Machine Translation

Simply don't. It makes you look cheap, and can have the exact opposite effect desired.

Look at this website. Yamagata Prefecture, where I live, has declared that they would like to increase the number of overseas tourists, but somehow they think using a machine-translated site is going to do that. What that means is, they are not in the slightest bit serious about it. If they were, they would put money into creating content that their target market wants, stories from the prefecture that resonate with people and make them want to visit.

What we have now, is an atrocity. With an efficient site, like the Wakayama one, with well-researched keywords and attractive photos, they would be able to target people who search for experiences in Japan, rather than people who search specifically 'Yamagata prefecture'. Right now, if you do that search, the prefectural page isn't the first one to come up, although it is arguably filled with the most information, and it's simply unreadable. Anyone who came across it would think that they aren't really welcome. The prefecture can say they want overseas tourists all they like, but until they implement a proper website, nothing's really going to happen.

ENJOYED THIS? HAVE MORE.

MOUNTAINS OF WISDOM

Subscribe to my yamabushi newsletter

RECENT BLOG POSTS

More on the Zone of Proximal Development
Weird Japan
Learning words by frequency

YAMABUSHI BLOG POSTS

person riding bike making trek on thin air
Pure love for the game. It’s that simple.
lighted match with smoke on black background
Something to come of it
Experience with WordPress and Squarespace

RANDOM POSTS

accomplishment action adult adventure
A citizen of the world
man with fireworks
Have Fun With It
What to do with animosity and uncertainty
Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi

Get In Touch

Sakata City, Yamagata, Japan 

tim@timbunting.com

Share this:

Like this:

Like Loading...
Scroll to Top