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How do you prefer to translate 国土交通省 into English?
Thread poster: Alex Farrell (X)
Alex Farrell (X)
Alex Farrell (X)  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 07:39
Japanese to English
Sep 5, 2008

The ministry's official website and the Japanese Wikipedia article give it as "Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism", but it is often written as "Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport" in English news articles and English Wikipedia. (I know of course Wikipedia is not a 100% reliable source, but it does reflect how most people think about or express something, whether it is true or not.) There is of course the abbreviation MLIT, but in a news article for example, one h... See more
The ministry's official website and the Japanese Wikipedia article give it as "Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism", but it is often written as "Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport" in English news articles and English Wikipedia. (I know of course Wikipedia is not a 100% reliable source, but it does reflect how most people think about or express something, whether it is true or not.) There is of course the abbreviation MLIT, but in a news article for example, one has to give the full name the first time it appears.

This came up in a recent translation of mine and I went with Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, but I'm curious if anybody prefers the shorter version and I'd like to hear why. Is there a reason for the difference or is it a mistranslation?

- Alex ▲ Collapse
 
casey
casey  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:39
Member
Japanese to English
I prefer the official translation Sep 6, 2008

If they use a certain translation on their website, why use a different one?
 
KathyT
KathyT  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 08:39
Japanese to English
Definitely go with the official title. Sep 6, 2008

Ultimately, I think it's important to use the naming/title/spelling designated by the actual organization/person. Plenty of examples around, such as Issey Miyake (who are we to insist it should be spelled "Issei"?), etc.

The EN Wikipedia article you mentioned doesn't appear to have been updated/edited for some time (nothing since 2007), while according to this sectionthis section from the JP Wikipedia article (pasted below), the addition of the Japan Tourism Agency (観光庁) is a fairly recent event, and part of some ongoing restructuring of the MLIT. That would explain the discrepancy...

2007年8月、国土交通省は、観光庁の新設、海難審判庁と航空・鉄道事故調査委員会の統合による運輸安全委員会の新設、船員労働委員会の廃止と同委員会業務の中央労働委員会と交通政策審議会への移管を柱とする組織改正を総務省（行政管理局）に要求、同年12月に両省で合意、これら組織改正を内容とする国土交通省設置法等の一部を改正する法律案が2008年1月29日に閣議決定され同日国会に提出、4月25日可決成立した。2008年10月1日に実施される。中央省庁における新たな外局の設置は、いわゆる中央省庁再編以来初めてのこととなる。 ▲ Collapse
 


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How do you prefer to translate 国土交通省 into English?






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