Introduction to Translating Japanese Financial Documents

The kessan tanshin is one of the most commonly translated Japanese financial documents. In this session, geared toward translators without an accounting or financial background, we will examine the basic structure of this document, its purpose, and why it is translated into English. Most of the session will be spent examining the backbone of this document: the balance sheet (taishaku taishou hyo) and the profit and loss statement (son’eki keisansho). Using a sample document, we will first talk about what these statements tell us about a company and look at various ways to find the appropriate corresponding English terms for the items presented in these statements.

Introduction to Translating Japanese Financial Documents-presentation slides

Sample financial statements

I will be conducting a seminar at this year’s American Translators Association Annual Conference (Oct. 24-27 in San Diego, California).

Introduction to Translating Japanese Financial Documents

The kessan tanshin (決算短信) is one of the most commonly translated Japanese financial documents. In this session, geared toward translators without an accounting or financial background, we’ll look at the basic structure of this document, what it is used for, and why it is translated into English. Most of the session will be spent examining the backbone of this document: the balance sheet (貸借対照表) and the P&L statement (損益計算書 ). Using a sample document, we will first talk about what these statements tell us about a company, and then we will look at various ways to find the appropriate corresponding English terms for the items presented in these statements. Understanding these documents will make it easier for translators to convert them into English more efficiently and accurately.

Click here for information about the conference.