TRANSLATION JAPANESE TO ENGLISH 10 PITFALLS IN - Arline Lyons Translation

10 PITFALLS IN JAPANESE TO ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Japanese to English translation

is 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

? 2016 Arline Lyons Translation

Singular and plural nouns

English has them, but Japanese doesn't

English has singular and plural forms of countable nouns.

One device Two devices

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

2. Ladies and gentlemen

Inferring gender from pronouns

? 2016 Arline Lyons Translation

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