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Is this translation good?

RanCohen

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27 Sep 2014
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I requested a company to translate the text in my mobile application to Japanese. It translated it, and now I added it to my mobile application. I just want to be sure all is good (for example - the text can be too long and be cut, and I won't notice).

One thing I did notice is that the Japanese language doesn't have spaces, so a word can be too long and fall to a second line. Is it still readable, or should I make the word smaller so it would fit?

Thanks a lot!
 
They mistakenly translated "gravity disabled" straight as a past tense action rather than as a description, but other than that it looks alright.
 
They translated "OK" as "交換" (kokan)。Kokan literally means exchange. Maybe this is correct in the context, but it makes me wonder what I am exchanging.

If I were doing this I would have used 実行 or 決定 instead of 交換.

実行=run, execute. Usually used in software to implement your selection.
決定 = confirm. Also used in software and games to confirm an option.

"Folder" = フォルダ in your translation, but I think usually フォルダー when used in computing (at least, this is what it is in Windows).

"Reverse" in your original screen means, for example, reverse of color scheme? (As in replace white with black, and red for green, etc.)

If so, the translation is incorrect. The translation you now have "逆さにする" sounds to me more like "turn inside out" or upside-down. I would probably use 反対色

And...If I really wanted the software to appeal to Japanese consumers I would find better translations for your final two screens. Its not that the current translations are incorrect, its just that the sentences aren't what you might find in a Japanese application. I hesitate to say unnatural since I am not a native speaker, but I think the charge is a fair one. If you just want a quick and dirty translation, the results you have are fine. If you want something native level, you probably need to get a real localization pro to look at it.
 
I'll change "OK" to "run".
Is "Folder" translated wrong? What is the correct translation?
For "Reverse" - it *does* mean turning upside-down. To be exact - this is the explanation I gave: "The action for flipping the screen".
And I *paid* to get this translation, so I hope a native guy translated my app. Lets hope that the final two screens are natural :)
 
Hello Ran,

Folder in Japanese needs the extending bar at the end (if you want to conform to Microsoft standards).
「フォルダ」が「フォルダー」に、マイクロソフトが長音表記を変更

Regarding native translation, I should have anticipated your reply and clarified better. Your English originals have been faithfully translated into Japanese. That does not mean, however, that those translations are the best choices. For example, I would ask your translator why he/she chose 砂を盛る for "Hill It". It is a natural translation. But will little kids understand the kanji 盛(る)? Does it display legibly on a small screen? Were there no alternatives to that phrase? For your last two sentences, the final verbs are 変える and 試そう. One is a base verb (kind of an imperative), and the other is an invitation. Why weren't they both made into invitations (好きな色に変えてみよう - for example). Referring to your own game options as "cool" might be acceptable in English, but in Japanese there is something arrogant about it - a lack of humility. Did your translator consider this or was it not an issue for him/her?

Anyway, this is starting to sound a lot like work. If you just want your product to be understood by Japanese people, you have a workable translation. Its fine. It gets the point across. If you want to be a perfectionist and want your application to compete with Tsum Tsum or Puzzle and Dragon or Monster Strike, you probably want to have a localization pro look at it.
 
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