Apparel and
Fashion

The apparel industry requires both knowledge and sensibility.
We provide natural-sounding translation.Opportunities to introduce foreign apparel brands into the Japanese market are growing more than ever, and the translation needs of the apparel industry are growing as well. In this industry it is not good enough to get the meaning across, brand image, which is something highly abstract, must be expressed in a way that can be understood accurately. With a deep understanding of apparel brand corporate culture, history, and values, ICOS rapidly provides natural translation.

Are you having trouble with your apparel industry translation?

  • Originally I thought it was impossible to translate a unique image in the apparel field, and I’d given up…
  • Sometimes English words can be used as-is as katakana Japanese, but proper usage is tricky…
  • Localizing apparel-related in-house manuals has proven unexpectedly difficult…

In the apparel industry getting a certain sensibility across is important, and translating can sometimes enter the realm of copywriting, but ICOS can handle these needs steadily and speedily.

ICOS translation service gets chosen from the apparel companies for the following kinds of reasons.

Reason 1Different translation quality.

Translation is handled by translators with experience living overseas and working for foreign firms who can write in living English and local languages. We also choose translators with long freelancing careers and experience in the apparel industry. We make full use of a global network capable of providing high-quality translation. Sales staff communicate closely with companies as the work progresses and in order to improve the overall quality of the product.

Reason 2We can speedily handle large volumes such as apparel catalogs.

In the apparel industry there can be very large documents such as product catalogues. ICOS carries out distributed processing and centralized management of voluminous translation resources, allowing for a surprisingly rapid response. We make full use of tools such as style guides, glossary management, and translation memory in order to simultaneously improve accuracy and reduce cost. In this way we can respond rapidly to continuous documents and revisions/changes.

Reason 3We lower our customers’ apparel translation costs.

By outsourcing apparel translation we can move more quickly and at lower cost than by having in-house resources. For apparel translation we make full use of both our human network and efficiency-raising tools in order to optimize the balance between quality and cost. There are no rush charges for translations with tight deadlines, and so you can order translation of your catalogs and such with peace of mind.

Documents in the apparel field we handle

  • Apparel brand product catalogs
  • Training materials for sales staff who meet customers
  • Advertisements in information publications
  • Documents and emails used in negotiations with overseas apparel firms
  • Apparel industry company profiles
  • All kinds of apparel product presentation materials
  • Apparel brand websites
  • Product press releases

Customer voices

  • ICOS always handles our requests quickly, which is a great help. They also assign different translators each time depending on the content, which gives us peace of mind. We can also consult with them after the translation is delivered, which also helps to raise quality.
  • We originally used another translation company, but translation quality and speed were long-standing problems. It is so encouraging that ICOS can handle our work so flexibly and appropriately, such as with terms specific to the fashion industry and standardizing text styles in line with our requests. We hope we can continue to use ICOS in the future.

We introduce some apparel industry translators carefully selected by ICOS

  • Translator I

    I handle Japanese to English translation for the apparel industry (textiles, men’s and ladies’ wear, bags, shoes, etc.), including product catalogs, websites, press releases, and presentation materials.

In fashion-related materials there is a lot of abstract language used to capture the values and originality of brand concepts and explain their fashion sense and design. These characteristics, and the appeal of the brand, has to be understood and rendered in understandable Japanese. It is work that requires sensitivity and imagination. The apparel/fashion industry uses increasingly diverse tools to get information out and the market is changing increasingly rapidly. It is great if with translation I can help with branding and getting the latest product information and company news out there in a timely manner.

  • Translator N

    I have 15 years experience as a freelancer, and I’ve been doing luxury brand translation for 7-8 years. I also do general administrative and book translations.

When I’m translating I try to keep the worldview of the brand in my head as I work. If possible I try to visit a shop and see the actual products (the ideal is to purchase them, but…). My aim is for the reader of the Japanese text to capture the image and be able to easily move to action. This takes special vocabulary and phrasing, and putting it all together is a key point.