Japanese Translation Company: Translate into your Native Language, ONLY

This post is a continuation of the mini-article series Japanese Translation Services: Do the work with a winning methodology

Use the pointers suggested here to develop a translation methodology of your own, one that suits your work style and which will enable you to translate more efficiently and accurately. Regardless of whether you’re a Japanese translator or a client of an English Japanese translation company, there is something here for you. So, read on & profit!

1. Read the original document

2. Research the translation

3. Now, do the work

• Translate into your Native language, ONLY

• Let Stalk Strine

• Culture does factor into translation

• Know your limits

• Context is important

• Simple is best

• What is NOT written is as important as what is written

• Give it natural flair

1. Ask the right questions

2. Compare with the original

3. Edit (proof) the translation

4. Sleep on it!

(Just joined or want to start at the top of this article series? Click What is the winning translation methodology you need?)

Translate into your Native language, ONLY This can’t be emphasized enough!

Translating into a non-native language will suffer from deficiencies in style, you’ll make more spelling and grammatical errors, and -kiss of death- the final product will have that “this has been translated” hue.

Professional translators know this, and will never translate from their native language into a learned language. For example, I'm bilingual having graduated from a Japanese university (economics), and having lived and worked in Japan for the last 25 years. I only do Japanese-to-English translations (never the other way round, or English to Japanese translation). That is, I only work into my native language, English.

Does that mean I can’t do English to Japanese translation? No, not at all! In fact, I often need to correct my native Japanese translators because they simply do not get it. Having said that, even after a decade PLUS of managing a translation company, I have yet to meet a non-native translator that can translate consistently at the same level as native translators, myself included! (And, I certainly don’t let my ego get in the way of my work by pretending to be something that I’m not.)

Now, some folks think they have a work around to this non-native translation thing. Should you translate into your learned language, and have a native speaker of that language check your work? Two people doing one job -- Do the native thing!

Finally, just in case there are those that still think they can somehow get by doing non-native translation, know that neither clients nor translation companies in Japan will tolerate this kind of un-professionalism.

Now read Let Stalk Strine

Conclusion Use the suggestions presented here to polish your translation style: given consideration, they will lead to improved results as seen from repeat client requests for your translation skills. And, clients should know that translators that follow these basic suggestions will produce quality Japanese translation that meets their requirements.

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