How should I translate 株式会社 into English?

Question

This is a question that has been very challenging for me.

Why? Well, the Wikipedia article on kabushiki gaisha should explain why.

Seriously, the article gives multiple translations, which may or may not be accurate.

I would greatly appreciate some insight on this matter.

If you're looking for the translation of a specific company, most large Japanese companies have their official English names. Look at 会社概要 or similar section of their website. — naruto, Apr 30 '18 at 3:35
Hey, thanks for that! That should help me figure out the appropriate translation the next time I read up on a Japanese company! — Micheal Gignac, Apr 30 '18 at 12:57

Eiríkr Útlendi · Accepted Answer · 2018-04-27 19:55:38Z

How to translate anything depends on the context.

Sometimes this is rendered simply as [Company Name], Inc.
Another option is [Company Name] Corporation
Yet another option is [Company Name] Co., Ltd.
If the Japanese-ness is important, [Company Name], KK
In isolation, it really depends on what you're trying to convey. If you're trying to talk about the specifics of this kind of joint-stock company in the context of the Japanese financial and legal system, you'd probably start by saying "we're talking about Japanese joint-stock companies, commonly called kabushiki gaisha in Japanese; for convenience, we will use this term below..."

What is the objective of your use of this term? Figure that out first, and how to translate it (if at all) will become clearer.

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