Translating Reference Letters from Japanese to English
English and Japanese reference letters are as different as the cultures they come from. While some Japanese people may refuse to write reference letters, the number is probably much fewer than the number of Americans and other Westerners who refuse. Some Americans and Westerners will directly refuse to write reference letters for people who they cannot recommend. While some Japanese may directly or indirectly refuse, this number is probably also much fewer than the number of Americans and other Westerners who refuse. In this essay, we will discuss differences between English and Japanese letters of reference, and we will offer suggestions for both letter writers and letter translators.
Differences
The first key difference is who English speaking and Japanese speaking people ask to write their letters for them. English speaking people generally ask people who they know. Such people can be coworkers, supervisors, teachers, religious leaders, or others. People in your family are generally not asked to write reference letters, but sometimes friends are when the friend has a professional relationship with the individual needing a reference letter. The key point is that in the Western environment when you write a letter of reference, you need to know the person you are writing the reference letter for to be able to discuss the person in detail and provide examples.
In contrast, Japanese speaking people do not tend to ask the people who know them best. They tend to ask people in positions of authority. In Japan, people in positions of authority generally write letters of recommendation. How well they know the person they are writing the letter for is not as essential.
Some English letters also tend to present a more balanced approach. Some Americans believe that a good letter discusses the applicant’s strengths, but it may also present a small weakness or area for improvement. A letter that is too good is referred to as a Jesus letter. This is a letter that is so good that you cannot believe it. Some Japanese letters of recommendation are just too good, and it is difficult to believe them. These are Jesus letters.
Other Americans believe that nothing negative belongs in a letter of reference. Another way to look at the negative is to say everything positively. A letter of reference is the same as an attorney. You show your client in the best possible light.
The Reference Letter and the Problem
The typical Japanese reference letters arrive as email for you as the translator to translate. The reference letter was written by someone in an important position, and the letter tells about the letter writer. The letter of reference tells less about the person being recommended. In contrast, the typical English letter does not. The topic of the letter is the person being recommended. A good letter of reference begins with the letter writer explaining the situation. The topics to write about are 1) the relationship between the letter writer and the person being recommended, 2) the length of the time letter writer has known the person, 3) the quality of the person’s work, 4) the quality of the relationships the person has with others, 5) and the kind of effort the person being recommended makes to learn and grow.
Here lies the problem. The question becomes how the translator shapes a letter of recommendation in the Japanese cultural norm to fit the Western cultural norm. In the following sample reference letter, we have taken the numbers above that refer to the required letter parts and inserted them into the letter below.
Sample Reference Letter
Excom-System Language Services
Bringing
You
Clear English Communication
Dear Ms. Aaron:
I am writing to recommend Henry Average. He is a gifted linguist and (3) first-rate translator. (1) I have supervised him for almost (2) six years and his work has been excellent. When Henry began translating for us almost six years ago, his French, German, and Japanese were excellent as well as his native English. (5) Although his language skills were outstanding when he first came to work, he had only had a couple of months of experience in translation. This meant that he committed many of the mistakes that beginners often made. He would get trapped in the originals, and his translations would sound stiff and unnatural. As he became more comfortable translating, he stopped translating so literally and began to translate the intended meaning of what was written.
(3) Mr. Average’s work has been punctual, and the only time he missed a deadline was when he got caught on vacation by a hurricane. When he first started translating with us, he was ready and willing to translate anything. (5) He sometimes lacked an understanding that some documents require translators who have more than a surface knowledge of the materials. It took him several months to learn to focus on his legal strengths, translating contracts and other legal documents. (3) His years of work as a paralegal have made him well qualified to translate legal documents. While he has some skills in medical and other areas, it was some time before he finally truly understood that his medical knowledge was not enough for him to deliver the same high quality medical translations as his legal translations. (5) Now, he is studying biomedical material in journals and plans to take an online course to develop other translation specialties.
Henry is an excellent legal translator and works very well by himself. He can also work as part of a team. (4) Last year, we worked as a team on a large project, and his relationships with other translators was relaxed and collegial.
(3) I recommend Henry Average highly. It would be hard to find a better legal translator.
Sincerely,
[hand-written
signature]
Alice Aaron
Manager
Excom-System Language Services
|
The Answer for the Letter Writer
If you are the letter writer, the sample reference letter may help your letter of reference skill development in the Western cultural mode. The sample will help you write in the Western cultural mode in Japanese, so the translator working on your letter will be able to create an appropriate letter from your Japanese letter.
The Answer for the Translator
If you are the translator, the problem is what to do with a Japanese style letter that will need to be translated into English. If the client will rewrite the letter, that is the best option. However, letter rewriting is often not a realistic option. Translators must often try to do their best with what they get in their email inbox. Doing so is not an easy option, but there is no other answer.
英語翻訳、英文校正、他言語翻訳、他言語校正などの代表者連絡先 ： honyaku@excom-system.com
翻訳 （ 英語、和英、英和、日英、英日、論文翻訳等 ）、英文校正、多言語翻訳、多言語校正、ネットスクールの英文ライティング指導等の総合サービス。
（ なお、お支払いには日本国内の銀行口座をご利用いただけます ）。
このページの先頭へ
エクスコムシステム ランゲージ サービス(ＥＬＳ) Copyright 2007無断転載禁止。
|
