Doing business with Japan
Translation, websites, marketing, etiquette and meetings for companies working with Japanese customers and partners.
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How to Write an Apology Email to a Japanese Client
How to apologise to a Japanese client in writing: when to email and when to call or visit, the five-part structure (apology, cause, response, prevention, apology), key phrases, a sample email and common mistakes.
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Choosing a Brand Name for Japan: Katakana, Meaning and Trademark Checks
How to check a brand or product name for Japan: katakana spelling and pronunciation, meanings and associations, searchability, trademarks, and options if the name doesn’t travel.
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Business Trip to Japan: How to Prepare, From Meetings to Nomikai
How to prepare for a business trip to Japan: when to book meetings, business cards, gifts, punctuality, dress, dinners and nomikai, key phrases and follow-up.
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Customer Support for Japanese Customers: Expectations and Phrases
How overseas companies can give great customer support in Japanese: what customers expect, channels, the structure of a reply, key phrases, complaints and templates.
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Entering the Japanese Market: A First-Steps Checklist for Small Businesses
A first-steps checklist for selling in Japan: checking the fit, choosing an entry route, localising, tax-inclusive prices and seller information, building trust, payments, support, marketing and language.
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Exhibiting at a Trade Show in Japan: Materials, Booth Etiquette and Follow-Up
How to prepare for a trade show in Japan: Japanese business cards, brochures and signage, booth greetings and card etiquette, language support at the event and follow-up emails and meetings.
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Game Localisation for Japan: Translation, Character Voice and Testing
How to localise a video game for Japanese players: what needs localising, character voice, technical preparation, giving translators context, names and culture, CERO ratings and testing with native players.
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Playing Golf with Japanese Business Partners: Etiquette and Phrases
Why golf matters in Japanese business, how a round in Japan usually works, golf phrases like nice shot and osaki ni, etiquette, conversation on the course and following up afterwards.
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Hosting Japanese Visitors at Your Company: Itinerary, Meetings, Gifts and Dinner
How to host a Japanese client, partner or delegation: planning the itinerary, language support, introductions and seating, meetings, gifts, dinner and the follow-up email.
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How to Choose a Japanese Translator: Agency, Freelancer or Machine Translation
How to choose a Japanese translator: agency, freelancer or machine translation, native-language direction, subject expertise, questions to ask and red flags.
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How to Hire a Japanese–English Interpreter: Types, Cost Factors and What to Ask
How to hire a Japanese–English interpreter: defining the job, consecutive vs simultaneous, online vs in person, what to look for, what affects the price and how to brief them.
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Bringing an Interpreter to a Business Dinner in Japan
How an English–Japanese interpreter helps at a business dinner or entertaining (settai) in Japan: seating, the toast, conversation topics, speeches and gifts, how to brief the interpreter, and the etiquette of including them at the table.
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Hiring an Interpreter for a Factory or Site Visit in Japan
How an English–Japanese interpreter supports an in-person factory tour, supplier visit, plant inspection or office visit in Japan: what to send in advance, safety briefings, noise and photos, and how to follow up afterwards.
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Hiring an Interpreter for a Sports Team’s Camp or Tour in Japan
How an English–Japanese interpreter supports a sports team, club or academy in Japan: joint training and clinics, meetings with hosts and officials, media, logistics and medical visits, how to brief the interpreter, and coaching through an interpreter.
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Interpreters for School and University Delegation Visits to Japan
How an English–Japanese interpreter supports a school, university or sister-city delegation visiting Japan, or a Japanese delegation visiting you: meetings, campus tours, speeches, MOU signings and gift exchanges, and what to prepare in advance.
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Interpreters for Board Meetings with a Japanese Parent Company
How an English–Japanese interpreter helps subsidiaries of Japanese companies with board meetings, quarterly reviews and head office visits: what to prepare, timing for consecutive interpreting, and communicating well with Japanese head office.
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Filming in Japan: Working with an English–Japanese Interpreter on Location
How an English–Japanese interpreter supports a documentary, TV, commercial or YouTube shoot in Japan: pre-production calls, interviews on location, consent and privacy, release forms and subtitles afterwards.
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Hiring in Japan: Using an Interpreter for Job Interviews with Japanese Candidates
When to use an interpreter to interview Japanese job candidates, how to set up an online interview, the cultural differences to expect, and documents around hiring.
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Interviewing a Japanese Guest with an Interpreter: Podcasts, Videos and Research
How to interview a Japanese guest for a podcast, video, article or research project with a live English–Japanese interpreter: choosing a format, preparing the guest and interpreter, consent, recording and subtitles.
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Using an Interpreter for Investor Calls with Japan
When a live English–Japanese interpreter helps on pitch, due diligence and partnership calls with Japanese investors, what to send in advance, how to run the call with numbers and slides, and what to do afterwards.
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Calls with Japanese Suppliers and Factories: Interpreting for Quality Issues and Virtual Visits
How to run interpreted calls with Japanese suppliers and manufacturers: when an interpreter helps, building a shared glossary, quality-issue calls and virtual factory tours.
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Using an Interpreter for Remote Factory and Supplier Audits in Japan
How an English–Japanese interpreter supports a remote audit of a Japanese factory: quality terms to share, preparing the video call, tips on the day and the report.
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Using an Interpreter for Sales Calls and Demos with Japanese Clients
When a live English–Japanese interpreter helps on sales calls and product demos with Japanese companies, how Japanese buying decisions work, how to brief the interpreter and how to follow up.
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Using an Interpreter to Train Japanese Staff and Partners Online
How to run online training for Japanese staff, distributors or partners with a live English–Japanese interpreter: when it helps, planning for consecutive interpreting, preparing the interpreter, materials and running the session.
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Interpreter vs Translator: What’s the Difference and Which Do You Need?
The difference between a Japanese–English interpreter and a translator, when you need each, why one person isn’t always both, and how to plan projects that need both.
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Business Etiquette When Meeting Japanese Clients
Meeting Japanese clients? A step-by-step guide to exchanging business cards, bowing, where to sit, gifts and follow-up, and why no one expects perfection.
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Business Gifts and Seasonal Greetings in Japan
A guide to Japanese business gift customs for overseas companies: temiyage on visits, ochūgen and oseibo, New Year greetings, what to avoid and how customs are changing.
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Interviewing Japanese Customers: Market Research, Polite Answers and Translation
How to run customer interviews in Japan: reading polite and indirect answers, designing questions, consent, and getting recordings transcribed and translated with nuance intact.
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Japanese Customer Service Phrases for Hotels, Shops and Tours
Welcome, thank-you and apology phrases for serving Japanese guests abroad, why service expectations are high, and how to get signs and menus translated well.
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Welcoming Japanese Guests: Japanese for Guesthouse and Airbnb Hosts
How guesthouse, holiday rental and Airbnb hosts can attract and welcome Japanese guests: what Japanese travellers look for in a listing, check-in phrases, polite house rules, messages, reviews and small touches.
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Hospitality Japanese for Staff Who Serve Japanese Tourists
Japanese for hotel, restaurant, shop and tour staff outside Japan who welcome Japanese visitors: the first phrases to learn, what Japanese guests tend to expect, and a simple training plan for your team.
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Japanese Lessons for Executives: What Leaders Working with Japan Need
What executives working with Japan actually need: greetings, speeches, etiquette, how decisions are made, preparing for a visit, and when to use an interpreter.
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Japanese Proofreading and Native Checks: What They Cover and When You Need Them
What Japanese proofreading covers, how it differs from editing and translation review, what a native checker looks for, when it pays off and how to brief a proofreader.
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Japanese and English Subtitles for Your Videos: Transcription, Translation and Timing
How to add Japanese or English subtitles to a video: transcription, subtitle translation, reading-speed limits, what makes Japanese tricky, machine captions and preparing your files.
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Japanese Language Training for Employees: How to Set Up a Programme
How to set up Japanese training for your team: what each role needs, group vs private vs workshops, realistic goals, using your own business situations, culture training and keeping it going.
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Japanese Transcription: What to Know Before You Order
How to order Japanese transcription: transcription vs translation vs subtitles, verbatim or clean, why Japanese is tricky, AI tools and human review, better recordings, what affects the quote and confidentiality.
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LINE Official Account for Japan: How Overseas Businesses Can Use It
Why LINE matters for reaching customers in Japan, what a LINE Official Account can do, how to write natural Japanese messages and menus, and how to handle customer chats in Japanese.
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Localising Your App Store and Google Play Listing for Japan
How to localise an app listing for Japanese users: app name and subtitle, Japanese keywords across three scripts, screenshots and captions, descriptions, review replies and common mistakes.
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Localising Your Product for Japan: Beyond Translation
How to localise a product for Japan: text length and layout, dates, names and addresses, payment and support expectations, tone, translators and user testing.
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Machine Translation for Japanese: When It’s Good Enough and When It Isn’t
Where machine translation and AI work for Japanese, where they go wrong (subjects, politeness, terms, nuance), how to match the method to the risk and how to improve the output.
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Marketing to Japanese Customers: What’s Different
Why campaigns that work at home can fall flat in Japan: trust and detail, reviews, LINE and social channels, a polite tone, seasonal sales and localised copy.
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Running Meetings with Japanese Partners
How to run productive meetings with Japanese partners: agendas and materials in advance, why decisions take time, interpreting and online tips, and phrases.
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Negotiating with Japanese Companies: Consensus, Patience and Trust
How negotiating with Japanese companies often works: nemawashi and ringi, realistic timelines, indirect answers like kentō shimasu and written follow-up.
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Online Interpreting for Video Calls with Japan: Zoom, Teams and Google Meet
How online Japanese–English interpreting works on Zoom, Teams and Google Meet: the two set-ups, preparing the interpreter, audio, speaking through an interpreter and following up.
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Pitching to Japanese Investors and Partners: Translating Your Pitch Deck
How to localise a pitch deck for Japanese investors, corporate venture arms and partners: what to change, what to add, translation details and the meeting itself.
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Writing a Press Release for Japanese Media: Structure, Formats and Translation
How to prepare a press release for Japan: the structure Japanese media expect, headlines and leads, date and name formats, translating vs rewriting, distribution, timing and media interviews.
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How to Reply to Japanese Customer Reviews: Structure and Phrases
How to reply to Japanese customer reviews on Google Maps, booking sites, app stores and marketplaces: a five-part structure, phrases for positive and negative reviews, reading indirect complaints and building templates.
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SEO for Japan: How to Get Found on Google and Yahoo! JAPAN
SEO for the Japanese market: Google and Yahoo! JAPAN, Japanese keyword research, writing for Japanese readers, hreflang and technical set-up, trust signals and AI assistants.
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Writing a Thank-You Letter After a Business Visit to Japan
How to thank a Japanese company after a visit: email first, then a formal oreijō matched to rank, a typical structure, details Japanese readers notice, and Japanese or bilingual letters.
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Transcreation for Japan: Adapting Slogans and Marketing Copy for Japanese Customers
What transcreation is and when you need it for Japan, how it differs from translation and localisation, why marketing copy changes in Japanese, how a project works and what to prepare.
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How to Translate a Book into Japanese: Rights, Publishing Routes and the Process
How to get a book translated into Japanese: translation rights, self-publishing vs a Japanese publisher, voice and genre, vertical layout and titles, the process and machine translation.
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Translating Your Company Profile for Japan (Kaisha Annai and Kaisha Gaiyō)
What Japanese partners expect in a company profile: the kaisha gaiyō fact table, a message from the CEO, history, philosophy and clients, plus how to adapt (not just translate) your English profile for Japanese readers.
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Translating a Japanese Contract into English: What to Know Before You Sign
Why to translate a Japanese contract before signing, common terms like kō and otsu and the anti-social forces clause, what a good contract translation does, bilingual contracts and what to send when you order.
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Launching a Crowdfunding Campaign in Japan: Translating Your Page for Japanese Backers
How to adapt a Kickstarter-style campaign for Japanese crowdfunding platforms such as Makuake, CAMPFIRE and GREEN FUNDING: what Japanese backers expect, page structure, rewards (ritān), updates, backer questions and translation tips.
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Translating a Job Ad for Japanese Candidates: Format, Tone and What to Include
How to turn an English job ad into a Japanese job listing: the sections candidates expect, salary and holidays, tone, tips for foreign companies hiring in Japan and legal points to check.
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Translating a Menu into Japanese (or English): Dish Names, Allergens and Format
How restaurants, cafés and hotels can translate a menu for Japanese guests: name plus description, allergens and dietary labels, common mistakes, printed vs QR menus, and English menus in Japan.
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Translating a User Manual into Japanese: What Japanese Users Expect and How to Prepare
How to translate a user manual or quick-start guide into Japanese: what Japanese users expect, what to prepare, writing for translation, formats and regulations, review and future updates.
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Translating a Video Script for Japanese Voiceover
How to translate a script for Japanese voiceover or narration: fitting the timing, natural spoken style, marking readings, choosing voiceover, dubbing or subtitles, preparing your script and checking the recording.
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Translating Your Business Card into Japanese: Names, Titles and Layout
How to create a bilingual English–Japanese business card (meishi): writing your name in katakana, choosing the right Japanese job title, company name and address conventions, layout and common mistakes.
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Translating an E-Learning Course into Japanese: Slides, Video, Quizzes and Testing
How to translate and localise an e-learning course for Japanese learners: what needs translating, subtitles or voiceover, preparing your course, adapting examples and testing before launch.
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Translating Email Newsletters into Japanese: Subject Lines, Tone and Consent
How to adapt email newsletters for Japanese customers: subject lines, preview text, greetings and tone, consent and unsubscribe rules, design checks for Japanese text and a workflow that keeps quality up.
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Translating HR Documents for Japanese Staff: Handbooks, Policies and Onboarding
Which HR documents to translate into Japanese first, why tone and local concepts matter, legal review in Japan, how to run the project and interpreting for staff meetings.
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Translating Japanese Documents for Visas, Study and Work Abroad
Translating a koseki, juminhyo, degree or employment certificate? What certified translation means by country, names, Japanese era dates, layout and timing.
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Translating Packaging and Labels for Japan: What to Translate and How
What usually needs Japanese on product packaging and labels for Japan (name, description, ingredients or materials, instructions, warnings, importer details), how to fit Japanese text into your design, and why compliance should be checked with your importer.
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Translating Presentation Slides into Japanese: What to Prepare
How to translate a slide deck into Japanese for a meeting, pitch or talk: what to send the translator, fonts, line breaks, 万 and 億 number conversions, dates and titles, Japanese handout habits, and presenting with an interpreter.
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Translating Product Listings for Amazon Japan, Rakuten and Japanese Online Stores
How to localise product listings for Japanese shoppers: keywords, titles, detail, units, tax-inclusive prices, images, claims to be careful with, and reviews.
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Translating Social Media Posts for Japan: Platforms, Tone and Rules
Which social media platforms matter in Japan, why direct translation of posts fails, hashtags and tone, seasonal planning and Japan’s rules on labelling ads.
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Translating Surveys for Japanese Respondents: Wording, Rating Scales and Open Answers
How to translate a questionnaire for Japanese customers, staff or research participants: politeness, rating-scale differences, local answer options, testing and translating open answers back.
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Translating Terms of Service and Privacy Policies into Japanese
Which legal pages Japanese users expect, whether to translate or adapt them, why legal translation is hard, and how to keep English and Japanese versions in sync.
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Translating Tourism Materials for Japanese Visitors
Which tourism materials to translate into Japanese first (booking pages, access, safety rules, menus, signs, tour scripts), how to write for Japanese travellers, why machine translation falls short, and how to get your Japanese pages found.
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How to Work with a Japanese Interpreter in Business Meetings
How to get the most from a Japanese–English interpreter: consecutive vs simultaneous, bringing your own, briefing them, speaking in short chunks, numbers and online meetings.
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Japanese–English translation: a checklist before you order
What to prepare before ordering a Japanese–English translation: audience, final text, key terms, localisation, layout, machine translation and review.
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How to build a website for Japanese customers
What Japanese customers look for on a website: company information, detail, local formats, tax-inclusive prices, mobile design, LINE and Japanese-first copy.