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1. Translation and Logic
English and Japanese use different kinds of logic to communicate. Native Japanese speakers can easily make English more polite and less direct when they translate English into Japanese. Native English speakers can easily make Japanese more direct and clearer when they translate Japanese into English. Given that few native English speakers translate into Japanese, their work is not a major concern. However, many native Japanese speakers who are not native English speakers translate documents into English. Their work may be a concern.
If you are not a native English speaker, what can you do to make certain the logic in your translation is the same style that English native speakers use? Naturally, the better your English is, the better your logic will usually be, but not always. Unfortunately, English language skills and logical writing skills are different skill sets.
ALS suggests the following hints to make the logic in your Japanese to English translations more like that of native English speakers.
Look for Japanese logic. Looking at a document and rewriting the logic so it matches a culture not as familiar as your own culture is not an easy task. One approach is to start noticing the Japanese logic. As a native Japanese-speaking translator, you are probably able to recognize Japanese and English styles, even if you have trouble writing in an English style. So, try starting by looking for Japanese logic and rewriting the text to avoid Japanese logic.
Use shorter sentences. Aaron Says Volume 1 discussed shorter sentences. You may want to read Volume 1 again to review the topic. We know that hearing new information only once is not enough to change a pattern. To change, we need to be reminded of the new pattern to incorporate it into our daily life.
Remembering that reorganizing individual sentences and paragraphs is necessary, but it is easy to forget that such reorganization often requires another step. The next step may be to move sentences to different paragraphs and even to move the paragraphs themselves.
The best way to think of English logic for moving sentences is to remember that ideal English writing is clear. Good English writing progresses from one step to the next. We have items A, B, and C. They prove point D. Next, we move to point E. English writing does not take items A, B, and C, and then jump to a surprise at point Z.
Try using these three ideas when you translate from Japanese to English. ALS hopes they will help you.
2. Plums and Apricots
Sometimes language is just wrong, but we must still use it. One of our favorite examples at ALS is Japanese plums. You probably ate one not too long ago. The plum may have been in the middle of a bed of rice in your lunch, in a rice ball, or in another form. Strangely enough, a Japanese plum is actually an apricot. At
ALS, we heard a story that one of the first native English speakers to come to Japan saw a Japanese apricot. He told everyone that it was a plum in English. He was wrong as you can tell by looking in your dictionary or encyclopedia.
We don’t know if this is a true story or not, but there must be a reason that the native Japanese apricots are called Japanese plums in English. Still, even though the apricot is not a plum, plum is now common usage, which makes it correct. Confusing, isn’t it?
3. Right Turns on a Red Light
Speaking of confusion, did you know that you could turn right on a red light in the United States? First, you have to stop and make sure it is safe before turning. You do not have the right of way. Right turns started to save gas in the 1970s. Why sit at an intersection and waste gas when it is perfectly safe to stop, look, see if it is safe, and go if it is? Right turns on red lights used to be confusing in the United States because such turns were legal in some states and illegal in others.
Now, cars can turn right anywhere on a round red light in the United States with two exceptions: not in New York City, not if a sign says ‘no left turn on red.’ We hope you will be careful and watch other drivers if you drive in the United States. ALS assumes no responsibility for any tickets you get for turning right on a red light in the United States.
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