To enter this vibrant and creative market, there are some factors that should be considered such as the idiosyncrasies of Japanese society and language, when attempting to localise a website into Japanese, even with Japanese translation services. Japan is one of the largest single-race countries in the world, which around 98% of the population are Japanese. With a single race, language and 2000-year-old monarchy, the Japanese value their own culture and language like no others.

Ability to Handle Language Challenges

The grammar system in Japanese is completely different from other Western languages with no equivalents. An obvious example is that verbs in Japanese always come at the end of clauses while verbs in Western language usually go immediately after subjects. Japanese verbs also come from structural particles which there is no equivalent in Western languages like English.

Another difficult hurdle to overcome is the honorifics in Japanese. It can be roughly separated into three levels of politeness, casual, polite and honorific. Not only is it difficult to choose a correct tone of voice, but it is also important to understand the subtle meaning difference between different honorifics. Takara International (HK) Ltd. dedicated team of native Japanese take into account not only the culture and context but also the target audience and the purpose of the document during the translation process.

Knowledge of Japanese law

When approaching the Japanese market, one should also give consideration to the laws and regulations when performing Japanese translation services. For example, the authority has reformed the Act Against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, with an aim to secure fair competition and to protect the interests of consumers in general. It prevents websites from making any claims about a product unless there is sufficient proof. A language service provider should assign professionals with legal knowledge and understanding to review the translated website as an additional procedure, ensuring compliance with the local laws and regulations.

Website Design Service

Given that Japanese has a logographic-based writing system with its own punctuation rules, having noticeable difference from other Western languages, it usually greatly affects the layout of a website. Different length of words and different line-breaking system require further adjustment on the design and layout of the website. Greatly influenced by the anime character culture, numerous Japanese websites have a very kawaii (cute) design even though it might seem too childish or inappropriate by the non-Japanese.

To appeal to Japanese tastes, causal and cute word expression, graphic and layout can be adopted when localising the website in the form of Japanese translation services. Rather than sending the translated document to another design company, a one-stop service including translation and website design provided by the same language service company is more preferable. Linguists can review the final product to eliminate any language mistakes arising in the design process.

Aspects that make Japanese websites standout are linguistic, cultural and technical in nature. Localisation of websites into Japanese is a more nuanced and context-specific process, requiring in-depth knowledge of the language and culture as well as professional technical support.