On my second day in Japan, I visited our R&D center in the port city of Kobe. We were checking on software projects in various states of completion.
They had planned to ask my help to confirm translation choices to English, something I am used to doing for our marketing materials. The language of software is different.
Buttons that I use everyday instinctively, I had a hard time conjouring the exact words and purposes they represent: Close, Cancel, Apply, Okay, Save, Set, and so on. It was fun, it was frustrating, it was educational.
Translation Lesson: What words are you using in marketing (or anything else)? Are they the ones the audience is expecting? Does it deliver the desired effect? And can you save a step to avoid added confusion.
Picture: Vending machines are everywhere, here, and I am struck by the variety offered for drinks, but no Coke/Pepsi machines. (On my way back from Chinese noodle dinner in Nangin China-town in Kobe.)