A: I think Ms. C really liked our presentation. She said it was impressive.
B: Maybe, but I think she was just being polite.
A: You don’t think she meant it?
B: Hard to say. Let’s wait and see what feedback she gives us later.
In this situation, what should you say ‘she was just being polite’ in Japanese?
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B：どうでしょう。ただの社交辞令だと思いますけど。
Note: This is not a word-for-word translation.
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A word-for-word translation
B：そうかもしれませんが、彼女はただ礼儀正しくしていただけだと思います。
Although it is grammatically correct, it sounds a little stiff and unnatural.
In Japanese, it is more common to use expressions that convey the nuances of interpersonal relationships.
For example, it would be more natural to say 社交辞令 than 礼儀正しくしていた.
社交辞令 is a polite expression appropriate for the situation, but it may not necessarily reflect your true feelings.
So, ただの社交辞令だと思いますけど nicely conveys the nuance of ‘a formal compliment that isn’t really what you mean’ in English — ‘just being polite’.
どうでしょう is a natural Japanese way of starting a sentence when gently disagreeing with the other person’s opinion.
This sounds softer and more natural in conversation and matches the tone of the original sentence.
Kotoba no Hibiki 