Authenticity in products
Sencha is one of my favourite teas and I recently bought this particular variety of tea.
I don’t read Japanese but I’m willing to take a guess that this is a pretty direct translation from Japanese to English. I think this is a smart choice of using very little Latin script on the export version of their tea.
In this instance, for me, the fact that I don’t read Japanese adds something to the product. Not understanding the language actually lends authenticity to the product.
It’s a bit like opera. I don’t want to understand what the cast are singing about, I’m content just to listen to the beautiful sounds they are making. I can make out the story from the context and visual cues.
Had the manufacturer chosen to remove all of the Japanese writing from their products for sale in Europe and only use Latin scripts then I think their tea brand would appear less valuable.
One Response to “Authenticity in products”
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J on August 26th, 2009
That’s a counter-intuitive strategy for multilingual design: translating only the barest essential information instead of everything! I had never thought of that. As you say, it even gives a bonus benefit of elevating the authenticity of the product.
I hope you resume posting content to this blog. Content on multilingual design is surprisingly rare!