to give a presentation in japanese

Japanese translation of 'presentation'

• presentation

It seems that your browser is blocking this video content.

To access it, add this site to the exceptions or modify your security settings, then refresh this page.

Examples of 'presentation' in a sentence presentation

Browse alphabetically presentation

• present-day
• preservative
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'P'

Wordle Helper

Scrabble Tools

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Score: 0 / 5

• Access the entire site, including the Easy Learning Grammar , and our language quizzes.
• Customize your language settings. (Unregistered users can only access the International English interface for some pages.)
• Submit new words and phrases to the dictionary.
• Benefit from an increased character limit in our Translator tool.
• Receive our weekly newsletter with the latest news, exclusive content, and offers.
• Be the first to enjoy new tools and features.
• It is easy and completely free !

Voice speed

Text translation, source text, translation results, document translation, drag and drop.

Website translation

Enter a URL

Image translation

Giving a presentation in Japan? Think about sending it in advance

In previous articles in this series I have given a couple of tips regarding making presentations and proposals to Japanese customers or colleagues. One was on the usefulness of “visualisation” – trying to capture what you are saying in graphics. The other point I made was that presenting or pitching proposals in a Japanese context is like a maths exam – you have to show your working out, not just the conclusion, to get full marks.

The third piece of advice I have about presentations and pitches, especially if you are going to do them in English, is to send the documents in advance. You may think this detracts from the appeal of a presentation, but if your audience includes people who are not comfortable with English, prefer group based decision making and don’t like taking risks, then you are likely to be greeted by deafening silence when you ask for their go-ahead or if there are any questions. I’m not saying all Japanese corporate people fit this description but I have heard enough stories to suggest that it is worth making the effort to send your presentation ahead, if you can.

It may also be a good idea to send more than the slides. One group of British research scientists told me how when they first had a joint meeting with their Japanese counterparts, they presented their results using all the slideware tricks to make it as stimulating as possible. But when they asked for questions, their Japanese colleagues simply sat there – nodding, but silent.

The next time they met, the British scientists sent their Japanese colleagues not just the slides but also all the data, two weeks in advance. This time, when they asked for questions, everybody’s hand shot up. The Japanese scientists had not only been able to translate any of the English they did not understand, but probably also crunched the data themselves and, I suspect, had a discussion, maybe even allocating questions to each other.

I told this story to a rueful European marketing director of a Japanese electronics company the other day. He had told me that on his appointment, he was invited to Japan to meet with the President of the company. Being a marketing director he of course put together a slide presentation on his strategy for Europe. When he arrived at the Tokyo headquarters for his meeting, he was asked to wait, as the President was with a customer. Finally, 45 minutes late, he went in to see the President.

The President apologized profusely for keeping him waiting and then said unfortunately another customer was coming in 15 minutes. “We ended up drinking tea and talking about the weather and I never showed my presentation” the marketing director told me. If he had sent the presentation in advance, it probably would have been picked up by the President’s executive assistant, who would have translated it, summarised it and even suggested questions for the President to ask. At least then they could have talked about more than the weather.

Related articles

The different meanings of psychological safety in Japan, Europe and North America

The concept of “psychological safety” in the workplace started in the United States in the 1960s and

Clever talk, limited accomplishment

Those knowledgeable about British politics will be horrified to know, as I was on reading this artic

Business presentations should be thought of like math exams

Rather like a math exam, you have to show the working out in your presentation, not just the answer,

What can we help you achieve?

• Privacy Overview
• Strictly Necessary Cookies
• Cookie Policy

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

More information about our Privacy Policy

Contact us: [email protected]

• Our Founder
• Virtual Offerings
• Global Collaboration™ Competence
• Cross-Cultural Leadership
• Cross-Cultural Coaching
• Japanese Subsidiaries
• Japan for Women
• Japanese Expat Trainings
• Country-Specific Trainings
• Predeparture & Reentry
• Cross-Cultural Teambuilding
• Large Group Activities
• Client Testimonials
• Japanese Business Communication: Lost in Translation?
• Japanese Business: Rules of Engagement

Global Competence: A White Paper

• BANZAI!: Japanese Business Lessons from a Skydiver
• Japanese Subsidiaries in Mexico: A Cross-Cultural Audit
• Articles and Tips
• Business Holidays
• Seasonal Greetings

Ten Tips for Giving Presentations to Japanese

So you have an awesome presentation. But what can you do to impress your Japanese audience?  Try these:

• Create a “story.” As you are designing your presentation, conceive of it as a story . In your mind think, “Once upon a time there was...” and begin laying out all the contextual information.
• Start with the big, BIG picture. Never start with the point of the presentation. That's confusing. The Japanese will be thinking, "Is she trying to trick us?" "Does he think he can just spoon-feed us the conclusion?" Instead, start with the background (way back), the full context, your methodology, the theory behind your reasoning, the "why" behind everything. In other words, lay the foundation for the conclusions you will give later -- much later.
• Send materials in advance. You should have bilingual materials that you can give in advance of the presentation so they have a chance to process the information.
• Be formal. The type of presentation will shape many of its features, but chances are a little more decorum would be usual in Japan. For example, you might consider having another person set up for you and a high-level person introduce you. Japanese also prefer that your materials be handed with care, rather than plopping them in a lump for attendees to "Take one and pass them on."
• Lose the hype - keep the data. Slick presentations designed to "wow" or "woo" do not generally impress a Japanese audience. Japanese want to have everything necessary to come to a conclusion for themselves. If your conclusion is correct, the data should prove it. Convincing facts, with lots of supporting data, and zero pressure are your best bets.
• Skip the joke. You’re not a standup comic, and you don’t need to “break the ice.” They’re ready to hear the “story” and understand the information because they are going to have to convince others.
• Emphasize visuals. Japanese appreciate graphic illustrations to clarify, amplify, and connect the contents . Slides that they design will often be packed with information and visuals, making it hard to "see the forest for the trees." For Japanese, however, this helps to show the relationship between different facets of a project and provide a more complete picture.
• Show alternatives . Yes, you have your desired approach, but they want to see that you have explored options and can show the pros and cons of each . You can let your passion and dedication show through. Passion, but not prejudice.
• Leave room for questions. Talk slowly and take "breathing" breaks to allow your audience to interrupt without being impolite. Practice your listening skills and your comfort with silent pauses. Be ready answers to questions that might seem to be far on the periphery to you, but to them, holistically connected to the subject.
• Keep in mind that Japanese will rarely raise their hands. If you ask for questions, those without questions will generally just look down. Those with questions, on the other hand, will look directly at you. It's up to the presenter to notice this and ask those persons, "Would you like to ask something?" This is very important for getting feedback and supplying the information they need before they can support what you're presenting.

In some countries, we’re trained to get straight to the point and to wow our audience with a killer presentation. But in Japan, a better approach would be to think of your audience as partners to whom you want to present something solid.

by Diana Rowland, author Japanese Business: Rules of Engagement

Sign up for our Cultural Competence Infoletter!

Rowland & Associates is a premier cross-cultural consulting firm, providing essential international business skills since 1985. Our passion is bringing intercultural business success through heightened insight and agility. We believe that bold steps with exceptional preparation can create dynamic solutions.

Read more...

Services offered.

Globalization has made cross-border business deals more common than ever. But, every day, deals are jeopardized or lost when foreign associates are offended by Americans unaware of other countries' customs, culture or manner. while traveling, meeting a foreigner here or communicating on the...

CultureCorner

Our CultureCorner offers a wide variety of information through articles, tips, quizzes, and titbits in addition to monthly Business Holidays in different countries. Access various types of information by clicking on your theme of choice.

• Predeparture & Reentry

Sign up for our Infoletter and download for free:

Click here to download the white paper

Stack Exchange Network

Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow , the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.

Q&A for work

Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.

What is usually written at the end of a slides presentation to imply "Thanks for listening"?

I've seen this phrase a couple of times but couldn't read the Kanji so I don't remember it.

Otherwise, what phrase would be good to include in the last slide to imply "Thanks for listening!"?

For example, after giving a presentation about project that you are working on, after finishing talking at a seminar.

• phrase-requests

• Err, that is an extremely vague question. Power point by whom? marketing guys? scientists? teachers? I'm afraid this is not really a good question… –  Axioplase Commented Jul 27, 2011 at 12:37
• Axioplase’s comment refers to revision 1 of the question. The question after the edit (revision 2) seems ok. –  Tsuyoshi Ito Commented Jul 27, 2011 at 14:11

I think the most common one around is ご清聴ありがとうございました .

• Yep, I think that is the one. –  wallyqs Commented Jul 27, 2011 at 14:10
• 3 Beat me to it! ;). Note that the reading is せいちょう. However, there is another せいちょう that means nearly the same thing: 静聴. While 静聴 simply means "quietly listening", 清澄 has more of a respectful nuance to it. –  istrasci Commented Jul 27, 2011 at 14:30
• @sawa, If I use 0% full page zooming, your text is jarbled. If I use 10% full page zooming, your text is normal Japanese.... Weird, huh? –  千里ちゃん Commented Jul 27, 2011 at 16:21
• @op, you can say ~てくれてありがとう, generally, to thank people for favors they have done for you. ~て represents a て-form verb. In this case, 聞いてくれてありがとう could be okay, but ご清聴ありがとうございました is better. せいちょう means "attention" and the ご which precedes it is honorific language. I think you sound like Golem from Lord of the Rings if you fail to use honorific language when it is necessary. Anyway, noun+ありがとう means, 'thanks for that'. You would be saying, in an unGolemlike way: 'Thank you for your attention.' –  千里ちゃん Commented Jul 27, 2011 at 16:22

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for browse other questions tagged usage phrase-requests ..

• Featured on Meta
• Preventing unauthorized automated access to the network
• User activation: Learnings and opportunities
• Join Stack Overflow’s CEO and me for the first Stack IRL Community Event in...

Hot Network Questions

• Did Classical Latin authors ever incorrectly utilize an Ablative of Location for nouns that utilize the Locative Case?
• Why does Lebanon apparently lack aerial defenses?
• Help to identify this diode marked 'R4'
• What is the origin of the many extra mnemonics in Manx Software Systems’ 8086 assembler?
• What does "we are out"mean here?
• In big band horn parts, should I write double flats (sharps) or the enharmonic equivalent?
• How does a rotating system behave as mass varies?
• Krull dimension in non-algebraically closed fields
• In a shell script, how do i wait for a volume to be available?
• How to fix bottom of stainless steel pot that has been separated from its main body?
• What are major reasons why Republicans support the death penalty?
• Is it ethical to edit grammar, spelling, and wording errors in survey questions after the survey has been administered, prior to publication?
• Taking out the film from the roll can it still work?
• Is it possible to know where the Sun is just by looking at the Moon?
• After rolling a die 10 times, what is the probability that the sequence of rolls is non-decreasing?
• If I'm turning humans into crude oil, would removing their skeletons accelerate this process?
• Are file attachments in email safe for transferring financial documents?
• Where is this NPC's voice coming from?
• Is it possible that the roots of a biquadratic equation will be in A.P. , G.P. , H.P.?
• Which ancient philosopher compared thoughts to birds?
• Can one freely add content to a quotation in square brackets?
• If mathematical platonism is true, how do biological brains governed by physical laws access eternal platonic mathematical truths?
• How can I make a 2D FTL-lane map on a galaxy-wide scale?
• Significance of the feather pen in "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd"?

With Pictures: How Japanese Body Language Works

Introduction

During your Japanese speech, there are two ideas; you read out your script and you speak without your script. I think this has been controversial for a long time because both of the propositions are reasonable and understandable. One person says, "If you read out your script, you can prevent yourself from making improper remarks and misstatements." Another says "If you speak without your script, your Japanese speech will be more colorful and lively." What do you think which way we should follow? In this article, I am going to try to finalize this argument.

You should make your Japanese speech without your script

Let me get straight to the conclusion. During your Japanese speech, you should speak without your script. I think the best way of making a speech is to memorize a script in its entirety and then to speak ad lib. Does this sound contradictory? It can coexist. Let’s go over both of the characteristics.

Advantages of "with script"

Time management.

You can guess how long your Japanese speech will take by counting how many letters there are in your script. It is said native speakers take 1 minute to complete 300 letters. Considering you are a Japanese learner, it may take 1 minute for you to complete approximately 250 letters. In that case, if the time for your Japanese speech is 5 minutes, you can manage your time by writing your script within approximately 1250 letters.

Persuasive Expressions

Since you have sufficient time to build your logic, your Japanese speech will be very persuasive. If you need some evidences to prove your proposition, you can even prepare them and put into your script.

Prevention from making improper remarks and misstatements

By getting your script to be proofread by a third person and read them out, you can prevent yourself from making improper remarks and misstatements. It is likely that speakers would be nervous or under pressure during his or her speech and it may cause unexpected actions. However, if you follow your well-made script, you can express what you want to convey in place.

Advantage of "without script"

Emotional expression.

If you don’t have your script, there is no choice, namely you have to speak with your own words. It will sound real tone which cannot be made by following a script. Such expression is the one can appeal your audience’s heart.

Nonverbal Communications

During your Japanese speech, what do you think where your eyes should put on? It is obvious that the answer is not on your script, but your audience. You can show your smile and make eye contact with your audience. That way, your Japanese speech will be interactive.

Eat your script

Let me introduce an interesting saying related presentations here; "Eat your script once you memorize it" It means that people incline to rely on and read out scripts because of the easiness. However, speaking without scripts may produce more valuable and attractive speeches if you memorize your script in place. Therefore, you should force yourself to do so by completely disposing of your script. I agree with this saying and that is how the methods; speaking with and without scripts can coexist.

Again, in order to make your Japanese speech attractive and impressive, you have to prepare your script and memorize and dispose of it. That way, you can utilize all the above advantages. On the other hand, you may need courage to stand at the stage of your Japanese speech without your script. I totally understand you, but I really would like you to experience the interaction with your audience during your Japanese speech. That’s very fun and thrilled. I rather think that is the speech. Please try speaking without your script and attract the attention of your audience.

Recommended Link

Proofread Your Japanese Script by Native Speakers

Apply the Essay Structure to Your Japanese Script

Enhance Your Japanese Script: Ki-Sho-Ten-Ketsu Structure

Distinguish Your Japanese Script: Jyo-Ha-Kyu Structure

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.