Reference?

[thomas]

Let me consult the new language forum right away. Actually, I have more of a design question, but anyhow: on top of this page you'll see some katakana that are supposed to translate as "japan reference". Moyashi drew my attention to the fact that we transcribed reference as r'i'ference which is true, but probably comes phonetically closer to what the English term "reference" would sound like when pronounced by Japanese.

So, before I am going to start redesigning all of our pages: do you recommend to change the katakana or not?

[moyashi]

ewwww both show up in my handy dandy WordLookup app.

this is a handy app it does, Latin,German, Spanish, Japanese and even Maoi

ahhh the joy of a BSD system

since both show up ... the "re" will sound more English like and while the "ri" sounds like someone with an accent.

[Vidook]

It depends on where the native speaker is from. For example, Aussies might pronounce it "RI," but Brits would pronounce it "RE."

Since there is no "correct" accent, I suggest doing it the Japanese way; go by spelling. If so, you should change the katakana to "RE-FA-RE-N-SU," I think.

I expect that most Japanese readers here consider it uncool to use katakana at all though! Am I right?

[thomas]

Well, thanks for your explanations. I decided to leave our logo as it is, guess I'm just too lazy to redesign, hehe...

Oh, why do you believe that katakana are "uncool"?

[samuraitora]

katakana's purpose is to show foriegn words, names, and words that your unsure of...fits well in this situation.

Besides, depending on the age group...some people love katakana...sets them apart.

[erok]

I am gald to be here.. thank you
Eric