Lately, I’ve been handling translation work, and this time I’d like to share some impressions and casual thoughts about translating technical terminology.

For someone like me, who is not very familiar with technical terms, it feels less like translation and more like learning the terminology.

When I first looked at APPARELX categories, there were so many unfamiliar technical terms that it became a problem not only in Japanese, but also in my Chinese.

"lining" and "interlining"

For example, I know the basic difference between lining and interlining, but when translating them into Chinese, is “lining” supposed to be “衬布”? Is “interlining” also “衬布”??? Huh? Are they the same?? When I checked the dictionary, it explained them as shown in the image below, and both were translated as “衬布 chen bu.”

Looking further into it, there are many different expressions for “lining” → “里衬 li chen,” “里料 li liao,” “里子 li zi,” “里布 li bu,” and for “interlining” → “衬里 chen li,” “衬布 chen bu,” “衬垫 chen dian,” so there isn’t a single standard term. Since the Japanese opposites “omote” and “ura” are translated into Chinese as “face” and “reverse,” I chose “里料” as the translation for “lining.”

The difference between "dot button" and "snap button"

Also, in my personal impression, I thought “dot button” and “snap button” were the same thing. I had the impression that both used the Chinese term “按扣,” but after checking, I learned that a “dot button” is one type of “snap button.”

In Chinese, the character “按” means the Japanese verbs “to fasten” or “to press down,” and “扣” means “button,” so this type of button is called “按扣.”

By the way, a dot button consists of two hardware parts on the top and two on the bottom, four hardware pieces in total, so in Chinese it is called “四合扣.” Dot buttons are attached to the textile with a dedicated machine, such as a hand press, using a snap fastener installation tool.

Both dot buttons and hand presses, as well as snap fastener installation tools, are sold on APPARELX and are very popular, so please do take a look.

ApparelX Global is still a work in progress, so I think there are still many areas that are incomplete. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Finally, when doing translation work, there are times when I simply can’t find the right Chinese equivalent, but with the examples above, I’ve been able to learn unfamiliar words while working. Translation and proofreading may give the impression of being plain work, but unless you do it yourself, you can’t understand its value. Even plain work can be surprisingly impressive.