[P-Kome]

For an article about legislation in different countries, I want to put a sub-head on the section about Japan. Would anyone be offended if I called the Japanese section, ‘Ah so!’? The French section head is, ‘en francais.’ The Japanese legislation compares favorably with other countries.
Original Code R469. Click here to see responses from the original archives. Click “to respond” below to reply.

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Name : P-Kome, City : Calgary, Alberta, State : NA, Country : Canada, 

[C.J.]

Indeed I would be offended (or bothered/annoyed). If you are comparing it to the French or other sections, why not title it as you did the others? “En Francais” means “In French.” “Ah so,” however, is a Japanese expression with a few meanings, depending on context, that, importantly, has been used to make fun of and belittle Japanese people. By using this phrase and not using comparable phrases for the other sections, you are setting up that section as different and relying on the racist humor associated with it since it is not truly translatable without context (and I don’t think any of the translations really fit your aim of sharing information on legislation, which, again, shows that you are not using the phrase because it fits, but because of its associations).

I recommend titling it “nihongo,” which means “Japanese,” comparable to how you are titling the French section.

User Detail :  

Name : C.J., Gender : F, City : NY, State : NY, Country : United States, 

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