What is Marketing Translation? "Localization" to Achieve Results in the Japanese Market and Success Stories

 

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• 1. What Is Marketing Translation: The Decisive Difference from Regular Translation
• 1-1. Conveying "Meaning" or Conveying "Appeal"
• 1-2. Risks Caused by Literal Translation
• 2. Why Marketing Translation into Japanese Is Important Now
• 2-1. Adapting to the High-Context Japanese Culture
• 2-2. Establishing Brand Voice
• 3. Challenges and Solution Approaches in Marketing Translation
• 3-1. The Biggest Challenge: How Far Should We Go with "Free Translation"?
• 3-2. Three Definitions to Achieve High Quality
• 4. Can AI Be Utilized in Marketing Translation?
• 4-1. The Current State of AI in the Marketing Field
• 4-2. Recommendation for Hybrid Operation (Post-Editing + Rewriting)
• 5. [Success Case] Localization of English Marketing Materials
• 5-1. Customer Challenge: "It Doesn’t Resonate" Despite Being Translated
• 5-2. Solution: Introducing the "Rewrite" Process Beyond Translation
• 5-3. Results: Enhanced Presence in the Japanese Market
• 6. Summary: Achieving Success in the Japanese Market Together with Partners
• 6-1. Checklist for Translation Requests
• 6-2. The Human Science Approach

Introduction

Marketing translation is a strategic translation approach aimed at encouraging the actions of the target individuals or companies, accurately and attractively conveying brand value in the target market.

Especially for overseas companies aiming to enter the Japanese market, there are many cases where mere translation does not lead to results. The language barrier is the first and biggest hurdle. "We thought we translated it, but somehow there is no response," "It feels like the brand's appeal is not being conveyed." The cause may lie in simply "replacing words."

This article explains the importance of "marketing translation" that moves the hearts of customers, based on the business practices and cultural background of the Japanese market, along with key points to avoid failure, illustrated with examples.

1. What Is Marketing Translation: The Decisive Difference from Regular Translation

1-1. Conveying "Meaning" or Conveying "Appeal"

While regular translation focuses on accurately conveying the information of the original text, the purpose of marketing translation is to "encourage the target audience to take action."

To convey the appeal of products or services in a way that resonates most with the reader, taking into account the culture of the target market, bold reinterpretations or structural changes to the original text (transcreation) are sometimes necessary. This is especially important for content that customers will see, such as websites, brochures, and video subtitles.

1-2. Risks Caused by Literal Translation

Simply transferring the nuances of the original text directly into Japanese can result in discrepancies with Japan's unique culture of "reading between the lines" and the degree of "politeness."

 

Item	Standard Translation (Literal Translation)	Marketing Translation
Purpose	正確な情報の伝達	行動喚起・ファン化
Perspective	原文に忠実	ターゲット読者に最適化
Impression	機械的・他人行儀	自然・親しみやすい
Degree of Freedom	低い（原文通り）	高い（コピーライティング要素あり）

 

Literal Translation: The facts are conveyed, but it gives a somewhat mechanical and formal impression.

Marketing Translation: Focuses on customer benefits and uses expressions that are naturally accepted.

2. Why Marketing Translation into Japanese Is Important Now

2-1. Adapting to the High-Context Japanese Culture

The Japanese market is one of the most demanding in the world when it comes to quality and requires delicate communication. Only by adhering to cultural "etiquette," such as the appropriate use of honorific language and humble appeals that are not pushy, can you earn the trust of customers.

2-2. Establishing Brand Voice

It is not enough for the Japanese to be simply correct. Whether it is an "innovative IT company" or a "traditional luxury brand," if the tone & manner (Tone of Voice) are not reproduced in Japanese as well, the consistency of the brand globally will be compromised.

3. Challenges and Solution Approaches in Marketing Translation

3-1. The Biggest Challenge: How Far Should We Go with "Free Translation"?

The most difficult aspect of marketing translation is the delicate balance of how far you can deviate from the original text. If you paraphrase without sufficient understanding of the product, it results in mistranslation, but if you stick too closely to a literal translation, the appeal is lost.

To resolve this dilemma, the key is to define the following three points before starting the translation work.

3-2. Three Definitions to Achieve High Quality

1. Clarification of Target Persona
○ Who is the audience? (e.g., formal for decision-making executives, friendly for Generation Z)
2. Organization of Media and Purpose
○ Define the "tone" for each medium, such as website (SEO-focused), brochures (emotional), blogs (informative).
3. Preparation of Glossary and Style Guide
○ Inconsistent notation undermines brand trust. Especially important is the unification of marketing terms and internal terminology.

4. Can AI Be Utilized in Marketing Translation?

4-1. The Current State of AI in the Marketing Field

In recent years, the accuracy of AI translation (including machine translation) has improved dramatically. It is effective for speed and cost reduction, but challenges remain in adapting the use of specialized terminology according to the target audience (whether developers or executives) and in transforming expressions from mere functional descriptions to ones that resonate as "implementation benefits."

4-2. Recommendation for Hybrid Operation (Post-Editing + Rewriting)

If you absolutely want to utilize AI for efficiency, we recommend a process where an experienced translator performs post-editing and rewriting (refining expressions) after AI translation. This enables a balance between efficiency and appeal.

5. [Success Case] Localization of English Marketing Materials

We will introduce a case study of a certain US IT company that we actually supported.

5-1. Customer Challenge: "It Doesn’t Resonate" Despite Being Translated

They had already published a Japanese version of their website and sales materials, but faced issues such as "expressions being literal and difficult to understand" and "weak responses from Japanese customers." This was because the original English text was directly converted into Japanese, resulting in unnatural sentences.

5-2. Solution: Introducing the "Rewrite" Process Beyond Translation

In addition to the usual translation workflow, we added a step called "rewriting."

● Traditional Workflow: Translation ➡ Review ➡ Proof ➡ Delivery

● Improved Workflow: Translation ➡ Review ➡ Rewriting (Important!) ➡ Proof ➡ Delivery

 

 

In the rewriting process, we reconstructed the text without being bound by the original English structure, focusing on whether it sounds natural as a Japanese marketing document and whether it resonates with Japanese readers.

5-3. Results: Enhanced Presence in the Japanese Market

As a result, we delivered deliverables that met the quality standards requested by the client and were highly satisfactory. At the time of the initial request, it was the early stage of entering the Japanese market, but now they have achieved a significant expansion of sales in the Japanese market. Our company continues to support their marketing activities as an ongoing partner.

6. Summary: Achieving Success in the Japanese Market Together with Partners

6-1. Checklist for Translation Requests

When requesting marketing translation, make sure the following preparations are in place.

● Is the target audience clearly defined?

● Is the tone & manner (writing style) decided?

● Are there reference materials or glossaries available?

● Is the final goal (such as increasing awareness or generating inquiries) clear?

6-2. The Human Science Approach

The success of marketing translation depends not only on language skills but also on choosing a partner who understands the product and has a marketing perspective.

At Human Science, our translation team, with deep expertise in IT and technical fields and rich expressive ability, optimizes (localizes) your products for the Japanese market. We go beyond mere translation to help create content that resonates with the market.

Marketing Translation and Localization Services