Introducing the translation process from JP to Eng Utilizing free English translation sites
This website is a bi-lingual (Japanese/English) blog media.
This time, I would like to introduce my English translation process, how to make an English article from an original Japanese one.
I fully use 4 free English translation sites!
English translation process is an important basis
When the Japanese article is completed, I somehow translate it into English. It is correct English or not, the correct answer is unknown.
Even so, my regular English translation process makes me self-confident thinking as “I’ve done this far, so it is all right”.
It is very important basis for me.
Let’s start translation from JP to ENG!
What I use for translation from Japanese to English are below four free sites.
Put 4 free sites on each separate tab in one window
As surrounded by red rectangle, line up four tabs. This makes easier to go back and forth between four sites.
Open another window and show Japanese draft to be translated into English
Start translation from Japanese to English with the two windows side by side!
Put an entire paragraph into Google Translation from Japanese to English
For example, this paragraph extracted from a post of “Photo gallery in August”.
「8月のテーマは「あこがれ」。テーマは抽象的だけど、写真は具体的。「あこがれ」をビジュアルで表現しなければなりません。
The theme for August is “Adoring.” The theme is abstract, but the photo is concrete. “Adoration” must be expressed visually. (Google Translation）
Google translation is smart and easy-to-use, but sometimes words may not be translated as unified and expressions may seem strange. 「あこがれ（Akogare)」was translated into two words, “Adoring” and “Adoration”.
Next, check unsure words by Eiijiro on the WEB
I’m not sure which word is most suitable to describe 「あこがれ (Akogare)」in English, so I search by “Eiijiro on the WEB”. Eiijiro is a popular dictionary site which is especially strong in TOEIC, thus letting us know strict notations as well as many examples of sentences.
I search as 「憧れ」, rewritten in Kanji. Then it proposed several candidates.
- adoration
- aspiration
- longing
- yearning
Search 「あこがれ (Akogare)」by “DMM English uknow?”
The biggest feature of “DMM English uknow?” is that multiple English native speakers present example of sentences based on their thoughts. It is also very helpful that we can search trend words timely such as 「緊急事態宣言（Kinkyu-jitai-sengen or Declaration of a state of emergency)」「Go to キャンペーン (Go to travel campaign) 」. Moreover, many daily-life words can be searched, so I use this site very often.
Though at the end, you have to decide by yourself which word you will take.
Looking at several example of sentences, I thought that “aspiration” might fit in the context.
Finally check with merrian-webster.com as a last push
One of the highest peak in dictionaries that has continued since 1828 (for 372 years!). I search aspiration on merrian-webster.com.
aspiration
a: a strong desire to achieve something high or great
b: an object of such desire
It means our mind to strongly desire something, doesn’t it? Yes, this is closer to what I want to express. So I finally chose “aspiration” as a translation of a Japanese word, 「あこがれ (Akogare)」.
Last of last, I put an entire paragraph translated again into Google from English to Japanese!
Just like this, I searched every unsure word by free sites, and my English translation was finished.
The theme for August is “aspiration”. The theme is abstract but the photo is specific. I needed to express “aspiration” visually.
The important point here is to re-translate the finished English into Japanese by Google and check if anything wrong with the retranslated Japanese.
The below is the actual retranslation in Japanese.
8月のテーマは「志」。 テーマは抽象的ですが、写真は具体的です。 「志」を視覚的に表現する必要がありました。（Google Translation）
「あこがれ (Akogare)」was retranslated as 「志 (Kokorozashi)」… However, I chose the word “aspiration” as a mind to strongly desire something, so it is OK.
Others are also OK! It is no strange as Japanese.
If you feel uncomfortable, try playing around with English in Google. Then, instantly translation of Japanese also change. You can experiment changing English until you can have comfortable Japanese translation. This function is really useful.
Safe using 4 free English translation sites
As you get used to it, the series of actions become smoother, so it’s safer to investigate any worrisome expressions.
However, as no one can tell you correct answer, it is also important to think as “I have done this far, it should be OK”. That’s why I use multiple free translation sites.
[Extra] The English translation process in the 90’s
By the way, when I entered into the company as a new employee in 1991, there was neither PC nor internet. In the morning, when I came to work and received a FAX from an overseas customer, I wrote an answer letter in English reading dictionaries, business letter textbooks, and past faxes written by senior members.
I asked my senior to see it in the evening and submitted it to my boss after that. He sometimes corrected it for me and when his OK came out, I sent a fax and went home. It was an idyllic, a nostalgic time, if I remember.
Now I do translation all by myself, with help of free English translation sites. But to be honest, I want my boss who can correct my English gently.
It was a time of blessing, that I had not noticed at that time!
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