Translating maru batsu into English
Japanese has a very handy shorthand for rating things:
| symbol | pronunciation | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ◎ | nijuu maru | excellent |
| 〇 | maru | good |
| △ | sankaku | fair |
| × | batsu | poor |
I avoid using these symbols in my English translations. Even if a legend is included, I think they're too "foreign" to be easily understood by non-Japanese speakers.
The "translations" I use depend on the context. If the full range of symbols is used for ratings, I often go with the letters E, G, N, and U, with a legend:
| Topic | Rating |
|---|---|
| Does not run in hallway | E |
| Lines up after recess | G |
| Raises hand before speaking | N |
| Follows instructions | U |
E: Excellent; G: Good; N: Needs improvement; U: Unsatisfactory
Other alternatives are numerical rankings (3/2/1/0) and letters (A/B/C/D), also with appropriate legends.
If it's something like a list of features, where the Japanese would use 〇 for "feature supported" and × for "feature not supported," my preference would be to use checkmarks for the supported feature, and leave the unsupported feature blank.
| Feature | Viking LiteTM | Viking PROTM |
|---|---|---|
| Spam | ✔ | ✔ |
| Eggs | ✔ | ✔ |
| Bacon | ✔ | |
| Beans | ✔ |
In something like a matrix with 〇/×, I'll often go with a green check for 〇, and a red X for ×:
| sprockets | cogs | wing nuts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| crank | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
| spin | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
| wobble | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
Consumer Reports has its red-dot/black-dot system, which is actually pretty smart because they can show a huge matrix of product x feature evaluations and you can take it all in in aggregate, or focus on one line. Otherwise I’d agree on check/x.
I like the Consumer Reports style. It kind of distills the feature matrix to its essence. When you’ve got a bit more space, however, the visual cues of check-marks and such can be valuable.