Translate Instructions for Use into Japanese

What changes when instructions move into Japanese

Japanese instructions mix three scripts in a single sentence: kanji for core concepts (電源, power), hiragana for grammar, and katakana for borrowed terms (リセット for "reset", フィルター for "filter"). Words are not separated by spaces, and punctuation is full-width: 、 for the comma, 。 for the full stop.

The expected register is the polite -masu form, with instructions phrased as -te kudasai. "Unplug the appliance before cleaning" becomes お手入れの前に電源プラグを抜いてください。 rather than a blunt command, which would read as rude to a Japanese user.

On-device labels are quoted in Japanese corner brackets: "Press the MENU button" becomes 「MENU」ボタンを押してください。. If your product's screen or keys stay in Latin characters, the label must match exactly so the reader can find it.

Japanese has a single form for singular and plural, but it uses counters: "2 batteries" is 電池2本, "3 sheets" is 3枚. Any sentence built around a quantity variable needs checking in context.

Safety warnings and Japanese conventions

Safety wording is the most sensitive part of any manual. In Japan, hazard levels usually follow the sequence 危険 (danger), 警告 (warning) and 注意 (caution). Check that each level in your source maps to the right term, and that one warning is not rendered two different ways across pages.

Some Japan-specific points that translation does not alter, and that you should check yourself:

• Mains supply: Japan runs at 100 V, at 50 Hz in the east and 60 Hz in the west. A manual stating "230 V" is translated faithfully, with no change to the data.
• Dates: Japanese order is year, month, day (2025年3月14日).
• Lists: numbered steps are often shown with circled digits (①②③); your file's numbering is kept as it is.
• Compliance: Japanese markings and regulatory requirements for your product type remain your responsibility; Manuce does not check them.

What Manuce delivers, and what it does not

Your instructions go to Dédale, the engine specialised in technical documentation. The file comes back in its original format (Word, PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, plain text, Markdown, HTML, RTF or CSV), layout included: headings, specification tables and diagram captions where they are real text. For a typical document, such as the example of around 2,500 words over 8 pages, the translation is delivered within minutes and stays available in your client area.

What Manuce does not do:

• It cannot read a scanned PDF (an image with no selectable text): instructions locked inside a photo or pictogram will not be translated.
• It does not produce certified (sworn) translations: if an authority requires a translation certified by an accredited translator, you will need another route.
• It does not adapt your technical data (voltages, plugs, cited standards) to the Japanese market.
• It does not take glossaries or term lists: for a product name or part number that must stay in Latin characters, check it in the free sample and then in the delivered file.

Japanese carries a surcharge: a ×1.6 coefficient applies to the per-word rate and is already included in your quote.

Preparing the file and checking the Japanese version

Before uploading:

• Send the editable source (Word) rather than an exported PDF where you can; if you only have the PDF, make sure its text is selectable.
• Diagrams with callouts embedded in the image ("A", "On button") cannot be edited: add a text caption beneath them.
• Use a font in your document that covers Japanese; a Latin-only font displays empty boxes instead of characters.

On delivery:

• Check narrow columns and table cells: Japanese uses fewer characters, but each one is full-width, and a break can fall badly (a 。 or 」 should never start a line).
• Compare 危険, 警告 and 注意 against the original hazard levels.
• Have a Japanese speaker review the final version, ideally with the product in hand, before printing.

In practice

1. Export your instructions as Word or as a PDF with selectable text.
2. Upload the file and choose Japanese: the quote appears, based on the exact word count.
3. Read the free sample translated by Dédale and check product names and labels.
4. Pay, then download the Japanese instructions in their original format.
5. Check warnings, line breaks and fonts before printing.