Japanese Translation Notes

Japanese (ja) Translation Notes

Key Terminology

”Secret” Translation

• Choice: “シークレット” (shīkuretto)
• Rationale: Creates a clear technical term for shared confidential information
• Avoided: “秘密” (himitsu) which has connotations of “personal secrets"

"Burn” Translation

• Choice: “削除” (sakujo) - “delete/remove”
• Rationale: Better communicates permanent deletion concept than literal “burn” (燃やす/moyasu)
• Avoided: Literal translations that don’t convey technical meaning well

Passphrase vs Password Distinction

• Password: “パスワード” (pasuwaado) - for account login
• Passphrase: “パスフレーズ” (pasufureizu) - for protecting individual secrets
• Rationale: Critical distinction for user understanding of security mechanisms

Important Translation Examples

1. Security Terminology

"burn_this_secret": "このシークレットを削除"

Changed from literal “burn” to “delete” for clarity in Japanese context

2. Technical Clarity

"secret_was_truncated": "メッセージが切り詰められました"

Used “message was truncated” rather than “secret was truncated” for natural Japanese expression

3. Cultural Adaptation

"careful_only_see_once": "注意: これは一度しか表示されません。"

Added Japanese warning marker “注意:” to emphasize importance in culturally appropriate way

4. Consistent Terminology

"view_secret": "シークレットを表示"

Consistently used “シークレット” rather than mixing with “秘密”

5. Security Section Completion

"security-policy": "セキュリティポリシー"

Completed previously truncated security section with proper translations

Summary of Changes to Japanese Translation

1. Terminology Standardization

• Established consistent translations for key terms (secret, password, passphrase)
• Created clear distinctions between technical concepts
• Aligned technical terms with existing translations

2. Cultural Adaptation

• Adjusted phrasing to sound more natural in Japanese
• Used Japanese-style warnings and notifications where appropriate
• Applied imperative form for action buttons
• Used passive form for status messages

3. Technical Accuracy

• Ensured security concepts were accurately conveyed
• Maintained all placeholders ({0}, {count}, etc.) for dynamic content
• Preserved formatting and special characters

4. Structural Improvements

• Fixed JSON structure issues
• Completed previously incomplete translations
• Ensured consistency across all sections

5. Clarity Enhancements

• Replaced literal translations with functionally equivalent Japanese terms
• Prioritized user understanding over word-for-word translation
• Used proper honorifics and politeness levels

6. Voice and Tone Adjustments

• Applied imperative form for action buttons and controls
• Used passive form for status messages and system notifications
• Maintained professional yet approachable tone throughout
• Used proper particles and sentence endings (です/ます)

Translation Principles

1. Consistency with existing terminology - Matched terms already translated elsewhere
2. Natural language flow - Prioritized natural-sounding Japanese over literal translations
3. Voice and tone adaptation - Used appropriate active/imperative voice for UI actions and passive/declarative voice for status messages
4. Technical precision - Maintained accurate translations for security terms
5. Cultural appropriateness - Adapted expressions to fit Japanese communication norms

These changes collectively improve the Japanese user experience by providing translations that are linguistically accurate, technically precise, and culturally appropriate.