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1. Check at the window
Very often in Japanese to English translations we see the expression to check at the window or inquire at the window. This is a correct expression and is used in English. When we go to the bank in America, we either use an ATM or we go to the banker's window.
However, we cannot check at the window unless there is actually a physical window to go and check at. Checking at the window is in places like banks and offices that actually have these types of physical locations. This is where Japanese to English translations often run into trouble. They refer to windows when no actual window is present.
In this case we have other expressions as follow:
Please check at the planning department.
Please inquire at the planning office.
While it is impossible for most nonnative speakers to master all the expressions needed for native like English writing, this is one worth remembering as it often looks awkward and is often misused in Japanese to English translations.
2. Being specific
For a variety of cultural reasons, English is often spoken and written more specifically than Japanese. This has nothing to do with the language but everything to do with the culture. Japanese have much more tolerance for vagueness than English speakers, and English speakers inquire about specifics more often than Japanese speakers.
The differences become an issue when translating as information not necessary in Japanese writing is often better to include in English writing. Examples that illustrate this include Japanese directions with vague descriptions of how far something is while English descriptions often clearly state the time or distance. Japanese often uses the expression
適当に where English would demand an explanation.
When you write in English or translate, this difference should be remembered.
3. Working things out
Both American and Japanese cultures value human relationships highly as many cultures do. However, American and Japanese cultures have different values and behaviors about what to do when relationships break down. In Japan, when a relationship breaks down, repair is often not valued. People simply stop speaking together and carry a grudge that may last indefinitely.
American culture used to do this. Westerns, for example, are full of feuds between families where each family hunts down and kills people in the other family. The Hatfields and McCoys were two families in West Virginia and Kentucky that feuded for almost 30 years at the end of the 19th century. At least 12 people died in the feud, and the National Guard was called out! This was probably the most famous and longest grudge in American history.
Today in America, however, many believe it is a sign of maturity to repair relationships and work things out. If there is some trouble or problems between two people or families, we view the people who try to repair the relationship, or work things out, as trying to do the right thing. This is an important and valued social skill today. Unfortunately, it is not a skill everyone has.
Westerners who come to Japan are often surprised by Japanese simply terminating relationships when the relationships go wrong. In America, pretending that the other person no longer exists may be viewed as childish behavior.
How values and behaviors change...
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