Can you use Google Translate to learn Japanese?

When we don't know how to speak a word in the Japanese language, we may need to use an online translator, and the most popular is the famous Google Translator. In this article, we will share some tips and cautions you should take when using Google Translate to translate sentences in the Japanese language.

For this article, I first created a video showing how I use Google translator and the precautions I take when checking and translating sentences, to avoid mistranslations. I'll leave the video below, and then we'll follow with the article:

Before using Google Translate

The first thing you should keep in mind is that the Japanese language is entirely different from the English language. Japanese grammar uses an SOV system where the verb is always at the end of sentences. Not to mention the countless synonyms, ideas and different ways of thinking that the Japanese language uses.

Some examples are in the confusing meaning of kokoro, or in the numerous readings of Japanese ideograms, which result in thousands of meaningless translations when using Google Translate's automatic system. Therefore, before using Google translator, it is recommended to have at least a basic understanding of the Japanese language, its grammar and particles.

The difficulty in translating from Portuguese to Japanese is not the difficulty of the language, but its ease. The Japanese language is even too simple, which makes it difficult to express yourself in complex ways that Portuguese people are used to using.

• Complete guide - Japanese translators and translation

How to use Google translator to translate Japanese

Now that you are aware of the first precautions, let's share some interesting tips below:

Re-translate to English - Whenever you translate into Japanese, do the reverse with the suggested translation from Google to find out if the phrase was translated using the correct words. If you have any knowledge of English, also use English!

Use Google Whenever you translate a phrase, play it or parts of it on Google itself to see if similar results appear to get an idea that the phrase is correct.

Stay tuned for suggestions and alternatives Sometimes Google can suggest better options when you are trying to translate a sentence from Japanese to Portuguese or vice versa.

Use Jisho - Always use jisho.org to find the meaning of the words you have doubts in a google translation.

Avoid Pronouns - In a Japanese conversation, it is not common to use the pronouns you, me in all sentences. It is even more common to use names, nicknames, or other ways to refer to someone else. Perhaps it is better to remove the pronouns Anata [あなた] from the sentences that google suggests; it all depends on the situation.

Watch out for Romaji - Avoid using automatic romanizations suggested by google that may be wrong. Focus only on kanas, and if you have an unknown kanji, the best way to know how to read it correctly is by playing on jisho.org;

I hope you enjoyed these little tips for using Google translate without fear of doing bad. If you liked it, share it with friends and leave your comments with other suggestions and questions related to Japanese translation using Google Translate.