Nagano city reconsiders support program for female entrepreneurs.
Chino city's program for female entrepreneurs, named "GETTO," faced backlash for its unfortunate connotation related to the Holocaust.
Yo, ladies! This GETTO is for you! Japan's historically struggled with translations, but now things are looking up. Some companies are actually getting it right, and I’m impressed. But English? It’s a beast! It’s so vast that I’m inventing the word “chasmatic” just to give it a title. Even the best names can go south real quick.
Case in point: Chino, a city in Nagano, kicked off a program for women entrepreneurs. They aimed for “get to”—as in “get to work”—but they ended up with “GETTO”. English speakers immediately thought of “ghetto,” and they knew it, changing the pronunciation to match. But here’s the kicker: “getto” is Polish for “ghetto,” pulling in some heavy history. One entrepreneur said, “It reminds me of discrimination against Jewish people.” Long story short, after some backlash, they pulled the “GETTO” name but are still running the project. It’s a reminder that if you’re naming something, you better check those deeper meanings or get professional help. Trust me—I run a content proofreading service.
Read more__〆(￣ー￣ )
Fascinated by Japan’s culture and history? Learn the language that brings it all to life. Start now at LearnJapanese.com!
