Benefits of Using Japanese Translation Services at Your Company

Language

Japanese is currently the fastest-growing language to learn on sites such as Duolingo. It is a popular option for many reasons, from the media that emerges from the country to the romanticization of the region, its food, and its culture. Although there is an easier way to get the translation than doing it all yourself.

Below we list some information about the Japanese language and why Japanese translation services might interest you. By the end of the article, you should have a much better understanding of why you might want to engage in a professional service while you learn. As such, you should read on and find out what you are missing out on.

The Japanese Language

Japanese scholars first used their own written language system sometime around the fifth century BC. At the time, they used classical Chinese letters, but over time that evolved into what became the hiragana written language. This simpler writing system was easier to use for many people.

These days over 120 million people speak this language, including 99% of their home country itself. Outside of that, the largest percentage of people in the world speaking the language is in Guam, although that is still only 2% of the population. This means that Japanese is almost completely centered in its source country of Japan.

Speaking Japanese

If you are attempting to learn Japanese coming from the English language, some things might cause you difficulty. They make the language unique and a fun challenge when translating. The following are some examples of where this is particularly true.

Three Different Formalities

Unlike English, which has no formality, or Romantic languages, which often have two formalities, this language has three. They are:

  • Casual language
  • Polite language
  • Formal language

Familiar acquaintances use casual language where there are no perceived social strata. Then, the other two exist for when you either want to humble yourself or lift up the speaker as more important.

If you want to humble yourself, you use the less formal, or “polite”, language. You will hear this, for example, in the service industry. Then, if you are talking to a valuable client or your manager, you would use the more formal version of the language.

No Plurals

This language has no difference between one thing and many things. Thus, someone could be warning you about a single thumb tack on the floor or a major spillage, and you would not know. Very dangerous!

Instead, the language makes a lot more use of numbers or other methods of counting items. Or, in some cases, a specific word exists to show that a group of items exists instead of a singular.

No Articles at All

You can forget all about using “the”, “der”, “le”, or other versions of the same word. Here, you will not need to use “a” or “the” before any word. 

For English learners, this is helpful and also avoids the need to learn the genders of words like you do in Romantic languages.

You should be glad you are not doing it the other way around. Imagine needing to learn all about articles for the first time.

Doing Business in Japan

When you do business in Japan, you are entering a busy and powerful market. Around 10 percent of the world’s economy exists within its borders, and the GDP of the whole country exceeds five trillion dollars. It can be easy to forget this, with the size of the country, but its people earn on average $40,000 yearly.

This is in part due to the technological prowess of the country’s scientific and tech sectors. These have advanced Japan’s position in the world to be one of the major players on the world’s stage.

One thing you should be aware of, though, is that many businesses in Japan are more cooperative than you would expect. The country has a concept of “Keiretsu”, which refers to a network of many companies that have a close relationship. These groups all aim to uplift one another as manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors so they can all increase their yield.

    Speaking Japanese: Is It Easy?

    Japanese is not an easy language for many native speakers, so much so that the U.S. Foreign Services designated it as the most difficult language of all. The three writing systems, different sentence structures, and formalities all contribute to this.

    This is why hiring a professional until you can translate for yourself is often the best use of your time.

    Benefits of Japanese Translation

    There are many boons to getting a professional business language translation of documents or audio. The following are some examples.

    Translation of Written Documents

    While it may be tempting to use online translation services, and these can be okay for text chat, a professional document needs something else.

    For example, if you need to transfer a legal document from one country to another, it can be dangerous not to translate it correctly. The meanings could shift hugely, and this could have repercussions.

    Transcription of Audio and Video

    Japanese translators can help you understand what people are saying in an interview or market research video you use. You can pass a translator a recording of the event or even have them on hand during the interview process.

    You can then get both on-hand translations and transcripts later if necessary.

    Translation of Phone Conversations

    You might need people in many countries to understand what has happened during a phone conversation with a client or competitor.

    Using a commercial Japanese translation, you will avoid language issues that may change the meaning of what someone says. This can help you avoid faux pas that might impede an otherwise good relationship.

    Japanese Translation Services Can Help You

    The above should give you a good idea of why Japanese translation services can help you. If you need the best translators that money can buy, we should be able to get you people who are perfect for the job. You have nothing to lose by finding out more about your options.

    Our people are ready to talk to you about how we can help. They can discuss with you the languages we offer, how fast we can translate documents, and how much we cost. After reading the above, can you afford to wait? Contact us now.

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