Make your product work in Japan.

Not just translated — truly usable, trusted, adopted.

IC Eight works with SaaS and global product teams on Japanese UX localization.
The goal isn’t translation — it’s making the product feel trusted and usable in Japan.

Sound familiar?

• You're using NMT (DeepL, Google) because it's fast and cheap
• No one on your team reads Japanese fluently
• You bug a Japanese friend every few weeks to "make sure it's okay"
• You know something's not quite right, but can't pinpoint what
• You're stuck — and you don't know who to ask for help

You're not alone. Most startups are in this exact spot.

Why This Happens — And What We Do Instead

Most teams assume that once the English is correct, the translation should simply follow. But in Japan, the UX usually breaks long before translation.

risk-related wording
signals of trust
tone and nuance
onboarding and help content
decision-making cues

If the language doesn’t feel clear and safe, users hesitate — even when the wording is technically correct.

So products end up “localized,” but never quite feel usable or trusted.

That’s why IC Eight exists. Not to polish translations — but to shape the Japanese language layer so the product feels intentional, credible, and worth adopting.

[ Where Japanese UX breaks adoption → ]

The IC Eight Difference

Traditional agencies are built for big launches, not fast iteration.
You don't need a 50-page style guide and a 3-week turnaround.

You don't need a vendor.
You need someone who:

• Understands your product (not just the words)
• Speaks startup pace
• Helps you stay in control, not take it away

Want to see what this looks like in practice?
Here’s how IC Eight works with product teams, day-to-day — the Japanese layer, treated as a system rather than a translation task.

[ How We Work → ]

Start Small

Not sure where to begin?
Send us your AI-generated help page, onboarding copy, or popup messages.
We’ll tell you where it breaks trust — and how to fix it.

[ Let’s review your Japanese UX → ]

Articles

Thought pieces, analyses, and notes on the future of Japanese localization — written for teams building global products.

• When a “Localized” Product Still Feels Unlocalized →
  A look at Gamma's Japanese UX and why language still defines usability.
• Start Smaller, Win Faster – Why Multilingual Rollouts Don’t Need to Be All-or-Nothing →
  Multilingual launches sound impressive — but they often fail to deliver. Here’s why smaller, phased rollouts create stronger UX, faster wins, and smarter teams.
• DeepL or GPT? Why the Type of AI Translation Matters →
  Updated for LLM-first workflows in 2025. What's best for your product?

[ View all articles on Medium → ]

FAQ

Just getting started? These are the top 3 questions we hear:

Q: Do we need a long-term contract?
A: No. Most teams start with a small review of one page or one product area.
But when there’s a good fit, ongoing collaboration — monthly check-ins, quick reviews, content planning — tends to create the best results.

Q: What should we send you first?
A: Anything your Japanese users see — landing pages, onboarding flows, help docs, UI copy, emails, or error messages.
If some of it was AI-generated and you’re not sure it’s working, send it over.
IC Eight will flag where trust or clarity may be at risk.

Q: Who will we be working with?
A: All work is handled by a single senior operator with 25+ years of experience in translation and product-facing content.
No junior hand-offs. No anonymous offshore teams.
You always know who is responsible for your Japanese UX.

[ More questions → ]

Ready to make your product work in Japan?

Japanese localization built for clarity, confidence, and adoption.

One operator. One language pair.

Curious who’s behind IC Eight?
Here’s the human doing the work →