translating - overview
Fully
aware of the structural differences between Japanese and English, I can produce
translations which contain all the information in the original document and
also reflect the natural style of the language.
A good translator has to bear at least the following four points in mind.
Audience
Some documents are being translated for those who work in a field that is
closely related to the topic discussed. Therefore, the target audience should
be quite familiar with the terms in the original papers. If this is the case,
technical terms can be used. But if not, the translator has to be careful
in choosing words to make sure that the audience overall would understand
what is translated.
Culture
Japanese businessmen often avoid making direct statements because they
believe that could be impolite. To get around this problem they deliberately
keep their statements ambiguous. When a translator comes across these statements,
s/he needs to clarify what they really mean.
Current issues / word usage
In recent months, a Japanese company whose parent company is American-based
has voted to call their company president chiifu eguzekutibu ofisaa (chief
executive officer) instead of shachoo in order to incorporate a more
American culture. These suggest that a translator should closely observe current
issues in both languages.
Grammar
Significant differences lie between Japanese and English grammar. A good
example is that there are no relative pronouns in Japanese. See below:
There are fat profits to be made, even though the maximum interest rate
that consumer-finance firms may charge was cut from 40% to 29% in 2000.
The lack of these linguistic devices often results in breaking down statements
into two or more sentences
Kazuo