Note/collaboration tool "Notion" supports Japanese

Notion Japanese beta screen

The collaboration software "Notion", which can be used for memos and project management, began offering a Japanese beta version on October 13th.

Notion is an all-in-one workspace that combines notes, documents, project management, wikis and more. The functions that will be translated into Japanese include the Notion homepage, Notion's browser usage, help pages, guides, and templates. The Notion desktop and mobile apps will support Japanese in the coming weeks.

In addition to being used as a notebook app for taking notes, users can customize and use it as a place for collaboration, such as managing projects and tasks, and publishing web pages. The basic features are free, but the paid version Personal Pro for personal use is $ 4 per month, Team is $ 8 per user. An Enterprise version is also available. It is used not only for personal use but also as a collaboration tool, and in Japan it is used by Sompo Light Vortex, Raksul, Smart News and more than 1,000 startups.

Many parts such as registration screens and menus have been translated into Japanese, and help pages will also be translated into Japanese.

Furthermore, Japan-specific functions have been added. In Notion, you can call [BASIC BLOCKS] with a half-width forward slash (/) while entering characters to create lists, quotations, and other formats, tables, and new pages. , Especially in the case of Windows, it took time to switch to English input once. Therefore, I made it possible to call up the block list by pressing the semicolon (;) while inputting Japanese. This is a function only when Japanese is selected, and is said to have been implemented in response to requests from Japanese users.

"Born in Kyoto" Notion . Strengthening Partnerships

Notion is growing rapidly across Europe, and is promoting localization globally, with companies introducing it in South Korea. Among them, there is a particularly high demand for enterprise use in Japan, and many users are using it, so we released the Japanese version.

Notion users have exceeded 20 million worldwide. We have not disclosed figures by region or details of paid users, but compared to August 2020 and August this year, daily active users (DAU) have quadrupled and continue to expand.

In 2021, we have been focusing on community and Japanese localization, but "we have reached one milestone" (Notion Labs General Manager Japan Katsukiyo Nishi). In Japan, there is a lot of attention for enterprises, so in addition to strengthening functions to cover all work, we have started expanding partnerships. Along with increasing the number of API-linked tools, we are looking for sales partners.

Notion co-founders Ivan Zhao and Simon Last moved to Kyoto during Notion's early development and were impressed by the craftsmen's attention to detail and Japanese hospitality. The inspiration received from Kyoto is used in Notion's service, and Mr. Nishi said, "In a sense, I was born in Kyoto." It is said that this time's Japaneseization is not a "translation", but a localization that suits the culture.