Japanese for Translators: Clients, Terminology, Style and Checks

The vocabulary of translation work

Before any phrases, you need the words that appear in every job request and every query. Many are shared with publishing and software localisation, and agencies use them constantly in emails and instructions.

Note that Japanese volume is usually counted in characters, mojisū, while English is counted in words, gosū. Being clear about which one a job uses avoids misunderstandings about scope.

Accepting jobs, volume and deadlines

Job offers usually arrive as a short email or a message in an agency's system, listing the content, volume, deadline and tools. Your reply should either accept clearly, ask a specific question, or decline politely with a reason and ideally an alternative date. Keeping it short and concrete is itself a form of politeness.

When you need more time, ask early and give a concrete proposal. Vague lines such as it might be difficult leave the project manager to guess.

Asking terminology questions

Terminology queries are where translators most often look unprofessional, usually by asking too broadly or sending questions one at a time. A good query identifies the exact location, quotes the source, states your understanding and proposes a rendering. Many agencies prefer queries collected in a query sheet, a shitsumon-hyō or Q&A shīto, rather than scattered emails.

The key sentence pattern is to iu rikai de yoroshii deshō ka, would it be correct to understand it as, which shows you have already thought about the problem.

The last line is useful for keeping work moving. Mark provisional renderings clearly in your file so they can be updated once the client answers.

Register and style choices

When translating into Japanese, the first style decision is the sentence ending. Desu-masu tai, keitai, is polite and addresses the reader; de-aru tai, jōtai, is neutral and used in reports, academic writing and many technical documents. Mixing them in one document is a classic error that reviewers mark immediately.

Other decisions include how much keigo to use towards the reader, whether to write numbers in half-width or full-width characters, how to render katakana loanwords, and whether to keep product names in English. These belong in a style guide, and if there is none, it is worth proposing your choices and getting agreement at the start.

Flagging problems in the source text

Source texts contain typos, inconsistent numbers, unclear references and sometimes outright errors. Pointing them out is part of the job, but the phrasing matters: you are raising a possibility, not correcting the client. Words like to omowareru, what appears to be, and nen no tame, just to be sure, keep the tone respectful.

Always say what you did about the problem in the translation, so the client knows whether to expect a follow-up.

Delivery and responding to review

At delivery, a short note listing what you are sending, any open queries and anything the reviewer should know saves everyone time. Many translators also run their own checks before delivery: terminology consistency, numbers, omissions and style. The post on checking your own Japanese writing covers similar self-review habits for general writing.

Reviewer feedback, called feedback or shiteki, should be handled calmly. Thank the reviewer, accept the valid points and, where you disagree, explain with a reason and a source rather than simply defending your choice.

Phone and video calls with clients

Not everything happens in writing. Onboarding calls, kick-off meetings for large projects and quick clarifications are often done by video. Spoken business Japanese is a little less formal than email, but still uses keigo, and it helps to have ready-made lines for confirming and summarising.

Summarising at the end of a call is especially valuable for translators, because it turns a conversation into agreed instructions. Follow up with a short email confirming the same points, a habit covered more broadly in the post on business email phrases.