Group of language experts is taking local governments and organisations to task for their over-reliance on machine translation

Encountering mangled English is a frequent source of mirth for many residents of Japan, but for one group of language professionals, the proliferation of inappropriate words and phrases is becoming a national embarrassment.

Their recently formed group, loosely translated as the association for the consideration of Japan’s English, is taking local governments and other bodies to task for their over-reliance on machine translation on official websites and public signage.

We’re not trying to look down on people ... But with the Olympics probably happening next year, we want official English to be decent