I often reply under Japanese posts, and I always assume users will use a translator as I do, but maybe in the context of a Japanese instance or conversation this may look rude?
Not really.
In Asia, people often just comment in their own language. Though, English is preferable for easier translation. Unless some extreme nationalist, most people simply happy to interact with you.
Edit: this is more common in Facebook. One single post will have various languages. Chinese, Hindi, Arab, Spanish, Swahili, and so on just in a single post. Sometimes, you can say that different social media, different internet culture. Twitter-alike social media usually more uniform in terms of language.
Just remember that it could be misunderstood, especially with sarcasm or joke.
I’ve seen Japanese artist deleted their account because they mistaken a joke towards their art as hate comment.I’ve seen Japanese artist deleted their account because they mistaken a joke towards their art as hate comment.
Yikes! I wanted to comment that it would be clear that you’re using a translation service of some kind if you reply in a different language from the post, and the other part might take that into consideration — but clearly that isn’t a given.
Hey, happy lemmy anniversary, I’m glad you’re here!
Jokes never translate well. Even between somewhat-related languages, like western European ones. Best to just not.
More than that Japanese people have a completely different sense of humor from the stuff you usually see in the West. Even a fluent but non-native speaker will have a lot of their jokes fall flat simply because the Japanese and Western conceptions of a joke are very different. In what way? I have no idea, still trying to figure it out. I don’t know if that gap is that big in other cultures, but definitely best to just not.
Even if people are talking in English, it still can display cultural difference. Especially nowadays we get Singaporean English, Indian English, Asian English, etc.
For example, a word in English Asia have neutral meaning, but in American English it is a slur. Unfortunately a lot of Western people does not realize this and tried to “standardize” the language. People should learn contextual language instead of policing from their own cultural mindset. Especially, billingual or trilingual people often code-mixing language.
Happy cake day
I’d be wary about using a translator, even if you use one that accounts for grammar and double meanings like deepL. Tho that’s based on a comment I saw from game developer Katsuhiro Harada. He says he prefers English speaking players just type in English so he can translate himself cause oftentimes the player will translate something incorrectly and confuse him. All in all it really depends on who I guess.
Je ne pense pas
I wouldn’t consider it rude in the Danish communities we have in Feddit.dk, but that’s also cause basically all danes are fluent in English, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
Only if I have to, and I include the Google translate so they know I’m clueless.
I don’t think most people would care unless the community rules forbid it. Some might be curious, some might skip it, and you might get a nettouyo being a racist twat every now and again.
I don’t do it, but if I did, I would consider apologetically offering the machine translation inline with my post. Why put the burden on them to do it if you want it to be read?
Actually I did it one time, but every response I got was in English even if the user was a Japanese speaker. So I started worrying that the translation was incorrect, even if it was specified that I wasn’t a Japanese speaker. I wonder if maybe, especially in the Fediverse context, Japanese users might be pretty used to English and Latin alphabet in general so that it may be easier to them if I just write using the language I actually know in order to avoid mistakes
Using English is totally okay!
I did it all the time and we interacted just fine.
Using machine translation can lead to mistranslation, even your heartwarming comment can be interpreted as hostile.
Everybody learns the Latin alphabet and English in school (used to be Jr high but pushed back to elementary recently). Proficiency levels are low, especially in speaking and listening, and shyness/fear of mistakes are factors. However, reading can be pretty decent. Of course, people very good at English also exist.
Could also be that many use machine translation, at least for the output side.
Depends on the context, commenting in your native language is often totally okay.
Let’s say: a Japanese artist posting an art with Japanese caption, they would totally happy to receive comment from various language, displaying a cultural exchange.
This behaviour of native language comment is actually common in Asia and Africa, but not in Western countries…
Just be wary of joke or sarcasm that might interpreted as hate comment.
Okay where do you even see Japanese posts?
Mastadon seems to have a lot. I don’t see much outside of it personally.
Misskey has more of it. In fact, the second biggest fediverse instance is Japanese, mostly filled with illustrator, comic artist, photographers, gamers, and other otaku culture enthusiast.
Before mastodon.social, the biggest fedi instance is also Japanese, but it was different instance run by corporation (now seems to be abandoned after being sold to another corpo).
Misskey has a massive Japanese population in part because it was written by Japanese speakers.
Japan.
My personal opinion is that it’s 2025 and translation is free.
thanks for literally devaluing all the work of my fellow translators and i that was stolen by Google and Bing and all the other crawlers/thieves.
it’s the same as with artists’ work being stolen by Stupid Diffusion and the rest.
not mad at you of course. but calling it free was too good a match for devaluing to pass up.
Think of it this way.
There’s an actual medical condition known as Chauffeur’s fracture.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauffeur's_fracture
Back in the day, before the invention of the self starting engine, drivers would have to hand crank the cars, and sometimes a backfire would cause a particular type of injury.
Also, there’s a great line in the movie “The Interpreter” with Nicole Kidman.
Two UN interpreters are chatting about work. "I had a good one today. The American said it was “pie in the sky.” "
“Oh, that’s a tough one. What did you use?”
“Castles in Spain.”
“Nice.”
coincidentally, i hate the phrase “think of it this way”
Just don’t expect nuance or depth. Or, in case of languages that aren’t closely related to yours, to be understood.
Dos’t thou thinks’t that the wiley mechanicist can not create an operator that can plumb the depths of language with ease? Our language is as unchanging as the mountains, and shall ever be so.
Nay, I daresay I judge it not possible, goode Sir or Lady, notte now nor e’er.
Varlet! I bite my thumb at thee!
I be not bovveréd, forsooth.
Cheeky trull! Away!
This seems very rude. I see foreigners do this all the time. they take over subreddits that aren’t designed for them.
We lack a translate button. Rednote and weibo have translate buttons. We need that.
Nie mam pojęcia czemu my mielibyśmy to wiedzieć. Może zapytaj tych Japończyków?
Pierogi?
Listen here you little… well done
I’m not sure about other places, but in mod comments on Nexus it’s fairly standard to just reply in your native language and have the other person translate.
You’ll often see discussions with one half in English and the other in Chinese, for example.
Yeah, this is the way. It’s better to let the other person do the translating, rather than presenting maybe your ideas by using a translator. It would be like running everything you post through an AI first. Best to give as much intent as possible
If that’s the only language you have to communicate, I’d say more power to you. If you can translate what you’re saying using online tools, that might better facilitate communication and conversation.
I’ve had more conversations than I can count with people I would never be able to talk to in person, all using our own native languages.
The original posts are in English, people comment in their native language, and I use a translator, then respond in my own language. Is the translator perfect? No! Neither is theirs.
With the way most translators I’ve used work, it’s easier for the non-native speaker to try translating, since the translator might try and use different words that entirely change the meaning, but likely list possible alternatives. A native e speaker will understand the alternatives while a non-native speaker probably won’t.
That’s my thought process anyway.
Never had anyone who wasn’t pearl-clutching or virtue-signaling complain about it. And I’ve had tons of conversations with people I’d never have talked to otherwise.
