In the United States, there seems to be a way to say exactly how you feel for just about every occasion. Cross over into other countries, however, and you typically don’t find this type of social-expression messaging outside of birthdays, Christmas and a few other major holidays. What will you find? Most likely, you will find blank cards with a picture or simple message on the front. Don’t expect to walk down to your local greeting card shop, either. This, too, is more of an American norm.
The linguists specializing in the translation of greeting cards at Global Language Solutions point out some major differences in the greeting card industry across countries and cultures.
Russia: The most common instances for greeting cards are not for national holidays but for family celebrations such as weddings or birthdays. But, stay clear of the big 4-0 for men. A common superstition in Russia is that when a man is 40 and celebrates it with a big party, it may attract the Death. If this birthday isn’t celebrated, there is less a chance that Death remembers there is a man somewhere to be soon taken.
Japan: One of the most important aspects in Japanese language is that there are multiple different tones/voices depending on the speaker, the listener, polite level, situation, etc… Therefore, cards are written specific to the the sender and the receiver of the cards; e.g., a Mother’s Day card sent from a little boy, a Valentine’s Day card sent from a girl to a boy, etc. In Japanese, it is a bit awkward to use too casual/romantic expressions towards parents — you do not send “kisses” and “hugs” to your mother or father.
Read the full article at Greetings, etc. magazine.
Tags: culture, greeting cards, language, multilingual, translate, Translation