Why the Japanese page does not travel
A Japanese page is written for a reader who already knows the category, the company and the standards. The English version is read by someone who knows none of that. Translating the sentences keeps every assumption and loses the reader.
The result is a page that is accurate and unusable: the answer sits on the fourth screen, the claims cannot be checked from outside, and nothing tells the reader what to do next.
How it works
Four things, in this order.
- Decide the audience. Who is reading, what they already know, and what would make them get in touch.
- Agree the terms. Product names, components and units get one spelling and one translation, agreed once, so the same thing is called the same thing everywhere.
- Write in English from the reader’s questions — not from the Japanese sentences, but from the questions an overseas reader actually asks, answered in the order they ask them.
- Review with you. You check the facts and the language you want to keep; we keep the structure that lets a reader act.
What we need from you
- The Japanese material you already have — site, brochure, product sheets, presentation.
- The audience you want: customers, distributors, guests or investors.
- Any words you insist on, and any you refuse.
- One person who can approve the text.
Common questions
Do you translate our existing pages?
No. Translation is one step in the job, not the method. We start from the reader and write the English version around what they need in order to decide.
Can you keep our terminology?
Yes. That is why we agree a glossary before writing. The same product should not have three names across your site, your brochure and your quotation.
Who writes it?
A writer working in English, briefed on your market. We do not put the Japanese through a machine and tidy the result.
We already have an English page. Is it worth keeping?
We will tell you what is missing from it. Often the problem is the structure rather than the sentences.
Related reading
What this covers