices:
▪ 天気 weather
▪ 転機 turning point
▪ 転帰 natural death
▪ 転記 transcription
▪ テンキ dune grass
Errors in the source text
can cause confusion and
misinterpretation during
translation, particularly if a
typo results in a different
but plausible term.
Solutions
▪ Make sure the the
text to be translated
has been checked
and proofread.
▪ Expect queries as the
translator works and
give them a contact
person who has, or
can get, answers.
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 22. Sentences without subjects
Subjects are usually explicitly stated in English, but implicit in Japanese
One major difference
between English and
Japanese are their
alphabets and sentence
structure (English is Subject
- Verb - Object but
Japanese is Subject - Object
- Verb).
Japanese is also a topic-
based language which
often omits the subject if it
has been already
established.
Translations from Japanese
often use passive tense if
the subject is missing, even
when it is not appropriate.
The translator can insert a
subject to give more
idiomatic English, but it has
to be the correct one.
Machine translation often
inserts an orphan “it” with
nothing to refer back to.
Solutions
▪ Make sure the
translator knows the
subject and has
enough time and
resources to do the
job properly.
▪ Expect queries as the
translator works and
give them a contact
person who can get
answers.
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 24. Context and culture
Context is always important, but in some places more than others
High-context and low-
context are anthropological
concepts describing how
cultures communicate.
The USA, UK and other
English-speaking cultures
tend to be low-context,
where the writer or speaker
supplies context.
These differences may
require additions to the
translation for it to make
sense or have the same
impact in English.
High-context cultures like
Japan rely on shared
understanding rather than
stating things explicitly in
words.
▪ 水をやる
▪ お水を差し上げる
Both phrases mean “to give
(something/someone)
water”, but the first implies
the recipient is below the
giver (e.g. a plant or animal)
while the second implies
the receiver is above the
giver (e.g. a customer or
respected person).
Solutions
▪ Be aware that
cultural differences
will need to be
accommodated.
▪ Ask the translator to
raise potential
issues.
▪ Make sure the
translator knows the
subject and has
enough time and
resources to do the
job properly.
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 25. In
summary
Japanese to English
translation has its
pitfalls for the unwary,
but once forewarned
they can be easily
overcome by building
awareness and
flexibility into your
localisation processes.
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 26. Localisation
checklist
Expect queries as the
translator works and
give them a contact
person who has, or can
get, answers.
Provide as much
reference material as
possible: diagrams,
illustrations, tables, user
manuals, catalogues,
photographs,
biographies.
Build flexibility into the
QA process to handle
correct localisation of
dates and numbers.
Confirm the gender and
pronunciation/reading
of first and last name
for everyone who
appears in the text,
especially for official
documents and visa
applications.
Use a style guide or
example English
documents to guide the
style of the translation.
Be aware that cultural
differences will need to
be accommodated and
ask the translator to
raise potential issues.
Make sure the the text
to be translated has
been checked and
proofread.
Make sure the translator
knows the subject and
has enough time and
resources to do the job
properly.
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 27. Avoid potential problems and improve
your Japanese to English translation
Discuss your
localisation
requirements, identify
potential issues and
solutions
Get expert advice
to optimise your
processes and create
your localisation plan
Enjoy peace of mind
with a sound workflow
that reliably produces
the translations you
need
© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation
- 28. Contact me or visit my site to learn more about
Japanese to English translation and localisation, and
how I can help you.
arline@arlinelyons.com
www.arlinelyons.com
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