Japanese Translation: Japanese to English Translation, English to Japanese Translation

Japanese is spoken by over 140 million people, including the inhabitants of Japan, and the large Japanese emigrant communities of Brazil, Argentina, Australia and Hawaii. The official language of Japan uses a distinct and complex system of honorifics that reflect the strong hierarchies that are culturally valued in Japan. Particular verb forms and specific vocabulary reflect the differences in status of the speaker and listener. Since the language expresses politeness and formality in subtle ways, an understanding of these dynamics is integral to an appropriate translation of any copy into Japanese.

Indeed, the linguist must thoroughly understand the many nuances of Japanese to successfully translate it. For one, the Japanese language has many different dialects, with the main distinctions being Tokyo-type and Western-type. But there are other dialect distinctions that vary between regions, gender terms, and ways of speaking, though only some of these variations have an effect on written language.

Moreover, the Japanese language uses three different scripts in written form. All three are based on Chinese characters and they are called kanji, hiragana and katakana. The Latin alphabet is referred to as Romanji and is primarily used in modern Japanese in professional fields such as Marketing. Katakana now uses many English words found mostly in technical writings, and fashion and entertainment publications.

Despite Japan's many dialects and scripts, it is more appropriate to use foreign words in some cases. Native Japanese words may not carry the same effect and appeal in comparison to their foreign equivalents. However, Japanese politicians have been criticized for compromising too much and using foreign terms that the average Japanese don't understand.