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English Naming Conventions and Checkpoints for Business Cards to Give to International Contacts
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When giving a digital business card to an international contact, not only should you replace Japanese with English, but also ensure they can easily confirm who you are, what you are in charge of, and how to contact you. In particular, if the spelling of your name or company name differs from your email signature or company website, it may be difficult for them to determine that it is the same person or company.
This article introduces the order for checking English notation and a bilingual English-Japanese checklist that can be used within your company for staff who are starting international transactions. Rather than a list of general translations, this is a practical guide for matching your company's official notation and actual contact methods.
Gather "notation standards" before translating
First, gather your company's English website, existing English company profile, and the email signature the person actually uses for work. If there are English notation rules managed by public relations, human resources, or other departments, please prioritize those rules. Changing the end of the company name or job title based on your own judgment may lead to inconsistencies with other documents.
- Name: The Romanized spelling the person continuously uses for work, and the distinction between family name and given name.
- Company/Department: The English name and usage of abbreviations approved within the company.
- Job Title/Responsibilities: The official title and the scope of responsibilities that should be communicated to the recipient.
- Contact Information: Business email, phone, and website used for communication, including from overseas.
For items where no standard can be found, do not complete them in a translated state; leave them as "Under Confirmation." Even if you are in a hurry to publish the business card, it is easier to avoid misunderstandings by first finalizing the confirmed name, company name, and contact information rather than including an unapproved job title translation.
Check name, company name, and job title separately
Ensure the spelling of the name and the distinction between family name and given name are consistent
Match the spelling of the name, including long vowels and hyphens, to the notation the person actually uses. Do not assume that the order of family name and given name alone will convey the meaning; if necessary, choose an expression that makes it clear which is the family name, such as capitalizing the family name, in accordance with company rules. For example, writing the fictional "Hanako Yamada" as "YAMADA Hanako" is an example of notation to make the family name easier to distinguish. This is not a mandatory rule for all business cards.
If you add the name they want to be called, make sure the relationship with their official name is clear. Also, check that you are not using different names for the display name, the name saved as a contact, and the email signature. Aim for notation that allows the person looking for information to connect it to the same person from the recipient's perspective.
Do not create a new English translation of the company name, and check the job title's authority
Use the official English notation published by the company for the company name. Do not mechanically replace it with "this English notation because it is a stock company" or add your own abbreviations to the existing English company name. Even when listing a brand name, use an order that allows the reader to understand its relationship with the affiliated company.
Job titles do not always correspond one-to-one with Japanese terms and English words. For example, before using a word that represents a person in charge, check whether it matches the organization they actually manage and their scope of responsibilities. When the job title alone does not convey the work, you can also briefly supplement the area of responsibility in the introduction. Avoid adding words that indicate unapproved authority just to make the title look more impressive.
Check whether the contact methods can be used by international contacts
For email, enter the business address that has actually been confirmed. If there is a separate contact point that can handle English, please explain the roles of the person's address and the contact point separately. Also, check that the link display name is in English and that the destination is not only in Japanese. Even if there are no English materials, simply indicating that the page is in Japanese can reduce the recipient's confusion.
When showing a Japanese phone number to international contacts, check the format including the country code. NTT Docomo's guidance for calling Japan shows that you should follow "+81" and use the number without the leading 0. For example, "090-XXXX-XXXX" would be written as "+81-90-XXXX-XXXX". Please check the guidance of the telecommunications company you use for exceptions depending on the country or region of origin and the line.NTT Docomo's phone guidance for overseas
If there is only an inquiry number for domestic use, check with the relevant department for a contact method that can be used from overseas. If you include reception hours, consider notation that conveys that it is Japan Standard Time. For the address, consider whether the recipient needs to send mail before posting it, and match it with the approved notation on the English company website, etc.
Bilingual English-Japanese checklist to use before publishing
Copy the following table into a memo for internal confirmation, and add the person in charge and the confirmation date. Separating "whether it is natural in English" and "whether it matches your company's facts" makes it easier to decide who will perform the confirmation.
| Item | What to match | Pre-publication confirmation |
|---|---|---|
| Name | The person's business signature and approved spelling | Family name and given name can be distinguished, and it matches other contact methods |
| Company name/Department | Official English website and internal notation list | It is not a unique translation or an old organization name |
| Job title/Area of responsibility | Confirmation by human resources or a supervisor | It does not exaggerate the actual responsibilities |
| Email/Phone | Contact information in use and telecommunications company guidance | There are no character errors, and it is clear how to contact from overseas |
| Web/Materials | The published page of the link destination | Language, content, and viewing permissions match the guidance |
| Correspondence with Japanese | All items in the Japanese and English versions | Updates to affiliation, job title, and contact information are reflected in both |
Instead of checking it yourself, you can also have the work content and English reading divided among people to review. Even if the reviewer is the same, reading in the order of content first, then expression, and finally links makes it easier to find oversights. Even for sentences created using translation tools, do not skip the approval of proper nouns and job titles.
Perform the final check on the recipient's screen
Even if it is organized on the editing screen, long English company names or job titles may become difficult to read on the display screen. Open the URL for publication and check whether the name, company name, and contact information can be read without difficulty, and whether the link proceeds to the intended page. If the structure switches between Japanese and English, compare whether the contact information is the same in both.
The amount of information in the profile and the priority of links are also explained in How to organize information to put on a digital business card. Also, to prevent only one language from becoming outdated after a job change, adding a language-specific confirmation column to the Business Card Information Update Checklist will make it easier to manage.
With Share-Me, you can share your business card in the language the recipient can choose
Share-Me's Global Card allows you to create business cards in other languages including English, and the recipient can choose the language. After preparing the English notation, check the correspondence with the Japanese version using this checklist before sharing. It is important for the creator to confirm whether the name, company name, and job title are correct.
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Product features and reference materials were confirmed on October 28, 2026. Screens and provided content may change.