[Don't Fear English] Use Translation Tools to Access Overseas Tools and the Latest Information [An Advantage, in Fact]

I've been told about various tools I should use, but some are written entirely in English, which makes things difficult… Can't I just use Japanese tools?

If that is what you are thinking, this article is for you.

Just Use a Translation Tool

To read information in English, use a translation tool.

That is all there is to it.

There are various translation tools, but Google Translate alone is fine.

*Having handled enormous amounts of information from around the world, its accuracy stands out.

Use Chrome Together with the Google Translate Add-on

There are three ways to use Google Translate.

The first is a standard feature and is easy because it translates the entire page at once.

The second requires going to another page and copying and pasting, so it is a little inconvenient.

The third removes the inconvenience of the second.

A Tool That Translates Documents Simply by Uploading Them

Here is one example of the daily progress of translation tools.

At present, using Google Translate to translate text stored in document files requires copying and pasting each relevant section in turn.

However, with Rian, a tool provided by a company called Vizitech Solutions, uploading a document file lets the tool analyze its contents and translate the relevant text.

Image source: How to Use the Rian CAT Tool for Translation

Using this could improve work efficiency considerably.

▶How to Use the Rian CAT Tool for Translation

There Is No Need to Fear English in the First Place

The discussion of tools is fairly straightforward, so I will finish with a small point about mindset that I think matters.

In the internet age, there is no need or reason to fear English.

To add to the first point, translation currently focuses on text data, but translation of audio data and video captions is already progressing.

I also think the third point is especially important because it offers a “first-mover advantage.”

There is a great deal of useful information written in English, including tools available only in English. However, most of us use Japanese almost 100% of the time in our daily lives and rarely keep an eye on information written in English.

Conversely, by the time information is translated into Japanese, the benefits of being first have often disappeared.

Also, as I know from working in this field for many years, in business—especially the internet and marketing—many trends from America reach Japan several years later.

When the people around you are saying “But it's in English…,” that is precisely when you should go against the grain.

Incidentally, the same would apply if Chinese, rather than English, were the world's dominant language.

Whatever path you choose, if you cannot find a successful example to follow, look at what the people around you are doing and simply do the opposite. The reason is that the great majority of people are always wrong.

Earl Nightingale