My office just received a copy of the Japanese translation of "Groundswell". (The original English version was written by my Forrester colleagues, Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li).
This is great news. If you want to offer a resource of Social Technology advice to your Japanese colleagues, please recommend this book to them now. It is filled with pragmatic advice and examples to help companies to engage with their customers -- and Japanese companies really need to catch up with their customers in their use of social technologies. You can pre-order from Amazon Japan - it will be released in the next few days. It's a perfect stocking filler to buy for your Japanese clients and colleagues!
However, I have to say that my heart sank a little when I saw that the title has been translated as グランズウェル. This comes out as "Granz Well" or perhaps "Glans Well" ... Ahem...
In my cursory examination of the first pages, I also noticed some typos in Japanese words (such as アイディあ！) and some mistakes in non-English names. Apparently, the translator is unaware that "Jaap" is a Dutch name. So it is rendered as JAP rather than YAAP. (I often see the same problems with proper nouns that have Spanish or French origins). It's a shame, but these problems often arise when content is localized for the Japanese market.
I contacted the publisher to ask why the book was titled "Granz Well" rather than "Guraundosueru" (a closer transliteration of Groundswell) . The publisher explained:
"Guraundosueru" does not produce results in online search and does not read well in Japanese. Furthermore, the title was chosen for the benefit of the Japanese readers for whom the book was translated -- not to satisfy the opinions of native speakers.
The genius of this response is that it kills two birds with one stone: It explains the need to break from the original English title and it disqualifies me from having an opinion...
But...
- The point about search results is untrue
In a Google search for "Graundosueru", the third search result is a Japanese explanation of the English term "Groundswell". The other top seven results all link to sites which show images of huge waves. (Click the image below for a full size view)
By contrast, a search for "Granz Well" produces mostly links to a brand of sweatshirts and skateboarder wear... and links to the Japanese translation of the Groundswell book.
- The "Granz Well" title is just as obscure to Japanese speakers
If one wanted to make things crystal clear to Japanese speakers, one could choose some familiar vocabulary... I can imagine that "The Social Computing Tsunami" or some other title that uses only Japanese vocabulary (without any katakana) would be quite effective. But of course, I am not a native speaker, so what do I know?
Is it a big deal? On balance, I don't think so. The book will allow Japanese readers to find valuable ideas and advice that they could not access without this translation. It's a great book, whatever title it's published under. But I dislike dishonest rationalizations for nonsensical decisions and I take umbrage at being told that my views don't matter.
Oh... and the cover design is crowded and fails to convey anything.
Hell hath no fury like an analyst scorned!
REQUEST --
I would love to hear your opinion of the title of the Japanese translation - feel free to disagree with me.
And if you find any typos etc. please post a comment below. I'll send all the feedback to the publisher. If we're lucky, the book may merit a second print run and there might be a chance to make a few corrections.
