In other words, five different translators will give five very different translations for the same source text - yet all of them can be correct. Furthermore, a reviewer will still rewrite the text to some extent, because they may have additional style preferences compared to those five translators. It is vital to define the above preferences before engaging translators or starting work on a project. This is achieved by close and early involvement of the client's reviewers and local subsidiary. Customer Review Practices Client review in Japan is more thorough than in the West, and hence takes longer to complete.
Clients feel that they have a duty to review in great detail.
Usually Japanese reviewers have very distinct preferences in terms of writing style, and even translation of terms, depending on the market segment - and because Japanese tends to have more than one translation for many English words. Solution Ensure that client reviews in Japan, and any technical assistance outside Japan, are focused on the same target. A review of a glossary by a non-Japanese part of the client organization might still be rejected at the client's review stage in Japan. Conclusion As can be seen from the challenges presented above, the many and extreme differences between a 'regular' localization project and one into Japanese present a minefield of complications for the inexperienced. However, greatest of all solutions is awareness .