Things Google translator may not know...

It's hard to be a language insider here.  Culture is so tied up in language, and both the thinking and the speaking here are often the opposite of what comes natural to an American.  While we speak to be understood and value clarity and directness, the Japanese language is meant to be vague.  Yesterday, while involved in a brainstorming session with a Japanese company, I heard a great example of this.  While on English Facebook, we hit, "like," when we like a post, Japanese hit, "chotto ii ne," directly translated as "a little good, isn't it."  Let's not make too strong of a commitment to our opinion!  This is why straight translations of English to Japanese never come across well.  I recently had a very important letter translated by an excellent translator, and when I showed it a member of the target audience, he immediately said, "This is obviously a translation.  Get it re-written in natural Japanese."  Even though English words are often used in Japan, the real meaning and the Japanese meaning can be quite different.  For example, I also found out yesterday that here "renovation" means "innovation," and "innovation" is a little-known word.  Of course, I am also a great butcher of the Japanese language, especially pronunciation.  Recently, I was on TV in connection with my volunteer group.  When I watched it, I thought, "That's gotta be the best example in existence of Japanese spoken with a strong Southern accent!"  Contact us at www.noah-digital.co.jp/english/ for marketing help in Japan.