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会計 vs 経理

English translation: accounting vs finance

05:27 Sep 12, 2007
Japanese to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Accounting
Japanese term or phrase: 会計 vs 経理
Could somebody enlighten me as to the difference between 会計 and 経理? They are frequently given in the text I am working on as different requirements for people looking for accounting jobs.

Requirements for candidates:

財務・会計・経理業務のBPRコンサルティング

会計・経理業務の業務改革
CalumR
Japan
Local time: 10:51
English translation:accounting vs finance
Explanation:
I think one refers to accounting and reporting (P&L, annual reports, planning and control) while the other refers to expense processing, payroll, billing, etc. - In my head, "経理" sounds like the day to day work to ensure a company's financial obligations are served while 会計 is more high level reporting and planning.
Selected response from:

Kurt Hammond
United States
Local time: 18:51
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
2 +7accounting vs finance
Kurt Hammond
4 +1経理 Book keeping vs 簿記 Account Ledger
Fred Moosreiner
4kaikei =company totals vs keiri accounting
Fred Moosreiner


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +7
accounting vs finance


Explanation:
I think one refers to accounting and reporting (P&L, annual reports, planning and control) while the other refers to expense processing, payroll, billing, etc. - In my head, "経理" sounds like the day to day work to ensure a company's financial obligations are served while 会計 is more high level reporting and planning.

Kurt Hammond
United States
Local time: 18:51
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  fudoushin: 会計 is more academic sounding in its meaning referring to journals, postings, B/S, P/L etc and 経理 is more the processes like paying of expenses through bank deposits etc
45 mins
  -> Thanks
agree  cinefil: http://www.bizocean.jp/jiten/archives/2005/11/post_384.html
1 hr
  -> Thanks. This confirms my "hunch" :-)
agree  Ruth Sato
1 hr
  -> Thanks
agree  Fred Moosreiner: Yes, I agree. Think that 経理 = book keeping. 会計 = Accounting as in Certified Public Accounting
6 hrs
  -> Yes thanks. but 経理 refers to not just bookkeeping but refers to all of the administrative activity to keep a company's finances running smoothly
agree  Roger Johnson
8 hrs
  -> Thanks
agree  casey: Whenever a translator has a payment issue it's off to the 経理担当 to find out what's wrong. :)
8 hrs
  -> yeah, if your check hasn't arrived, go ask "finance"
agree  sigmalanguage: Agree with your explanation, but why "finance" for 経理? Like Fred, bookkeeping is the closest word I can think of for 経理.
9 hrs
  -> I chose finance because that is the term I hear in the workplace. Bookkeeping is 簿記 and I do not hear references to either of those. 経理 is not just bookkeeping. it refers to all of the administrative activity to keep a company's finances running smoothly.
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12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
経理 Book keeping vs 簿記 Account Ledger


Explanation:
経理 (think about it means literally controlling the flow), ergo

簿記 is the account Ledger (formally a handwritten record book, today a computer program- digital ink) which is an official document in auditing and fraud investigation (the term cooking the books). Financial management is based upon the figures in the account books arranged in a logical order, but require in addition input from operations and the businesses strategy. That is why there is a head of accounting or finance to interact with the other dynamic needs of the business. Yes, the finance department is over accounting but is not accounting anywhere in the order to prevent cooking the books. (separation of payables and receivables and check cutting). The financial department's role is to insure that the fund inflows and outflows over a longer time span than the monthly booking meet the operational dynamics of the business and deals with investor relations and official reporting to government agencies. Answering to an audit is the responsibility of management based upon the book keeping.

(Starting with a good basic book on any translation subject helps to reduce the "fog of Translation"... probably more than any one wants to know.

Fred Moosreiner
United States
Local time: 21:51
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nobuo Kameyama
1 hr
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14 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
kaikei =company totals vs keiri accounting


Explanation:
This topic has come about full circle at this point.
会計 vs 経理

Thinking literally,

会計 = Company Totals = Performance/for a defined period
経理 = controlling the flow and recording of all transactions processing related to the business.

Ergo

the work of 経理 is added together to produce the results of 会計

The function, repsonsiblities and value of 経理 are the same no matter what business, no matter what country.

What you are seeing in Japan is an admix of keiri and 総務,general affairs, which when cross-fertilized appear to be running everything.
However, this is not the case. Keiri actually function as policemen to make sure everyone else is following the rules to allow accurate company totals. No Salesman can change a submitted voucher with out going through keiri and having a manager approve the change.
If you are late getting paid. Question one asked internally is "was the payment made". Only keiri can confirm this. Next the back tracking begins to determine where the control flow of keiri went off the track. Papers do get misplaced, generally the bottom of the file or back of the desk draw.

Just remember all the hustle bustle of keiri/somu is to free the maximum amount of time for sales/engineering/production/marketin to put some beans in the pot so they can be cooked. ;-]

Fred Moosreiner
United States
Local time: 21:51
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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