Japanese to English translation

Japanese to English translation is one of the most requested language combinations: Japanese has around 128M speakers and is official in Japan and Palau.

Japanese mixes kanji, hiragana and katakana, uses honorific keigo, and has no spaces. Character counts are much lower than English but line-breaking rules (kinsoku) apply.

Indicative freelance rates for east asian languages run from about $0.10 to $0.22 per word for general commercial work; specialised, certified and urgent jobs cost more, and literary translation is usually paid per 1,000 words.

In the US, 462,405 people speak Japanese at home and 178,379 speak English less than "very well", which drives steady demand for Japanese–English translation and interpreting in healthcare, legal and public services.

Indicative rates

Per-word band for general commercial work in the east asian group. Real quotes depend on subject, volume, deadline and experience.

Tips for Japanese → English projects

• Quote by source characters or words consistently — CJK character counts are not comparable with English word counts.
• Agree on formality (formal vs informal address) for Japanese before translation starts and record it in the style guide.
• Decide on US or UK English spelling and punctuation conventions up front.
• For official documents (birth certificates, diplomas) into English, US agencies usually accept a translator's signed certification; check the receiving institution.
• Send reference material and a glossary of brand or series terms; it saves revision rounds and money.