Japanese English

We use Japanese English everyday without knowing that it is not correct English.

For example: shortcake = strawberry layer cake, health meter = (bathroom) scale, dead ball = hit by pitch, hotcake = pancake, gasoline stand = gas station, morning call = wake-up call, order made = tailor made, after service = customer service, free size = one-size-fits-all, key holder = key chain, lifeline = infrastructure like gas, water and electric, volumy = voluminous, free dial = toll-free, etc.

Almost all foreigners who visit Japan may not understand what we say, and they can’t imagine the correct meaning. But we believe we are using correct English and if our Japanese English isn’t understood by them it is because of our bad pronunciation. What we can’t realize is that using Japanese English is only understood by us.

When a big earthquake hits Japan, newscasters read their manuscripts and tell us about the situation of disaster area using “Lifeline” like that “Lifeline was OK” or “There was no prospect of when the Lifeline would resume.” We have been using the word since Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck Japan in 1995. Many Japanese trust that newspapers and TV newscasters don’t use such a strange word that only Japanese people understand. That’s why we use Japanese English without a doubt, I think.

Now some of “Japanese English” already had changed to “Complete Japanese”. Many foreigners still get confused by our strange English.