微糖 in English

[島袋 典子]

Hello from Okinawa

I am translating a market report.
How can I say 微糖 in English?
The term 微糖 is used for canned coffee,
meaning less amount of sugar is used.

Thank you in advance.

Noriko Shimabukuro

[AlanDavid]

Noriko-san,

The English equivalent would be "low sugar"

Alan

[Edward Lipsett /t]

on 08/12/05 13:57, 島袋 典子 wrote:

> The term 微糖 is used for canned coffee,
> meaning less amount of sugar is used.

Less than what?

"Lightly sweetened" should work.

----------
Edward Lipsett, Intercom, Ltd.
translation€@intercomltd.com
Publishing: http://www.kurodahan.com
Translation & layout: http://www.intercomltd.com

[島袋 典子]

Alan-san,

Thank you very much!
It's so simple and nice.

Nori

[Mark Stevenson]

2008/12/5 島袋 典子 <shima...@gmail.com>:

>
> Hello from Okinawa
>
> I am translating a market report.
> How can I say 微糖 in English?

Reduced sugar

First Google hit for an English-domain company using this phrase:
http://www.powerbar.com/products/5/POWERBARsup/sup__PROTEIN_PLUS_Reduced_Sugar.aspx

(And just for reference, "reduced salt" is also a common phrase used
on product packaging.)

Mark Stevenson
Tokyo

[島袋 典子]

Edward-san,

Thank you so much.
"Lightly sweetened" sounds good.

Nori

2008/12/05 13:58 Edward Lipsett /t <trans...@intercomltd.com>:

[島袋 典子]

Mark-san,

Thank you very much.
I think I will use "reduced sugar".

Nori

[Mark Stevenson]

> The English equivalent would be "low sugar"
>
> Alan

"low sugar" is probably better than "reduced sugar," actually. But
both are commonly used.
Edward Lipsett's suggestion of "lightly sweetened" also works, but I
think the nuance is a little different from the common use of 微糖.

Mark Stevenson
Tokyo

[Edward Lipsett /t]

on 08/12/05 14:06, Mark Stevenson wrote:

> "low sugar" is probably better than "reduced sugar," actually.

Hmm. That's why I asked "lower than what?"
"Low" is an absolute value, while "reduced" could still be 98% sugar...

It's impossible to tell without context, but I have to disagree with you
based on what we know thus far.

[Nora Stevens Heath]

Mark Stevenson wrote:

> Edward Lipsett's suggestion of "lightly sweetened" also works, but I
> think the nuance is a little different from the common use of 微糖.

When I think of "reduced sugar", as in, say, Smucker's jelly here in the
States, I think of a product with less sugar but an equivalent level of
sweetness. Calorie-free artificial sweeteners are added to compensate
for the lower levels of sugar.

However, my experience with 微糖 coffee in Japan (and it's pretty vast
considering I don't live there--I'm a huge canned coffee fan and miss it
horribly when I get back home) is that the level of sweetness itself is
less than in the default version. In this case, "lightly sweetened" is
likely more appropriate.

Nora

--
Nora Stevens Heath <no...@fumizuki.com>
J-E translations: http://www.fumizuki.com/

[William Taylor]

Just to throw in two more cents in hopes of someday making a nickle,
how about "bittersweet"? It is canned coffee after all.
I would be more likely to buy something that was labled bittersweet
over something that was labled low sugar.
But as this is for a market report, "low sugar" sounds fine.


Regards,
William Taylor

[島袋 典子]

Mark-san,

Thank you again.
I think it's better to include "sugar" in the term too.
But for coffee is not always sweet like chocolate bar,
I am not sure "reduced sugar" or "low sugar" fit well for coffee.
Take it into consideration, I think "lightly sweetened" is good.
Don't know what to do...

2008/12/05 14:06 Mark Stevenson <mark...@gmail.com>:

[Edward Lipsett /t]

on 08/12/05 14:36, 島袋 典子 wrote:

> Don't know what to do...

Uh,,, if it's a market report, and not something consumers will read, I
honestly don't think it makes any difference at all. For people in the field
who understand what the report is about, they all mean functionally the
same thing.

[Peter Clark]

As another can coffee fan, I go with Edward's "lightly sweetened". Most can coffee is very sweet, and I always go for the 微糖when available.
 
Peter Clark
Love the Georgia ads, but drink Fire when possible

---

Find great deals on eBay Net yourself a bargain

[William Sakovich]

Don't know what to do...

Noriko: The original Japanese words clearly mean "very little sugar", so the
phrase "low sugar" is simple, easy to understand, and is never going to be
wrong.

- BS

[William Taylor]

> Don't know what to do...

If it really bothers you go and take a look at your local 自動販売機。
Many of the coffees will have funny English labels on them. Just find
a coffee that is labled 微糖 and also has an English label.
Problem solved.

Except I just did the same out of curiousity and none of the coffees
labeled 微糖　also had English labeling.
But my local 自動販売機 is a little low on variety. Maybe the one in your
neighborhood is better.

Regards,
William Taylor

[AlanDavid]

Some (not all) of the 微糖 canned coffees are actually quite sweet, due
to the artificial sweeteners that are added.

My instinct tells me to use "low" as opposed to "reduced" in this
situation, because coffee is not something that is inherently sweet.

I think the essential message that is being conveyed here is that the
actual sugar content is low. For beverages that at lightly sweetened I
often see the phrase 甘さひかえめ　being used as opposed to 微糖.

On Dec 5, 2:45 pm, Peter Clark <peterclarkat...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> As another can coffee fan, I go with Edward's "lightly sweetened". Most can coffee is very sweet, and I always go for the 微糖when available.
>
> Peter Clark
> Love the Georgia ads, but drink Fire when possible

> _________________________________________________________________
> Net yourself a bargain. Find great deals on eBay.http://a.ninemsn.com.au/b.aspx?URL=http%3A%2F%2Frover%2Eebay%2Ecom%2F...

[William Taylor]

> For beverages that at lightly sweetened I
>often see the phrase 甘さひかえめ　being used as opposed to 微糖.

I get the feeling that the beverages themselves are essentially the
same in this case, it 's just that a different marketing strategy is
being used.


Regards,
William Taylor

[AlanDavid]

William,

I drink quite a lot these (sugar content dependent upon my physical
state at the time!) and I must ass that there is a distinct difference
between the 微糖 and 甘さひかえめ　versions. The latter are always "lightly
sweetened" as opposed to sweet. The actual sweetness of the former
seems to vary between brands.

Alan

[Mark Stevenson]

I wrote:
> "low sugar" is probably better than "reduced sugar," actually.

Edward Lipsett wrote:
> Hmm. That's why I asked "lower than what?"
> "Low" is an absolute value, while "reduced" could still be 98% sugar...

> It's impossible to tell without context, but I have to disagree with you
> based on what we know thus far.

Yes, definitely, in prose you would need to be explicit.

But if it were a caption on product packaging, I think it's pretty
obvious that "low sugar" (or "reduced sugar") means less than the
amount usually found in the same makers canned coffee.

Peter Clark wrote:
> As another can coffee fan, I go with Edward's "lightly sweetened". Most can coffee is very sweet, and I always go for the 微糖when available.

Wow. I'm the opposite. I always choose 微糖 because I want to watch my
sugar intake, not for the taste, and I always felt that that was how
it was being marketed to me. But from what Nora said, also, it seems
it doesn't come across that way to everyone.

But then Alan David wrote:
> I think the essential message that is being conveyed here is that the

> actual sugar content is low. For beverages that at lightly sweetened I

> often see the phrase 甘さひかえめ　being used as opposed to 微糖.

. . . which is in line with the way it comes across to me. Hmm . . .

It all depends on the message they're trying to send. If the nuance is
important, then perhaps you should confirm it, Nori. Otherwise, I
think Edward is right that they are functionally equivalent (for
translation purposes, at least) to an audience that knows what's going
on.

Mark Stevenson
Tokyo

[Mark Stevenson]

> "lightly sweetened" also works, but I
> think the nuance is a little different from
> the common use of 微糖

Let me clarify that. I feel weird being so finickey over such a small
issue (guess who's having a slow week), but here goes.

Too me, there is a difference between "lightly sweetened" and "low
sugar." The former is focusing on flavor enhancement, the other on
there being less of stuff that's bad for you.

"Lightly sweetened" sounds like sugar (or another sweetener) has been
added to taste (and indeed, makers of canned coffee extoll the
tastiness of their style of 微糖 over their competitors'.)

But isn't the message usually "you can still have your sweetened
coffee, but now with less sugar than normal"? In which case "low
sugar" works better for me.

Mark Stevenson @ just some thoughts . . .
Tokyo

[島袋 典子]

Thank you everybody.

I will use "reduced sugar".

I agree with Edward that they all mean functionally the
same thing and those who will read the report would
undersatand what it means.

Thank you all for your comments and support.

Nori


2008/12/05 15:02 Mark Stevenson <mark...@gmail.com>:

[Shuichi Yamakawa]

Sorry for coming late and mudding your favorate beverage.
If the following point has already been raised, please
forgive my oversight.

According to information I have found at:
http://www.excite.co.jp/News/bit/00091180886847.html
the "Blendy" coffee by AGF comes in オリジナル, 低糖, 微糖, and
無糖 in the order of sweetness. 低糖 is sweeter than 微糖.
Other beverage makers may be using the same or different
words to indicate the sugar content of their products.
To make the matter worse, Comany A's 微糖 can be sweeter
than Company B's 低糖 because there is no official industry-
wide standard on absolute percentage figures of sugar content
and everything is relative.

I am afraid you have to save "low sugar" as a literal
translation of 低糖 and come up with another expression
for 微糖. You have to handle 甘さ控えめ and シュガーレス
also when they show up by any chance. Perhaps someone
can make a list of Japanese expressions and a list of
English expression to do mapping exercise.

Now, seriously, I think "reduced sugar," suggested by
many others, can be generic enough to cover all those
above-mentioned marketing terms.

By the way, I am 無党派, that is, 無糖派.

Shu

[AlanDavid]

Thanks for the input Shu :) Made me laugh

I had actually never thought about this before and so have been
grateful for the debate.

Alan

[William Taylor]

Alan David wrote:
>The actual sweetness of the former seems to vary between brands.

Well that's what "they" would like you to think, with their
Kilimanjaro and Demitasse, their Rainbow Mountain and Morning Shot.
I’ve always wonder who actually buys the 期間限定. Now I know.
You've been had! They all taste the same. There are only three
flavors:
1. black
2. black with sugar
3. sugar and creamer

無糖派 who will ocassionally have affairs with sugar varieties when
feeling especially tired,
William Taylor

[Mark Stevenson]

> I had actually never thought about this before and so have been
grateful for the debate.

Sentiment echoed. Such a small issue, but I thoroughly enjoyed this discussion.

Thanks to all!

Mark Stevenson
Tokyo

[Mallory James]

Having gone to the supermarket today in the US to buy some V8 juice, I can say with some authority that the "reduced sodium" variety of V8 simply means that it has less salt than the standard variety of V8. So perhaps "reduced sugar" may also be more appropriate.

 

Jim

 

---

Power up the Internet with Yahoo! Toolbar.

[Mika Jarmusz]

Shu-san wrote:
I am afraid you have to save "low sugar" as a literal
translation of 低糖 and come up with another expression
for 微糖.  You have to handle 甘さ控えめ and シュガーレス
also when they show up by any chance.   Perhaps someone
can make a list of Japanese expressions and a list of
English expression to do mapping exercise.

---
Yes.  As a translator I would want to respect how the company calls it in their marketing effort. In other words, what your taste buds tells you may not have ANY relevance, depending on the context. 
http://www.diet-pinky.com/mame/74.php
その証拠に、微糖と書かれた缶コーヒーには、スティックの砂糖3本分が入ってることがあります。これで微糖と書いてあるわけですから、驚きですよね。

Although for Noriko-san's particular assignment it may not matter however you translate it, I'm not sure, but for a marketing research, they may need to distinguish  微糖 from other existing reduced sugar labeling, so let me ask: has anyone mentioned 甘さ控えめand 低糖both assume that the presence of sugar is expected?  That it's supposed to be LESS than the amount that you are expecting?  Whereas, 微糖 implies that the coffee is expected NOT to have any sugar to begin with, and that a tiny amount is being "added"?  As Edward asked earlier on, "Less than what?"  I don't think you can use "less" or "reduced."  You also need to mention it's real sugar(糖), not artificial sweetner.  So what's the translation?  I don't translate into English...

Mika Jarmusz 清水美香
       English to Japanese Translator
       http://inJapanese.us

2008/12/4 Mallory James <mallo...@yahoo.co.jp>

[William Taylor]

> I am afraid you have to save "low sugar" as a literal
> translation of 低糖 and come up with another expression
> for 微糖. You have to handle 甘さ控えめ and シュガーレス
> also when they show up by any chance. Perhaps someone
> can make a list of Japanese expressions and a list of
> English expression to do mapping exercise.
> ---

In response to Shu`s challenge:
微糖 　　　　　super low sugar
低糖 　　　　　low sugar
甘さ控えめ lightly sweetened
シュガーレス well, I don`t really need to map this one out do I?

Regards,
William Taylor

[Shuichi Yamakawa]

Thank you Taylor-san.

>In response to Shu`s challenge:
>微糖 　　　　　super low sugar
>低糖 　　　　　low sugar
>甘さ控えめ lightly sweetened
>シュガーレス well, I don`t really need to map this one out do I?

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A5%E3%82%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9

There seems to be some standards on the lower end of sugar content.
You have シュガーレス（sugarless）、ノンシュガー（non sugar、non-sugar）、
無糖、糖類ゼロ beverages with sugar content under 0.5g per 100mL,
as well as beverages with labels stating their sugar content as
低、ひかえめ、小、ライト、ダイエット、オフ that containt less than
2.5g per 100mL.

To deliberately distinguish these designations, in discussing
Japan-specific industry practices, perhaps you might have to
use somewhat awkward modifiers such as mildly, moderately,
and slightly (saving "lightly" for ライト).

I leave the rest up to you. This is not my cup of tea anyway.

Shu

[Stephen A. Carter]

Shuichi Yamakawa wrote:
> http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A5%E3%82%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9
>
> There seems to be some standards on the lower end of sugar content.

Nescafe Japan makes a canned coffee called 匠, one version of which is
labeled with this translator-taunting copy:

-----
甘くない
男の微糖
[カロリーオフ]コーヒー
-----

The FAQ section of the product website has this:

-----
Q.「微糖」「低糖」とは何ですか？
A.「微糖」「低糖」は栄養表示基準に基づく強調表示の一つで、製品に含まれて
いる糖類が少ないことを示しています。
「微糖」、「低糖」の表示方法は絶対表示と相対表示の2種類があります。
絶対表示は、栄養表示基準で定められた糖類が低い旨の基準値の場合
（2.5g/100ml以下）の場合に使用可能です。
相対表示は、他の食品と比較して糖類が低減された旨を表示する方法です。
コーヒー飲料の場合は業界で定められている「コーヒー飲料等通常品
（7.5g/100ml）」を比較対象品とすることが一般的です。
-----

(http://jp.nescafe.com/takumi/)

--
Stephen A. Carter
sca...@hticn.com
Nagoya, Japan