10 pitfalls in japanese to english translation

10 PITFALLS IN JAPANESE TO ENGLISH TRANSLATION

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Japanese to English translationis not without its pitfalls. Here are 10 things to bear in mind during a localisation project.

© 2016 Arline Lyons Translation


1.One and many

Inferring number from nouns



Singular and plural nounsEnglish 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.



2.Ladies and gentlemen

Inferring gender from pronouns



Gendered pronounsEnglish 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.



3.What’s in a name?

Reading Japanese first, last and place names



Converting Japanese names into EnglishEnglish 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?


http://arlinelyons.com/2015/07/whats-in-a-name/





4.On this date

Converting between different date systems



Dates may need translationJapanese 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.



5.Complex numbers

Numbers are not a universal language



Numbers need localisationJapanese 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.



6.Shifting sounds

Minding the gap between the sounds that make up different languages



One sound maps to manyJapanese 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?


http://arlinelyons.com/2015/07/japanese-words-in-english/






http://arlinelyons.com/2015/07/sounds-in-the-japanese-language/





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 Nissen Co., Ltd.

Screenshot from a Japanese online clothing retailer

“Craftsman” is probably a singular/plural error.


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.


Shifting sounds: TI <-> CHI


7.Being unfaithful

Balancing closeness to the original with readability for the translation



A translation can be too faithfulJapanese 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


http://arlinelyons.com/2015/05/what-are-source-and-target-languages/






http://arlinelyons.com/2015/05/all-about-titles/





8.The anatomy of a Japanese typo

Japanese input systems and what can go wrong



A case of the wrong charactersTypos 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: tenkiChoices:

▪ 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.



9.Staying on topic

Inferring the subject where it’s not explicitly stated



Sentences without subjectsSubjects 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


▪ Expect queries as the translator works and give them a contact person who can get answers.



10.Dear reader, dear writer

Saying what has been left unsaid



Context and cultureContext 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.




Insummary

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.


Localisationchecklist

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.



Avoid potential problems and improveyour Japanese to English translation

Discuss your localisation requirements, identify potential issues and solutions

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10 pitfalls in japanese to english translation

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