When I do translations (翻訳）, one of the most difficult words to write in English is 積極的. Many people just write "positively," but often, there are other words that are better. "Positive" is close to 前向き or 楽観的.
Using positively could be confusing because if you say, "He contributed positively" (彼は積極的に貢献した), it sounds like "多いに貢献した。”
If you wanted to translate "積極的に研究を振興した”, it would sound strange to say "He positively promoted the research." It is better to say, "He actively promoted the research."
Often, the meaning of 積極的 is closer to "actively," "aggressively," "proactively," or "take an active role in." Here is some information about some different ways to say 積極的 in English.
Actively - "Active" is the opposite (反対） of "passive" (受身的), so the word "actively" means that a person is making things happen, not waiting for others to do something.
例： He participated actively in the activity. (活動に積極的に参加した。）
Aggressively - Sometimes aggressive has a negative meaning. It can mean 攻撃的 or 挑戦的. For example, you could say, "No one likes him because he's so aggressive." But sometimes, "aggressive" has a good meaning, meaning that people make a strong effort or try to "attack" problems or challenges.
例： We aggressively market our website. （積極的にウェブサイトを売り込む。）
Proactively - "Proactive" (前向きな、積極的な、率先、革新的) means that you prepare for trouble before it happens or don't wait for others to do something.
例： You should proactively take advantage of business opportunities. (ビジネスチャンスを積極的に利用するべき。）
Take an active role in - Sometimes it's better to use a phrase such as "take an active role in".
例： I want to take an active role in it. "積極的な役割を果たしたい。”
Using positively could be confusing because if you say, "He contributed positively" (彼は積極的に貢献した), it sounds like "多いに貢献した。”
If you wanted to translate "積極的に研究を振興した”, it would sound strange to say "He positively promoted the research." It is better to say, "He actively promoted the research."
Often, the meaning of 積極的 is closer to "actively," "aggressively," "proactively," or "take an active role in." Here is some information about some different ways to say 積極的 in English.
Actively - "Active" is the opposite (反対） of "passive" (受身的), so the word "actively" means that a person is making things happen, not waiting for others to do something.
例： He participated actively in the activity. (活動に積極的に参加した。）
Aggressively - Sometimes aggressive has a negative meaning. It can mean 攻撃的 or 挑戦的. For example, you could say, "No one likes him because he's so aggressive." But sometimes, "aggressive" has a good meaning, meaning that people make a strong effort or try to "attack" problems or challenges.
例： We aggressively market our website. （積極的にウェブサイトを売り込む。）
Proactively - "Proactive" (前向きな、積極的な、率先、革新的) means that you prepare for trouble before it happens or don't wait for others to do something.
例： You should proactively take advantage of business opportunities. (ビジネスチャンスを積極的に利用するべき。）
Take an active role in - Sometimes it's better to use a phrase such as "take an active role in".
例： I want to take an active role in it. "積極的な役割を果たしたい。”
