Engrish

Engrish? So what’s that then?

One of the most striking things about a Japanese person’s English is their difficulty in distinguishing between ‘L’ and ‘R’. Although this is not the only problem (there is the same problem with the letters ‘F’ and ‘H’ for example), the ‘L’ and ‘R’ confusion is the most famous. Some interesting research concluded that because there is no ‘L’ sound in Japanese, a child’s brain never develops the neural connections required to differentiate it from other sounds. The position of the tongue makes it most similar to ‘R’, which in Japanese is said from the back of the mouth. This phenomenon is present in almost all Japanese speakers of English, no matter what their ability. A friend of mine can hold conversations on arbitrary subjects such as philosophy and the workings of a car with no difficulty at all, and yet cannot say the word ‘illiterate’.

As a result, Japanese English is often immediately obvious, much in the same way that I guess my pronunciation is of Japanese words. However, while most English people couldn’t speak any Japanese to save their life, they don’t attempt to use it in everyday situations. The Japanese do. As a result, television, clothes and adverts are littered with slightly incorrect English. The term ‘Engrish’, originally a weak pun coined to signify the difficulties in pronunciation has now come to mean the often amusing mis-use of English in Japanese culture.

I’m not a language snob, and am of the opinion that as long as the message gets across, language has served its purpose, especially if it’s in a non-native language. This is just a good natured look at one aspect of Japanese culture that, from the point of view of a gaijin, is hard to ignore.

Lost in Translation

Sofia Coppola had it spot on; while lots of the English used in Japan is ok, there are certainly many occasions when something gets lost in translation. The following examples seem to have been created by using a word for word interpretation, or else have just one or two simple spelling mistakes, which dramatically alter the meaning.

Arbitrary

On the other hand, some sentences make no sense whatsoever. From the point of view of an advertiser or fashion designer it doesn’t matter; not many people would be sufficiently confident in their English to point out another’s mistakes (as if the Japanese ever criticised anything directly anyway). What’s important is the foreign, and therefore cool sound the words create.

Quotes

Finally, large parts of my time are spent listening to beginners speaking English. While on the whole they do a commendable job, occasionally there are a couple of mistakes which can’t be ignored. Some of these require an immediate intervention and quick (if subtle) explanation of why it shouldn’t be repeated!

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