Production Meeting
Interpretation Practice
Estimated Time: 12–15 minutes
Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (Intermediate Business Japanese)
Industry: Manufacturing
Meeting Type: Weekly Production Meeting
Your Role: English ⇄ Japanese Interpreter
Scenario
It is Monday morning.
A Japanese automotive supplier has missed a scheduled shipment.
An emergency meeting has been called between the Japanese plant manager and an American production engineer.
Please interpret everything accurately while maintaining the tone of both speakers.
Tip: An interpreter seldom translates literally.
Participants
🇯🇵 Mr. Tanaka
Plant Manager
🇺🇸 Sarah
Production Engineer
🇯🇵 Mr. Suzuki
Purchasing Manager
Before You Begin
Today’s meeting contains vocabulary involving:
- production delays
- root causes
- countermeasures
Click the arrows at the beginning of each sentence for a drop-down explanation.
Scene
Mr. Tanaka
皆さん、お忙しいところお集まりいただき、ありがとうございます。
Literal: "Thank you for gathering despite your busy schedules."
Instead: "Thank you all for joining us today."
Quick: "Thank you for joining."
This sounds much more natural while preserving the speaker's intent.
皆さん everyone
お忙しい busy
お集まりいただき to gather (very polite)
Sarah
Thank you for meeting with us. We understand the shipment was delayed, and we’d like to understand what happened.
Full: 本日はお時間をいただきありがとうございます。出荷が遅れた件について、原因を詳しくお伺いしたいと思います。
Quick: ありがとうございます。出荷遅延について、原因を教えてください。
Notice that Japanese business meetings often soften direct statements.
Instead of: "What happened?"
They ask: "We'd like to understand the cause."
Mr. Suzuki
原因は設備の不具合でした。
The cause was an equipment malfunction.
Quick: It was an equipment problem.
Mr. Suzuki
現在は修理が完了しております。
The repairs have now been completed.
Quick: It's fixed now.
Mr. Suzuki
今後このような問題が起こらないよう、対策を実施しております。
We are implementing measures to ensure this does not happen again.
Quick: We're taking steps to prevent recurrence.
Quick Quiz
Which Japanese word means root cause?
A. 品質
B. 修理
C. 原因
D. 生産
✅ C. 原因
Business Language Spotlight
Today’s phrase:
対策を実施しております
Literal: “We are carrying out countermeasures.”
Natural business English: “We are implementing corrective actions.”
Notice how “countermeasures” is rarely used in everyday English meetings, even though it is a direct translation of 対策.
Culture Corner
Why didn’t anyone say “Sorry”?
Japanese business communication often emphasizes responsibility through action rather than repeated apologies.
Instead of saying:
“We’re really sorry.”
You may hear detailed explanations of:
- the cause
- corrective action
- prevention
The apology is important—but the solution often receives even greater emphasis.
Vocabulary List
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 出荷 | Shipment |
| 納期 | Delivery deadline |
| 遅延 | Delay |
| 設備 | Equipment |
| 不具合 | Malfunction |
| 修理 | Repair |
| 対策 | Corrective measure |
| 原因 | Root cause |
| 品質 | Quality |
| 生産 | Production |
Dragonfly Observation
In Japanese meetings, speakers often avoid assigning blame directly.
Instead of asking:
“Who caused this?”
The discussion frequently centers on:
“What happened?”
“What can we improve?”
“What can we do to prevent it from happening again?”
Understanding this shift in focus can help interpreters preserve not only the words but also the intent behind the conversation.
Continue Your Training
Next Simulator:
Executive Meeting Simulator #002
Unexpected Quality Defect
You’ll interpret a discussion between quality assurance, production, and senior management as they investigate a customer complaint.
