Part III: Introduction to the Japanese Language

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Part III Introduction to the Japanese Language

• Multiple writing systems
• Multiple ways of reading any one ideograph and
  combinations thereof
• Influx of foreign loan words which are written in
  katakana, and are difficult for older population
  to understand
• Reading of Japanese names is particularly complex
• Typing 5,000 10,000 ideographs on a 26 letter
  keyboard is slow and complex

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Three Writing Systems Plus Romaji

• Chinese Ideographs
  KANJI (??)
• Syllabic Script
  HIRAGANA (????)
• Syllabic Script (for foreign words) KATAKANA
  (????)
• Romanized Alphabet ROMAJI (romaji)

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Ideographic Script Superimposed on a Polysyllabic
Language
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READING THE JAPANESE WORD FOR "MOUNTAIN"
Source W. Hall in J_at_pan Inc. May 2001
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Reading

• An educated adult is normally able to read,
  without the aid of a dictionary, both the Chinese
  and Japanese readings of some 2,500 to 3,000
  individual characters and some 20,000 to 30,000
  compounds.
• A Japanese Character dictionary equivalent to the
  Concise Oxford Dictionary contains around 5,000
  to 6,000 characters, each with Chinese and
  Japanese readings, plus 70,000 compounds.
• Japanese students are still leaning Kanji at high
  school.

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WHICH IS EASIER TO UNDERSTAND?
Source Cultural Affairs Agency, April 1999, as
reported by W. Hall in J_at_pan Inc. May 2000
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AGE DIFFERENCES IN UNDERSTANDING KANJI VS
KATAKANA
Source Cultural Affairs Agency, April 1999, as
reported by W. Hall in J_at_pan Inc. May 2000
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52 DISCRETE CHARACTER COMBINATION HAVING THE SAME
PRONOUNCIATION USED FOR YUUKI, THE NO.1 BOYS NAME
IN 2000
Source Meiji Life Insurance Company, 2000 as
reported by W. Hall in J_at_pan Inc. May 2001
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1912-1914 TOP NAMES FOR BOYS MATCH THE KANJI FOR
EMPEROR TAISHO
Source Meiji Life Insurance Company, 2000 as
reported by W. Hall in J_at_pan Inc. May 2001
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1942-1945 TOP NAMES FOR BOYS MATCH THE WORLD WAR
II MOOD
Source Meiji Life Insurance Company, 2000 as
reported by W. Hall in J_at_pan Inc. May 2001
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1998-2000 TOP THREE CHARACTERS FOR BOY'S NAMES
Source Meiji Life Insurance Company, 2000 as
reported by W. Hall in J_at_pan Inc. May 2001
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Introduction to the Japanese Language (II)

• Use of keigo (honorific language)
• Importance of form, and concern about face in
  choice of words
• Different intonations and sometimes even
  different words for males and females when
  discussing the same topic
• Generational differences in language usage
  patterns
• Individual ideographs have a visual
  impact/meaning

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Whether the Use of The Japanese Language By
Others In General, Ones Own Use And By Others At
Ones Workplaces In Disarray
Source Cultural Affairs Agency, January 2001, as
reported by W. Hall in J_at_pan Inc. April 2002
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Specific Aspects Of The Japanese Language That
Are Perceived To Be In Disarray
Source Cultural Affairs Agency, January 2001, as
reported by W. Hall in J_at_pan Inc. April 2002
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Perception of the Decline in Differences Between
Male and Female Manner of Speech
Source Cultural Affairs Agency, January 2001, as
reported by W. Hall in J_at_pan Inc. April 2002
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Visual Impression Given By Kanji

• Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology will
  change the name used for schizophrenia in
  Japanese from August 2002.
• Currently Seishin bunretsu byo (?????) split
  mind disorder
• Many requests from families and patients that the
  current name aggravates social prejudice by
  giving people an impression that the patients
  minds are actually split.
• Three alternatives considered
• Togo shitcho byo (?????) loss of co-ordination
  disorder
• Sukizofurenia ( ??????? ) (katakana phonetic for
  schizophrenia)
• Kraepelin-Bleuler syndrome named after Swiss
  psychiatrist Bleuler and German psychiatrist
  Kraepelin
• Togo shitcho byo favored by the largest number

Source Daily Yomiuri, 21 January 2002
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Part IV The Japanese Language, Socio-Economic
And Other Factors Implications For Market
Research
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Japanese Language Implications For Market
Research

• Very limited number of people competent in both
  English and Japanese, market research, and
  medical terminology
• Are you really asking in Japanese what you think
  you are asking in multi-country studies?
• Helpful modifications, often well-Intentioned
  but unmentioned, by local Japanese staff

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Translation

• Translation Time takes longer-- initial
  questionnaire, open-ends, transcripts
• Translation Costs very expensive, especially for
  quality translation of transcripts into English
• Implications Qual and Quant

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Simultaneous Interpretation

• Very limited number of top level simultaneous
  interpreters available
• Booked out 4-6 weeks in advance even longer in
  conference periods
• Japanese grammar structure and sentence flow
  opposite of English-- have to wait to get the
  point
• Stressful, work in pairs
• Expensive, but critical to successful
  understanding

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Name Testing

• Names are rendered in katakana
• Dont finish with a consonant, except n
• l and r problems, no v, no er sound as in
  bird, etc
• Number of possible ways of rendering each
  candidate name into katakana
• Possible approaches to handling

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Socio-Cultural Issues Visual Culture

• Japan is visual culture vs. aural culture of USA
• Japanese respond better to written stimuli show
  cards, blackboard
• Japanese have difficulty in grasping concepts,
  scales, complex questions over the telephone --
  implications for telephone interview length and
  question type

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Socio-Cultural Issues Preference for Personal
Non-Aggressive Interaction

• Proper introduction is important dont open up
  to person that havent been properly introduced
  to
• Personal meeting often required to establish
  credibility/trust
• Appropriate level of respect language required
• Warming up takes longer
• Japanese not trained in cut and thrust of debate
• Ambiguous language

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Doctor Is Kamisama

• Little information is communicated to patients
• Patients rarely question the doctor, and doctor
  doesnt like to be questioned
• Appropriate level of respect language required
• Probing by interviewer has to have delicate touch
  -- otherwise doctor takes offense
• Female interviewers softer -- can pretend
  ignorance while asking for explanation
• Doctor is very busy -- limited time for market
  research

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Telephone Interview (I)

• No private office for patient consultation
  limited privacy
• Doctor is busy -- reluctance to answer when with
  patient, put your request in writing
• Who am I talking to? Cant see the face. Can they
  be trusted? How will data be used?
• Will promised incentive actually be paid?

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Telephone Interview (II)

• Since cant see doctors face, cant tell whether
  response is honne or tatemae
• Interviewer has difficulty in asking doctor for
  clarification/understanding if doctor uses
  difficult medical terminology, product names, etc
• Visual culture/scale issues
• Doctor is kamisama attitude problem compounded
  in telephone interviews
• Maximum 10-15 minutes best for tracking- type
  studies with limited open-ends
• Security concerns wtih fax plus telephone
  interviews

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CLT One-On-One

• Possible, with viewing/simultaneous translation
• Usually two per day occasionally three
• Takes three hours out of a doctors day -- hence
  evening interviews
• More expensive than in-office interviews
• Need to allow time for moderator and simultaneous
  interpreters to rest

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Focus Groups

• Possible, with viewing/simultaneous
  interpretation
• Usually one two-hour session per evening
• 5-6 doctors per group
• Dont mix hospital and GP doctors
• Doctors of similar status
• If recruited properly, usually turn up unless
  emergency

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Internet

• Doctor and patient websites exist and are
  increasing
• Younger doctors more readily accept Internet
• Many hospital computers are not connected to
  Internet -- busy doctors also access from home
• Internet interviewing of doctors still limited,
  but likely to grow
• Patient research on Internet also limited, but
  likely to grow

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Timing Considerations

• Research generally takes longer in Japan than in
  the USA/Europe
• Project length extra time for translation,
  recruitment difficult, limited time windows with
  doctors, mostly face-to-face interviewing
• Interview length 45 minutes in English tends to
  run to 55 - 60 minutes in Japanese

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Other Aspects

• Screening doctor age, especially GPs
• Standard pricing research of less value in Japan
• Holiday/fieldwork shutdown End of year/New Year,
  Golden Week, Obon