Japan is an economic powerhouse with a myriad of companies making it their headquarters. Due to its market strength and potential, the logical approach to business here is by conducting it in Japanese. The population in Japan still prefers the native language to English and will obviously gravitate towards companies offering their services in it.
The importance of translation in Japan
Web translation is one of the first steps in localizing business. Having a native web presence allows companies to reach out to customers who will understand their services better. Read on to find out why you need to translate your company’s website to Japanese.
- Not everyone understands English – As simple as that. The idea (or rather attitude) that everyone else will learn and understand English is absurd. The Japanese find it easier to communicate in their native language than struggle to communicate in English. Even if they can speak a little English, does not mean they are fluent in it.
- It is better for your business – If you are using a Japanese version of your website, expect a positive outcome in traffic and sales. Offering your products and services in Japanese is more appealing to consumers than if you did it in English.
- Improved SEO – By translating your website into Japanese, you are adding more information and, by extension, more keywords to it. This can help increase your website’s visibility and rank better in SERPs.
Translating Japanese
The Japanese language isn’t as easy to translate as the Latin languages. Owing to its complex structure and character set, translating from and to it can be tasking. It primarily consists of the ‘kanji’, ‘hiragana’, and ‘katakana’ scripts, making the translation process quite comprehensive.
Context is another reason why Japanese translations are difficult. Words and phrases with the same pronunciation and word order can mean different things based on the context in which they are used. There is also no grammatical number, gender, or use of articles in Japanese, complicating the process further.
Fluent Native Japanese Translation is key
When you use a direct translation program such as Google Translate, it only provides the literal translation, not contextual. If you use these results on your website, it can confuse your users and cause an embarrassment to your company. To avoid such issues, invest your time and resources in a professional, native translation service provider. They can work together with your web designer by providing relevant information to them, and, in turn, to your customers.
Translating your website into Japanese can help expand your customer base by a significant number. You will also earn the respect and trust of people by taking the effort to communicate with them in their native language.
