# Japanese Translation Issues in User Profile Settings
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/japanese-translation-issues-in-user-profile-settings/395537
**Category:** Translations
**Created:** [February 9, 2026, 12:35pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/japanese-translation-issues-in-user-profile-settings/395537 "2026-02-09T12:35:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Kirk](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Kirk)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:35pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/japanese-translation-issues-in-user-profile-settings/395537/1 "2026-02-09T12:35:16Z")
I’m setting up a Discourse community for users in Japan and have noticed several translation issues in the Japanese interface. I’m not a native speaker of Japanese, but I’ve been teaching at a Japanese university for over three decades, and these stood out immediately when I was using the platform to set up a dummy profile in Japanese. Please check with native speakers of Japanese; I think they will agree.
## Issues Found
**1. Location field**
- Current: 場所 (basho - “place/spot”)
- Problem: Too literal - sounds like a physical location (filming location, venue)
- Better: 居住地 (kyojūchi) or 地域 (chiiki) for “where you live”
- _Where to find: User menu → Profile → Edit (Profile tab)_
**2. Optional field markers**
- Current: オプション (opushon - English loanword)
- Problem: Unnatural when Japanese has a proper word
- Better: 任意 (nin’i) - the standard Japanese term
- _Where to find: User menu → Settings → Profile tab, appears after “氏名” field_
**3. Birthday field**
- Current: 生年月日 (seinengappi - “birth year, month, day”)
- Problem: Field only accepts month/day, not year
- Better: 誕生日 (tanjōbi - “birthday”)
- _Where to find: User menu → Settings → Profile tab_
**4. Summary page**
- Current: 要約 (yōyaku - “summary/abstract”)
- Problem: Vague - summary of what?
- Better: 統計 (tōkei) or 使用状況 (shiyō jōkyō) to clarify it shows statistics/usage
- _Where to find: User menu → Summary (tab/link in user profile navigation)_
**5. Missing translation**
- “Notify when someone shares a link to one of my posts” appears in English
- Suggested: 投稿へのリンクが共有されたときに通知する
- _Where to find: User menu → Settings → Notifications → 通知 section_
## Context
I suspect that these translation issues stem from translators (even if native speakers) working from spreadsheets without seeing the actual interface. For example, “Location” → 場所 makes sense as a dictionary translation, but in the context of a user profile next to “Name” and “Email,” it should indicate residence/region (居住地や地域).
I’m happy to provide screenshots or additional detail if needed.
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### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2026, 12:34am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/japanese-translation-issues-in-user-profile-settings/395537/2 "2026-02-11T00:34:17Z")
I have added your reports as comments on Crowdin - not only the 4 reported here, but also the one reported in the [other topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/typo-in-japanese-translation-user-notifications-confirm-old-email-text-body-template/392070).
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### Author:  [@Kirk](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Kirk)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2026, 6:52am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/japanese-translation-issues-in-user-profile-settings/395537/3 "2026-02-12T06:52:27Z")
Thanks @Moin ! By the way, although I’ve only posted a few times here I’ve always gotten really good responses. Of course, that includes your kind responses. Yesterday, I was listening to “**[We Didn’t Ask for This Internet](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-doctorow-wu.html)"**, a show in which Ezra Klein interviewed Cory Doctorow and Tim Wu. As I listened, I thought “ **THIS** is why I chose to go to the trouble of creating a Discourse community.” In a world where social media platforms have left many of us deeply disappointed, it’s great to have Discourse, a platform that allows the kind of community building that the internet seemed to promise in the 1990s. 😉
Thanks again for your good work!!