Translation guide
The English verb "defer" has two main meanings: (1) to postpone or delay something, and (2) to yield to someone else's opinion, authority, or wishes. These meanings are expressed with different Japanese words and patterns.
We deferred the meeting to next week.
We had no choice but to defer our departure.
Literally "send ahead," used for pushing a decision or problem into the future, often with a nuance of avoiding it.
The issue was deferred (kicked down the road).
To carry over an unresolved matter to a future time, often used for agenda items or pending issues.
Let's defer this matter to the next meeting.
Means "to delay" in a general sense. Can translate "defer" when the focus is on making something happen later than planned.
Could you defer the payment?
To accept or comply with someone else's decision, expertise, or wishes, often out of respect.
A general pattern meaning "to follow/defer to (a person, rule, decision)." Use with nouns like 意見 (opinion), 判断 (judgment), 指示 (instructions).
I will defer to my boss's judgment.
You should defer to the expert's opinion.
Means "to leave (a decision) to someone," implying trust and deference to their judgment.
A formal phrase meaning "to respect someone's wishes/intentions," often used when deferring to a superior or client.
Means "to yield, concede, or give way." Can be used for deferring to someone in a discussion or competition.
English "defer" covers both postponement and yielding, but Japanese uses completely different words. Using 延期する when you mean "yield to someone" will cause confusion. Always identify the intended meaning first.
Postpone a meeting vs. yield to the boss
延期する is neutral and simply means rescheduling. 先送りする often carries a negative nuance of avoiding a difficult decision or problem by pushing it into the future.
Let's defer the details to the experts.
Deferring to the client's wishes, we changed the design.
彼は先輩に譲って、自分の意見を言わなかった。
He deferred to his senior and didn't state his own opinion.
Postpone an event vs. kick the problem down the road