Guide
7 Mistakes People Make Translating an Auction Sheet
Short answer: The biggest auction-sheet translation mistakes are trusting a general translator with the grade and damage codes, ignoring the car diagram, misreading the inspector's comments, and translating a sheet without checking it's genuine. Use a tool built for auction sheets and verify the result against the original auction record.
Getting the translation wrong costs real money — you bid on a car that isn't what the sheet says. Here are the mistakes to avoid.
1. Trusting Google Translate with the codes
It reads text literally and can't interpret grades or damage-map letters. See translate auction sheet vs Google Translate.
2. Ignoring the car diagram
The letters on the diagram (A, U, W, S, X) are where repairs and rust live. Skipping them means missing the condition. Decode them: auction sheet damage codes.
3. Missing 修復歴あり
"Has repair history" is the single most important phrase on the sheet. A literal translation can bury it.
4. Reading the grade without the comments
An R grade or a "4" tells you the summary; the inspector's comments tell you why. Translate both.
5. Cropping the photo
Cut off the comments box or the diagram and you lose the most valuable parts. Photograph the whole page — tips here.
6. Confusing interior and exterior grade
The number and the A–D letter measure different things. See interior grade vs exterior grade.
7. Translating a fake and trusting it
The worst mistake: a doctored sheet translated neatly is still false. Always check the sheet against the original auction record.
Avoid every one of these: upload a photo to the auction sheet translator and verify a sheet in plain English — free.
The fix
Use the auction sheet translator — built for the format, so grades, marks and comments come out right — then let Kensacheck verify the chassis against the original record so you're acting on facts, not a tidy mistranslation.
FAQ
What's the most common auction sheet translation mistake?
Trusting a general translator with the grade and damage codes, which it can't interpret.
How do I avoid mistranslating a sheet?
Use a tool built for auction sheets and verify the result against the original auction record.
Ready to check a car? Pull the original Japanese auction sheet and your Australian PPSR & NEVDIS check in one report — check your auction sheet.