Many Japanese people in my generation studied English for six years during junior high and high school as part of public education. However, a significant number still feel a strong sense of inadequacy toward the language. In fact, it’s such a notable issue that when Japanese artists, athletes, or celebrities are seen speaking English, it often becomes newsworthy on TV programs. For many Japanese, English has long been a significant hurdle.

According to an article from Business Insider, a 2020 survey conducted by the language app Duolingo (with a sample size of 1,200) revealed that 71% of respondents reported feeling inadequate when it came to English. Moreover, the global language school operator EF has been publishing its annual English Proficiency Index since 2011. This year, Japan ranked 92nd out of 116 countries and 16th out of 23 in Asia. Despite being one of the world’s leading developed nations, Japan remains globally recognized as an “English-challenged country.”

Given this situation, we strongly recommend localizing the UI into Japanese for our tech partners who have a high chance of success in the Japanese market. However, this localization process is incredibly challenging. While tools like the now-popular ChatGPT do relatively well, relying entirely on translation tools often results in awkward Japanese translations. For instance:

• CV (Conversion) → Translated as “履歴書” (resume), instead of the correct term, “コンバージョン”
• Impression → Translated as “印象” (impression), instead of the accurate term, “広告表示” (ad display)

The reality is that current translation technology struggles to accurately and naturally translate industry-specific terms, particularly in marketing. As a result, after using a translation tool, we have to manually review and correct each term, which can number over 1,000 words. This process is incredibly labor-intensive. Moreover, once the terms are reflected in the UI, we need to check them within their context to ensure there are no inconsistencies. This makes Japanese UI localization an extremely demanding project.

To overseas SaaS tech companies considering similar initiatives, I hope this blog gives you a glimpse of how challenging this process can be. It’s essential to approach this with the mindset that appropriate costs are required to do it properly! For my part, I’m fully committed and determined to see it through:)

Masaki “Mark” Iino
Founder & CEO
SOPHOLA, Inc

P.S. It’s getting much colder lately, and snow-covered landscapes have started appearing.