LIVING IN JAPAN

2 Big Reasons Why English in Japan is so Wacky

Bizarre English is ubiquitous and virtually expected in Japan

(Pixabay. No attribution required.)

Any English-speaker that has spent time in Japan has no doubt seen a mind-boggling amount of baffling English. From instruction manuals to signs at hospitals and beside roads, the incorrect English can leave you shaking your head in puzzlement.

Why?

One would think it would be a no-brainer for whoever created the English signage or documents to take a few minutes to run it past a native speaker, or better yet, a professional writer or editor.

So why are there so many nonsensical signs and unintelligible instruction manuals in this country?

Setting aside machine translations — a topic for another day — I think the answer comes down to simple human nature.

Reason #1 — Comfort zone

Japanese find it easier to deal with other Japanese, rather than to step out of their comfort zone to work with a foreigner, for whom the rules of behavior and societal norms can be new and unexplored territory.

Instead of seeking out a native speaker, perhaps they will hire a certified English language tour guide or someone else who has passed…