In Japan, the technical translator often encoutners Japanese manuscripts laden with linguistic shortcuts and stylistic quirks, resulting in problems that can be classified as (1) technological, (2) linguistic, and (3) typographical. This paper focuses on linguistic and typographical problems which confront the Japanese-English translator in general and the non-Japanese translator in particular. It deals with ostensibly 'alien' elements in otherwise purely Japanese text. Other discussed include 'kanbun'-like constructions, the misuse of English typography in specifications, and symbols having special meanings in Japanese. Emphasis is on problems not discussed in commonly used text.