Guide
How to Translate a Japanese Auction Sheet (Free Photo Tool)
Short answer: To translate a Japanese auction sheet, photograph it and upload it to a tool that reads the Japanese fields — grade, interior grade, mileage, damage codes and the inspector's comments — into English. Kensacheck reads the chassis off your photo and verifies it against the original auction record, so you get a translation you can trust, not just a guess.
A Japanese auction sheet mixes kanji, romaji abbreviations and auction-house shorthand, so it's genuinely hard to read the first few times. Here's how to turn one into plain English — and why translating it is only half the job.
What's actually on the sheet (in Japanese)
- 車台番号 (chassis / frame number) — the vehicle's identity.
- 評価点 (overall grade) — a number, roughly 1 to 6, plus S (as-new) and R/RA (accident-repaired).
- 内装 (interior grade) — a letter, A to D.
- 走行 (mileage) — the recorded odometer at auction.
- The car diagram — damage codes (A scratch, U dent, W wave/repair, S rust, X replace) marked by location.
- 備考 (inspector's comments) — free-text notes, the most useful and hardest part to read.
How to translate it
- Photograph the sheet — whole page, in focus, good light.
- Upload it on the Kensacheck homepage with "Upload auction sheet photo." It reads the sheet and pulls the chassis number.
- Get the details in English — the report translates the grade, mileage, damage map and inspector's comments into plain English written for Australian buyers.
Prefer to learn the terms yourself? See the auction sheet terminology glossary and how to read an auction sheet.
Translating isn't the same as verifying
Here's the catch: the sheet a seller shows you can be doctored. Translating a fake sheet just gives you a tidy English version of false information. That's why Kensacheck doesn't only translate the photo — it reads the chassis and checks it against the original auction record, so you can see whether the grade and mileage on your sheet match what the auction house actually recorded. Learn how auction sheets get faked.
FAQ
How do I translate a Japanese auction sheet to English?
Photograph the sheet and upload it to Kensacheck. It reads the Japanese fields — grade, mileage, damage and inspector comments — and returns them in plain English, then verifies the chassis against the original auction record.
Can I just use Google Translate on the auction sheet?
A general translator struggles with the auction-house shorthand and handwritten inspector notes, and it can't tell you whether the sheet is genuine. A purpose-built check reads the specific fields and compares them to the original record.
Is translating the auction sheet enough before I buy?
No. A translation only tells you what the sheet says. Because sheets can be altered, verify the chassis against the original auction record before you pay a deposit.
Ready to check a car? Pull the original Japanese auction sheet and your Australian PPSR & NEVDIS check in one report — verify auction sheet.