In both spoken and written form, the Japanese language is structured differently than English. Some expressions are more easily and smoothly spoken in Japanese, whereas others are not. As a result, Japanese translation is a little more difficult than usual.
Get to know the ins and outs of this fascinating language before resorting to any quick method of Japanese translation or relying on a less accurate machine translation online. More than 125 million people speak Japanese in Japan, as well as numerous other countries across the world.
It’s one of the top ten most spoken languages on the planet, and it’s also one of the most popular languages on the web currently in social media, art, as well as business communications.
Here are given three of the most compelling reasons to hire a qualified, professional, and frequently native Japanese translator to confidently and accurately manage your essential and sensitive Japanese business translation work.
You can even find many professional Japanese interpreter in Dubai.
- Japanese Translation Necessitates A Different Grammatical Structure Than English Translation
In both spoken and written form, the Japanese language is structured differently than English. Some expressions are more easily and smoothly spoken in Japanese, whereas others are not. As a result, Japanese translation is a little more difficult than usual.
For example, the Japanese language does not repeat or even acknowledge the subject of a sentence or phrase. Some English expressions can be spoken in Japanese in a much shorter and different way, especially since the subject is frequently eliminated from sentences.
The tenses of verbs are also significantly more varied. Some Japanese verb tenses do not even have any English equivalent and so, it is difficult to translate those into English.
Looking between the lines of what is being said in each language, understanding the actual objective of the communication meaning, and expressing it in the best manner for the target translation language demands a trained and educated Japanese translator.
Similarly, for interpretation work, a highly skilled and proficient Japanese interpreter in Dubai is needed.
- The Japanese Language Is Inextricably Linked To Its Cultural Significance
Japanese is regarded as one of the most difficult languages for non-native speakers to master. It is a member of the Japonica language family and has a unique structure, with Japanese expressiveness profoundly ingrained in its cultural conventions and social standards.
As a result, translating from Japanese to English can include up to five diverse steps, making the process more complicated than other translations.
Language translations between Germanic root, Latin root, and Romance languages, on the other hand, have more natural similarities, sharing similar grammar structures and cultural characteristics. English, for example, has both Latin Romance language roots and Germanic roots.
Whereas, Japanese, is not closely connected to any other modern or important language. In contrast, Japan also has its unique cultural lens that effectively shapes its language.
In Japanese, implied as well as literal meanings can take very divergent paths.
Japanese is a contextual language, which means that meanings can be often vague or absent. In Japanese, the literal meaning of a word, or an expression is frequently distinct from its intended meaning.
When translating from Japanese to English, a proficient native Japanese translator will have to “read between the lines” for the specification of the extra details on meaning.
One example of this ambiguity is the fact that many Japanese idioms or expressions do not indicate whether subjects and objects are male or female, or even whether they are singular or plural. These characteristics are, of course, considerably clearer, and virtually articulated in English check this out.
- Three Levels Of Politeness Tones Are Used By Japanese Speakers
Even in modern times, politeness has a strong influence on the Japanese language and way of speaking.
The Japanese have a high sense of courtesy and service. Beyond the simple “Sir,” “Madame,” or “Miss” titles in English, the Japanese language contains far more sophisticated title honorifics.
- Communication Styles: Inside Versus Outside
For starters, the Japanese culture has two levels of politeness consideration: “Uchi” or “within,” as well as “Soto” or “outside.” These can completely change the way Japanese people speak.
Soto and Uchi are the terms used in Japanese social custom and sociolinguistics to distinguish between in-groups (Uchi) as well as out-groups (Soto). Each group works in conjunction with all of a person’s intertwined and overlapping social circles.
In turn, depending on the social circle group they are interacting with, each Japanese speaker utilizes a distinct level of the Japanese language. An out-group uses higher honorifics, while a person’s in-group remains humble.
This is accomplished by skilled Japanese speakers who are involved in conjugating verbs based on tense and politeness level.
The Uchi-Soto system is complicated by the fact that each person’s groups are not static; they frequently overlap, evolve, and change over time, depending on the context.
The notion of Uchi-Soto also applies to social circumstances, assisting in the determination of each group’s hierarchy of social standing, whether it’s a corporation at work or a family at home.
- Communication In A Hierarchical Structure
Japanese has three to four diverse tones of politeness, ranging from normal to polite to honorific, within this internal/external communication system. These are extremely dependent on the communication parties’ or speakers’ relationship.
Consider diverse ways of expression depending on whether the person is a boss or a member of a higher social class, a stranger or an acquaintance, a close friend, or a subordinate employee.
Each of these groups receives a unique interpretation of the same Japanese expression.
When addressing native Japanese speakers in Japanese, foreign visitors who aren’t aware of the added elegance of distinction risk sounding harsh. For foreign speakers and writers, mastering the Japanese honorific tone can be difficult.
- Communication Styles Of Men And Women
Depending on whether the communicator is male or female, it tends to add an extra element of complexity. Men and women in Japan are expected to express themselves in distinctly different ways. In most cases, mixing things in speech is considered impolite or unprofessional.
To show courtesy, attention, and respect, men and women have various terms and expressions which are considered to be appropriate means of speaking. This “gendered language” cultural norm was implanted by the upper classes of Japan in the nineteenth century.
Conclusion
So, in many aspects, Japanese and English are extremely distinct languages. Only a competent Japanese translator can convey the subtle differences between the two languages and ensure that a translated message is comprehensible and appropriate.
In this regard, you will find the availability of many Japanese interpreter in Dubai to specifically choose from.
