Japanese Localization
Japanese Localization
To attract Japanese customers and clients, you will have to familiarize yourself with the idea of Japanese localization. Japanese localization is the process of adapting the language, appearance, and functionality of a product or website for the Japanese market. A complex Asian language, Japanese presents a variety of unique challenges to Japanese localization professionals.
Japanese consumers are known to have high standards for the performance and appearance of products. To ensure a positive reception for your software, website, and documentation, it is a good idea to work with an experienced localization company. Your localization service provider should employ Japanese, native speaking teams of localization specialists who understand how to anticipate and solve the myriad of potential Japanese globalization issues.
Some examples of globalization (G11N) issues include:
| Website Issues | Localization Requirements |
| Fonts | Double-byte enablement |
| Color scheme | Inoffensive colors (e.g. minimal white, which represents mourning) |
| Tone | More formal than English source |
| Date, time, currency formats | Change to standard Japanese formats |
| eCommerce payments | Enable various payment methods such as bank transfers |
| Software Issues | Localization Requirements |
| Time to market | Translation memory tools help speed translation |
| High user expectations | Testers should be Japanese |
| Documentation Issues | Localization Requirements |
| Text length | Accommodate possible text expansion |
| Printing Japanese fonts | Embed fonts in PDF file for printer |
| Font direction | Determine if client prefers left-right or top-bottom directionality |
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