Translating the "Untranslatable"
Andy Kavanagh
9/4/2025
Translation Is...
Translation is, in theory, pretty straightforward; take a word or phrase from one language and find its equivalent in another. But in practice things are rarely that simple. Translators may proclaim that there’s no such thing as untranslatable words, but the reality is more complicated. It’s not that certain words can’t be translated, it’s that their translations often depend on factors outside the text itself.
At first glance, the idea of something being untranslatable does seem silly. After all, any concept can be explained with enough words, right? Well, technically, yes. But translation isn’t just about finding equivalents—it’s about conveying meaning efficiently and elegantly. Japanese, for example, often packs a lot of information into very few words. Translating these words into English can require lengthy explanations, which might be fine in a legal document, but less so in a three-panel webcomic.
The Honorifics Problem
Take Japanese honorifics, for example. These tiny suffixes—-san, -sama, -chan—convey complex social dynamics in a single utterance. While -san might be roughly equivalent to the English “Mr.” or “Ms.,” its day-to-day use covers a wide range of contexts that “Mr.” or “Ms.” can’t possibly hope to. Translating honorifics often means replacing a single, elegant word with a clunky phrase that spells out the relationship between characters. Sure, it’s not “untranslatable,” but the result can feel unwieldy and unnatural.
This raises an important question: Is it worth translating these words at all? There is, after all, a growing audience that argues for leaving certain Japanese terms untranslated. For them, removing these words from a text feels like cultural erasure—a way of scrubbing away the very elements that make the story uniquely Japanese. After all, if the audience is primarily consuming Japanese media, shouldn’t the translation reflect the source material as faithfully as possible?
On the other hand, translators may insist that an English translation should feel natural to an English-speaking audience and that leaving too many untranslated terms can alienate readers unfamiliar with Japanese culture. I would argue that this assumption is outdated. Western audiences today are more culturally aware than ever, thanks to the global reach of anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture. The idea that they need everything spelled out feels like a relic of the 2000s. Maybe it’s time to trust audiences to engage with cultural differences, even if it means encountering a few unfamiliar terms along the way.
Crossing Cultures
The challenge of translation goes beyond individual words, though. In Japan, the word kokuhaku refers to a declaration of romantic interest, often dramatized in anime and manga. While the idea of confessing your feelings isn’t unfamiliar to Western audiences, the ritualistic way Japanese society frames kokuhaku can feel anachronistic or overly dramatic to Western sensibilities.
In Japan, kokuhaku isn’t just about expressing feelings—it’s a carefully timed, almost formal act with specific social expectations. In contrast, Western dating culture tends to be more casual and incremental, with romantic interest often expressed through actions rather than grand declarations. This cultural gap can make kokuhaku seem strange or even outdated to Western readers.
So how should translators handle this? You could add context to make the concept more relatable, but this risks diluting the cultural specificity that makes kokuhaku meaningful in the text. Instead, why not just trust the audience to engage with the difference? Is it really so bad to let readers think, “This must be a Japanese thing,” and figure it out on their own? Modern audiences are capable of appreciating cultural nuances, even if they don’t fully understand them.
Intentionality
That said, the importance of retaining Japanese elements often depends on the setting and tone of the work. For example, for a story set in a high school in Saitama, the “Japaneseness” of the text is likely integral. But what about a Japanese creator writing a European-style fantasy? They might use Japanese hierarchy markers like -sama for their domestic audience out of habit, but retaining these in an English translation could unintentionally mark the work as “Japanese,” clashing with the intended tone.
Japanese creators, like all writers, write what they know. They might not always be aware of—or interested in—how their cultural context shapes their work or how it might be perceived globally. This raises an important question: What are the arguments for retaining a “Japanese identity” in a fictional world that isn’t explicitly Japanese? Retaining Japanese elements can add authenticity, but it can also impose a cultural identity that the creator never intended. The decision should be guided by the work’s setting, tone, and the creator’s vision, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Japanification
There’s also the danger of over-mystifying Japanese words and concepts. Nakama may indeed pack more nuance than “friend,” but terms like “comrade” or “ally” are often more than enough depending on the context. There’s no need to treat every Japanese word as a sacred, untranslatable artifact. Translation is, at its core, a balancing act—preserving cultural authenticity without alienating readers.
Conclusion
The best translations respect both the source material and the audience’s intelligence. They don’t shy away from cultural differences, but they also don’t over-explain or over-mystify. Instead, they strike a delicate balance, allowing readers to engage with the text on its own terms.
In the end, translation is about more than just words—it’s about context, culture, and audience understanding. While some Japanese words and concepts are challenging to translate, they offer an opportunity to bridge cultures and expand our horizons. Rather than seeing the “untranslatable” as a problem to solve, maybe we should see it as a window into another culture. After all, isn’t that what makes translation so fascinating in the first place?
About the Author
Andy K.
Japanese to English Localization Director