コピーライティング. Language used in advertising, marketing, and promotion of goods, services, or ideas.
Questions tagged [copywriting]
16 questions
18
votes
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What does this ad say? (Connotations of ガキ大将)
This is a frequent problem that I think many Japanese learners experience. You look at some Japanese sentences, and you understand the words, and most, if not all, the grammar, and yet still, it just doesn't seem to mean anything.
That is the case…
Questioner
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2 answers
How to say "100% virus free"?
In English we put the following phrases below software we want customers to download to put their mind at ease (for example, a neat weather app).
✓100% virus free
✓Contains no malware
✓Contains no spyware
✓Certified adware free
✓This file is…
Drakes
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This PSA was written in the past tense. When is it correct to do this?
While riding a train, I read a public service announcement that said:
たばこを持つ手は、子供の顔の高さだった。
Underneath, the English translation said:
A lit cigarette is carried at the height of a child's face.
The Japanese is in the past tense while the…
coyote
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Why the random katakana in 「すみっコぐらし」?
Some of you may be familiar with the San-X line of characters called すみっコぐらし. The shtick is that they're timid and like "living (ぐらし) in the corner (すみっこ)"
I know katakana is frequently used for emphasis, but what is the wordplay intended by writing…
Timothy
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What does it mean to write wasei-eigo and gairaigo in Romaji?
Wasei-eigo and most Gairaigo (especially in a text or sentence as opposed to being by itself) is usually written in Katakana (イメージ, ジュース, スマート,パンツ,アベック). However, there are times that have seen some in their original Romaji form (image, juice,…
crayondraw
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Translating volitive expressions in ads into English
I saw this on an advertisement outside the construction site of a company that makes wooden houses:
木{き}の家{いえ}と、暮{く}らそう。
I'm trying to think of a way to translate it other than:
Live with a wooden house. (sounds like the house is your roommate)…
sebu
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What is the meaning of the expression "コツがいったり"?
I found the expression "コツがいったり" in a tourism advertisement for the 金閣寺 in 京都:
シャッター押すのをやめて
じっと、まぶたに焼きつけています。
しっかり見る。しっかり感動する。
簡単にみえても、案外、コツがいったりするんです。
From what I can see via web searches, it doesn't appear to be a particularly uncommon…
Harith Vasant
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How much buzz is there in 式 of 手打ち式 udon noodles?
A lady in front of me in a line to the register had a pack of udon noodles in her basket. It read:
うどん・手打ち式
How much buzz is there in such a phrase? Is it comparable to using 手打ち風? Or could it have some merit to it?
Also, I assume that a real…
macraf
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未来につなぐ: Precise meaning? Fuzzy marketing buzzword?
未来につなぐ
Does this phrase have a precise meaning, a meaning that can be translated into precise English? Or is this simply a positive-sounding but vague trendy marketing phrase?
I see for example the following from company and government websites,…
curious-proofreader
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How do I read the kanji in this ad for mascara?
On the train yesterday, I came across this ad, which is just for some mascara or whatever:
Sorry it's a little blurry. The text is 凛{りん}と際立{きわだ}つ艶ロング。
I'm just a little unclear on a couple of things.
For the first kanji, 凛{りん}, my dictionaries say…
Questioner
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Why is 未来 read as あした?
The slogan of the 2020 Olympics in Japan is
未来{あした} をつかもう (Discover tomorrow)
Why is it read as あした？ I did not find a standardised dictionary with that reading, however I found あす as a reading in a dictionary for names. It seems it would be the…
RnBandCrunk
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Best translation of おトク
So this is my first time ever making a post on a forum, so sorry if I break any rules or this has been posted somewhere else, but as the title says, I'm looking for some natural ways to say おトク・お得.
I see this word all the time and I get that it…
Toonphase
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Postpositional or prepositional くらい
I heard the following phrase from an ad for Jetstar Japan:
びっくりするくらい最低よね！
I know the individual meaning of the words.
びっくりする - to be surprised,
くらい - around(?)
最低 - lowest/cheapest
This ad is from a low cost carrier in Japan. Putting all these…
cgo
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Writing a date range in vertical format
How would one write a range of dates in vertical format? For instance, 2017-18 or 2017-2018.
Rowan Elise
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What is the meaning of 飲んどけ?
I came across this Japanese tv commercial. Video and transcript are given below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOuwA6rtKsM
http://www.suntory.co.jp/news/article/12494.html
My question is: what's the meaning of 最初にこれ飲んどけって…ありますか? I think the key is…
Chav Likit
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