Annexure 3: Language

 

 

 

 

Keeping in mind the vast difference in the English and Japanese language systems, this annexure provides pertinent language and grammar tips. It is organized as follows:

 

I.Creating readable content: A holistic approach

 

II.Effective sentence construction

 

i.Use the linguistic aspects of the target language

 

ii.Restrict maximum sentence length to ~20–30 words

 

iii.Avoid top-heavy sentences

 

iv.Define the subject(s) of a sentence

 

v.Eliminate wordiness and redundancy

 

III.Use idiomatic word choices

 

i.Accurate word choice leads to clear understanding

 

ii.Idiomatic target language enhances the fluency of a translation greatly

 

 

I.Creating readable content: A holistic approach

 

Translation of academic material, which usually has a defined structure, requires a dual approach-the micro and the macro. If you focus only on the translation of each word or sentence, you may lose sight of the paragraph structure. Seeing the big picture and conveying it effectively is a critical process for fluency enhancement. Translating each sentence is one thing; putting them all together as a cogent whole is quite another.

 

We sometimes see translations in which each sentence is well translated, but the document as a whole makes little sense; in other words, the translation lacks coherence and readability. This happens because the translation does not consider the holistic output of the sentences.

 

The following examples will help you translate with a holistic approach.

          

 

We hope the suggestions and examples above will help you in your translation check work. We trust your bilingual and bicultural skills. In accordance with the teachings of “Kaizen,” Ulatus strives toward continuous improvement in order to achieve total client satisfaction.

 

II.Effective sentence construction

 

i.Use the linguistic aspects of the target language

 

The goal of translation is for the translated text to read as little like the original language and as much like the target language as possible. Fluency is the key to achieving this goal. Our clients appreciate translations that sound very natural, readable and academic. Linguistically, Japanese sentences translated into English are usually lengthy when compared with English sentences. When translating sentences from Japanese to English, we have observed that many Translators follow the Japanese sentence structure. This results in a lengthy English sentence replete with modifiers and conjunctions. Such sentences make little sense to English readers.

 

If you think a Japanese sentence is too long and its translation into a single English sentence may result in loss of fluency, please divide the translation into two sentences for clarity and readability. This method, of course, is only appropriate when you are absolutely certain about retaining the meaning of the original text in translation.

 

 

ii.Restrict maximum sentence length to ~20–30 words

 

Note that the text is easy to read when sentences are not too long and have varied lengths. Unraveling winding sentences in a manuscript cognitively tires the reader. So construct sentences such that the reader can move fluently between sentences and paragraphs without having to repeatedly go over a sentence to understand it.

 

 

 

iii.Avoid top-heavy sentences

 

One type of sentence that adversely hampers sentence readability is a top-heavy sentence. Such sentences have a very long subject(s) and a short verb at the end, and are packed with essential information. Top-heavy sentences become unwieldy for a reader to read and comprehend. They can be avoided by bringing the verb as close to the subject as possible or by sentence reconstruction.

 

 

iv.Define the subject(s) of a sentence

 

To enhance fluency, one technique is to make the subject in each sentence as clear as possible. Japanese writing, by its very nature, has a lot of ambiguity, especially for the subject-who and/or what was the subject of the action. Do not fall into the word-for-word translation trap even if you come across some of the most popular Japanese idioms, phrases, and Katakana words, as listed below.

 

 

v.Eliminate wordiness and redundancy

 

Wordy and redundant phrases can lead to a reader losing track of the author’s message and getting lost in the mire of words. This is an annoying experience. Use your English language skills to prune out rambling/stretched-out and redundant phrases. Given below are two examples.

 

 

vi.Use idiomatic word choices

 

i.Accurate word choice leads to clear understanding

 

Effective writing involves consciously choosing the apt words. Words when chosen and ordered carefully have the right effect on the right audience. Your audience may be academic or non-academic and the word choice must reflect these styles. In addition, you can choose better words to replace the literal translation of a Japanese word.

 

 

ii.Idiomatic target language enhances the fluency of a translation greatly

 

Languages have particular styles of writing and stating ideas. Hence, a sentence can be perfectly grammatical but totally unidiomatic. When idiomatic conventions are not followed, poor diction or bad writing ensues.

 

 

TIPS:

 

Broaden your knowledge on how the source and target languages work. In example #1, delicious is not a gradable adjective. Maximizers (absolutely) and not intensifiers (very) modify such adjectives. This is tacitly known among native speakers.

 

One sure sign of unidiomatic/nonnative language is incorrect collocations. Consult a good collocation dictionary such as the Oxford Collocation Dictionary. Another good resource is corpuses such as COCA, BNC, Google Ngrams Viewer, and of course with some reservation, Google Search

 

Additional resources:

 

Language

 

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html collated by Paul Brians, Emeritus Professor of English, Washington State University, to learn about the most confusing words and the most  common errors in the English language

 

http://www.cheric.org/research/techwriting/eworldediting/tips2.php for material on tenses

 

http://engineering.purdue.edu/MECOM/Assignments/1.2009.SPRING.ME290 rundown on fixing top-heavy sentences.

 

http://www.pleonasms.com for a list of redundant expression

 

http://books.google.com/ngrams/ for a corpus search of collocations in the Google Books database

 

  

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