Every Japanese auction sheet has four sections: header fields (printed Japanese), body damage diagram (alphabet codes A/B/U/W/E), grade markers (修復歴, mileage stars), and inspector notes (検査員備考) — handwritten cursive Japanese containing the critical findings. The first three sections translate easily with a glossary. The inspector notes section is where 冠水 (flood), 骨格修正 (frame correction), 走行距離不明 (mileage doubt) and other risks get recorded — and where machine translation fails most. Always use professional human translation for the inspector notes.
Key takeaways
- Every Japanese auction sheet has 4 distinct sections — translate each separately with the right method.
- Header fields and damage codes are standardised and translate easily with a glossary.
- The inspector notes (検査員備考) section contains the critical findings — and is the section machine translation handles worst.
- The ten most critical terms (修復歴, 冠水, 骨格修正, 走行距離不明, 板金修理, 塗装, 交換, 劣化, 残量少, 車検) catch ~80% of risk findings.
- Google Translate frequently softens or skips critical terms — translating 冠水 as "wet" instead of "flood damage" is a documented failure mode.
- Cursive handwriting in inspector notes defeats OCR tools — human reading is required.
- Professional translation costs $5-$10 — between 0.05% and 0.5% of typical undetected-risk loss ($2,000-$10,000).
Most Japanese auction sheet content is translatable with a basic glossary. About 80% of the printed fields use standard Japanese terms that map cleanly to English.
The remaining 20% — the handwritten inspector notes section — is where the critical findings hide. Flood damage. Mileage doubts. Structural repairs. Unusual conditions. None of these appear in the standard damage grid. All of them appear in the inspector's handwritten Japanese notes.
This guide is the complete translation reference. Section by section, field by field, with the 80+ Japanese terms that matter, real inspector note examples translated, and a clear-eyed view of where machine translation succeeds and where it fails.
Why do Japanese auction sheets need translation?
Japanese auction sheets exist primarily for Japanese buyers reading Japanese in person at auction. Foreign buyers receive copies through exporters or verification services. The vehicle information was never originally written for non-Japanese audiences.
A foreign buyer reading only the visible numbers and codes — grade, mileage, body damage marks — sees roughly 60% of the actual content of the sheet. The other 40% sits in Japanese-only fields and the inspector's handwritten notes. Without translation, the buyer makes a purchase decision based on partial information.
The consequences are predictable. Across our verification work, vehicles purchased without proper translation account for the majority of buyer surprises post-shipment. The information was on the sheet — it was just not in a language the buyer could read.
What does each section of a Japanese auction sheet contain?
Every Japanese auction sheet has the same four sections regardless of which auction house issued it (USS, TAA, HAA, JU, CAA and others use slightly different layouts but the same content categories). Translating effectively means translating each section with the appropriate method.
Which header fields appear on every sheet?
The header section contains standardised printed Japanese fields. Every auction sheet uses these same terms. Once you learn them you can translate any header in seconds.
| Japanese | Romaji | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 車名 | shamei | Model name | e.g. Vellfire, Hiace, Prius |
| 型式 | katashiki | Chassis / type code | GGH30, NHP10, ANH20 etc. |
| 車台番号 | shadai bangō | Chassis number | Full chassis incl. serial |
| 色 | iro | Color | 白=white, 黒=black, 銀=silver |
| 年式 | nenshiki | Year / model year | Often shown as H30, R3, R5 etc. |
| 初年度登録 | shonen-do tōroku | First registration date | Japanese registration date |
| 走行 | sōkō | Mileage (running distance) | In km, may have ★ doubt marks |
| 車検 | shaken | Inspection certificate validity | "Inspection Valid Till MM/YYYY" |
| 排気量 | haikiryō | Engine displacement | In cc (e.g. 1500, 2500) |
| 燃料 | nenryō | Fuel type | ガソリン=petrol, 軽油=diesel, HV=hybrid |
| ミッション | misshon | Transmission | AT=auto, MT=manual, CVT |
| 駆動 | kudō | Drive type | 2WD or 4WD |
Japanese era years. Japanese auction sheets often use Japanese imperial era years instead of Gregorian. H30 = Heisei 30 = 2018. R3 = Reiwa 3 = 2021. R5 = Reiwa 5 = 2023. Conversion is critical for matching the year claimed against the chassis code generation.
What do the body damage codes mean?
Body damage uses alphabet codes marked on the car body diagram. The codes themselves are simple — the difficulty is interpreting severity and reading multiple codes correctly together.
| Code | Japanese | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | キズ | Scratch (small) | Surface scratch < index finger |
| A1-A4 | キズ | Scratch (sized) | Numbered for severity |
| B | 凹み | Dent (small) | Indentation, walnut-sized |
| U | 凹み (浅い) | Shallow dent | Slight surface deformation |
| W | 波打ち | Wave / panel ripple | From body filler — NOT water! |
| E | エクボ | Multiple small dents | Hail damage typically |
| P | 塗装 | Paint imperfection | Repaint or paint defect |
| C | サビ | Corrosion / rust | Surface rust visible |
| X | 交換 | Replaced part | Panel has been replaced |
| Y | 亀裂 | Crack | Plastic or glass crack |
| S | サビ穴 | Rust hole | Corrosion through panel |
| H | 補修跡 | Repair mark | Evidence of past repair |
Common mistake. W stands for 波打ち (wave / panel ripple) from body filler repair. It does NOT mean water damage. Flood damage is recorded as 冠水 in the inspector notes, never as a body code. Confusing W with water is one of the most common first-time-buyer mistakes.
For the complete damage code reference with diagrams: A and B marks, U, W, E, P, C marks, and X, Y, S, H marks.
Which grade markers indicate accident or damage history?
Grade markers tell you the inspector's verdict on the vehicle's overall condition and history. These are critical and use specific Japanese terminology that must be translated correctly.
| Japanese | Romaji | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 修復歴 有 | shūfukureki ari | Accident history declared | Major — R-grade or RA-grade |
| 修復歴 無 | shūfukureki nashi | No accident history | Clean structural record |
| 評価点 | hyōka-ten | Auction grade / score | e.g. 4.5, 5, R, RA, 0, 1 |
| 内装 | naisō | Interior grade | A=best, B, C, D, E=worst |
| 外装 | gaisō | Exterior grade | A=best, B, C, D, E=worst |
| 走行距離不明 | sōkō kyori fumei | Mileage unknown / unreliable | Inspector flagged mileage doubt |
| ★ | hoshi | Mileage doubt (1 star) | Some doubt about stated mileage |
| ★★★ | hoshi mittsu | Mileage doubt (3 stars) | High doubt — likely tampered |
| 骨格修正 | kokkaku shūsei | Frame correction / structural repair | Major finding — investigate |
| 骨格部位 | kokkaku bui | Structural part affected | Where the frame was repaired |
Which Japanese terms appear in inspector notes?
The inspector notes section is where the critical findings hide. This is the section that requires the most careful translation — and where machine translation fails most.
| Japanese | Romaji | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 検査員備考 | kensa-in bikō | Inspector's remarks (this section) | The notes section itself |
| 冠水 | kansui | Flood damage | Water reached floor/seat level |
| 水没 | suibotsu | Submerged (worst) | Fully underwater — total loss |
| 浸水 | shinsui | Water intrusion (mild) | Water entered but lower level |
| 下回り冠水跡 | shita-mawari kansui ato | Underbody flood marks | Flood marks underneath |
| 板金修理 | bankin shūri | Body / panel repair | Sheet metal work done |
| 塗装 | tosō | Repainted | Panel has been resprayed |
| 交換 | kōkan | Replaced | Panel or part replaced |
| 劣化 | rekka | Deterioration | Wear, age-related decline |
| 残量少 | zanryō shō | Low remaining (tread) | Tyres near end of life |
| 展開 | tenkai | Airbag deployed | Past airbag deployment |
| 事故 | jiko | Accident | Accident reference |
| 凹み | hekomi | Dent | Mentioned in notes |
| サビ | sabi | Rust | Corrosion noted |
| 傷 | kizu | Scratch / wound | Generic damage reference |
| 割れ | ware | Crack / split | Plastic, glass |
| 汚れ | yogore | Dirt / stain | Mostly interior |
| タバコ臭 | tabako shū | Cigarette smell | Smoking history |
| 機関 | kikan | Engine / mechanical | Mechanical system note |
| 走行過多疑 | sōkō kata gi | Suspected high mileage | Inspector mileage doubt |
What do real inspector notes look like translated?
Real inspector notes are short — usually 1-3 lines of Japanese. They use abbreviations, partial kanji, and context-dependent phrasing. Here are real examples translated by our team.
In our translation work, the single most consequential missed translation we see is 下回り冠水跡 (underbody flood marks). Buyers and even some translators miss the 下回り (underbody) qualifier and read this as a simple dirt note. The 跡 (ato, "marks") suffix is what makes it conclusive — it means the inspector physically saw evidence of historical flooding under the chassis. A vehicle with this notation should be treated as flood-damaged regardless of how clean the cabin looks.
Why does Google Translate fail on auction sheets?
Machine translation works reasonably well for general Japanese text but consistently fails on auction sheets for three specific reasons.
First, inspector notes are handwritten in cursive Japanese that OCR tools cannot read accurately. The cursive style varies by inspector, includes connected strokes, and uses abbreviated or partial kanji. Even commercial Japanese OCR systems struggle with this content.
Second, auction-industry terminology sits outside standard dictionary usage. Words like 冠水 (kansui = flood), 骨格修正 (kokkaku shūsei = frame correction), 残量少 (zanryō shō = low remaining tread) are specialised. Google Translate handles them poorly because they are statistical outliers in its training data.
Third, machine translation softens severity. The most documented failure mode is translating critical terms with innocuous English equivalents — making the vehicle sound less risky than it is.
How does translation difficulty vary by section?
Not all auction sheet content is equally difficult to translate. Knowing the difficulty tier of each section helps decide what you can self-translate vs what requires professional help.
Header fields + body damage codes + equipment list
Printed Japanese with standardised vocabulary. A glossary handles 95% of cases. Most buyers can learn these in 2-3 hours of study. Machine translation handles these reasonably well with the proviso that you double-check unfamiliar terms against the glossary.
Grade markers + accident indicators
Specialised but consistent terminology. 修復歴, 骨格修正, 走行距離不明 and similar terms appear repeatedly across sheets. Learn the critical 20 terms and you can self-check this section reliably. Machine translation handles this partially — works for some terms, fails on others.
Inspector notes — handwritten Japanese
Cursive handwriting in Japanese with auction-industry specialised vocabulary. Even fluent Japanese readers can find this difficult. OCR fails entirely on this section. Machine translation cannot read what it cannot OCR. Always use professional human translation for inspector notes — this is where the critical risk findings hide and where machines fail most.
How do you translate a Japanese auction sheet step by step?
The complete translation process for any Japanese auction sheet follows the same five steps. Each step handles a different section with the appropriate method.
Order a human translation of your auction sheet — $5 standalone, $10 with full report
Our Japan auction desk team translates the inspector notes section accurately — catching the critical terms machine translation softens or misses. Standard turnaround 30 minutes, 12-hour maximum.
Get Translation — $5 →When is translation essential vs nice-to-have?
Translation is essential for any auction-sold vehicle purchase you cannot read yourself. The cost ($5-$10) is so low relative to the risk that the cost-benefit is overwhelming.
Specific scenarios where translation is absolutely essential:
- First-time Japanese import buyers — you do not yet know which Japanese terms matter; translation is the only safeguard.
- Any vehicle above $5,000 in value — the inspector notes section is statistically likely to contain at least one risk-relevant term per sheet.
- Vehicles from flood-affected Japan regions within 24 months of major typhoons — 冠水 detection requires translation, period.
- Vehicles with low grade or any star on mileage — inspector notes often clarify what triggered the low grade.
- Hybrid vehicles — hybrid system fault history appears in inspector notes if present.
- Vehicles from sellers refusing to share original sheet — this itself is a red flag; verification with translation becomes mandatory.
In 2025-2026 we have seen translation requests double for vehicles from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — markets where first-time importers historically attempted self-translation with predictably poor outcomes. The shift toward professional translation reflects buyer experience accumulated over the previous 24 months — many buyers who tried machine translation once and got burned do not try it twice.
What are the most common translation mistakes?
The translation pitfalls our team sees most often
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the translation questions our team is asked most often. Tap any question to expand.