Continued from last week, here is a discussion of a few more alternatives to "What's New." This week, I discuss some phrases that some readers sent to me as suggestions.
"Latest Information" sounds different, and very updated. "Latest" suggests that the information on the site is updated regularly. This is a good phrase for professional, but casual, sites that have regular information (not news) to update. It would be good for special interest groups (such as Greenpeace), schools (jukus or universities), government sites (such as driver's license bureau), etc. However, this would not be appropriate for a formal business site because "latst information" doesn't sound businesslike.
"Fresh News" is not a good phrase to use on an English website. In English, "fresh" usually means fresh fruit or fresh air (新鮮な), it doesn't usually mean "new" (新しい). Please avoid using the word "fresh" in your English websites unless it's an e-commerce site actually selling fresh flowers or fresh vegetables.
"What's Up" should also be avoided. It really means "How are you?" and most sites don't expect an answer to this question. For a non-corporate site, "What's up at XXXX" sounds informal and friendly as a link to the site's news or introduction page.
In summary, "Latest Information" would be good for an informative, non-news page. "Fresh News" should be avoided because it's not natural English. "What's Up" doesn't mean "What's New," though "What's Up at XXXX" is a nice, inviting phrase to invite viewers deeper into your site.
＜日本語要約＞
"What's New" の類似表現(3)：
今回は、読者からのリクエスト（質問）にお答えします。
"Latest Information"は、サイトの情報が定期的に更新されているという印象を与えます。ビジネス的ではないため、団体や学校、政府系サイトなどにおすすめ。
"Fresh News"は自然な英語ではありません。"Fresh"とは、あくまで物が「新鮮な」ことです。新鮮な物を販売するＥコマースサイトでないのなら、使用は避けて下さい。
"What's Up"は答えを期待しない軽い挨拶言葉ですからやはり使用は避けるべき。堅くないサイトならば、"What's Up at XXXX（サイト名など）"とすれば親しみを感じさせるニュースリンクになります。
[コラムトップへ]
