Invisible relations between Readers and Languages

Hiragana Times is read by many different people from over 90 countries. As it is written in Japanese and English, many Japanese read English and many non-Japanese read the Japanese parts first. Among non-Japanese readers there are many Westerners, as well as many Asian readers, especially Chinese and Koreans. Their reason to read Hiragana Times is to learn more about reading Kanji, in addition to the fact that they can study both Japanese and English. Asian readers are familiar with Kanji, but the way the characters are read differs by region and nation. Therefore, having furigana printed above the kanji is very helpful for them.

Hiragana Time is also used as a study magazine, but we place more importance on the contents of the articles, which can be enjoyed regardless of nationality. The most difficult judgment is what level of Japanese and English to use, because the reading ability of each reader is different. Up until now we have tried many variations and have settled on the present 'standard level.'

On one hand some people say that the Japanese or English texts are lacking in quality compared with the meaning of the original text. However, when the original text is difficult or complex, we translate into language that is as easy as possible to understand while maintaining a level that non-native speakers can understand. When I consider this from the position of a language study magazine, I feel we should be using more simple expressions. After all, language is merely a communication tool. It is meaningless unless others understand you.

Back to List Page