"If your computer speaks English, it was probably made in Japan"

Alan Perlis’s statement, “If your computer speaks English, it was probably made in Japan,” captures the paradoxical relationship between language, technology, and globalization at the dawn of the modern computing era. On its surface, the quote highlights the strange irony that emerged as computers spread globally: while English was, and remains, the dominant language for programming, user interfaces, and documentation, much of the essential hardware and even significant innovation originated in non-English-speaking countries, particularly Japan during the late twentieth century.

By the 1970s and 1980s, Japan had established itself as a powerhouse in microelectronics, consumer electronics, and early personal computers. Iconic companies like NEC, Toshiba, Sony, and Fujitsu produced the chips, screens, circuit boards, and entire machines that were shipped worldwide. These devices supported operating systems and applications overwhelmingly designed in English or for English-speaking users. While American companies such as IBM and Apple may have set the standard for personal computing architecture and software, the story of manufacturing, assembly, and advancement in computer technology was increasingly defined by Japanese expertise and innovation.

Perlis’s observation draws attention to an interdependence: linguistic dominance lay with the English-speaking American and British tech sectors, but manufacturing and much technical excellence resided in Japan. This reflects broader themes of globalization, where production and intellectual development are distributed across borders, often with unexpected juxtapositions. It also hints at the sometimes invisible hands that shape everyday technological experiences; the user communicates with their device in English, rarely considering the multinational collaboration, cross-cultural exchange, and economic dynamics that contributed to that seamless interaction.

The remark invites reflection on how technological ecosystems evolve: language, production, and innovation are not always unified, and understanding their entanglement is essential for grasping the true complexity of the digital world. In essence, what we see and use is just the tip of a vast, cross-cultural technological iceberg.