In case of disaster: foreigner version 1/16

消火器は「火を消す道具」　外国人にやさしい災害用語集

A fire extinguisher is a tool to put out fires: Simple disaster vocab for foreigners

「消 火器」は「火を消す道具」、「給水」は「水をもらうこと」――。被災時に外国人に情報を伝えるには、外国語よりも分かりやすい日本語が効果的だと、青森県 弘前市の弘前大学社会言語学研究室が「『やさしい日本語』版災害基礎語彙（ごい）１００」を作った。阪神大震災の起きた１７日に合わせてホームページで公 表する。

"Fire extinguisher," has become "tool to put out fires," while "water supply" has become "place where you get water."

In order to convey information to foreigners more easily during times of disasters, and because easy Japanese is more effective than foreign languages, the Social Language Research Center at Hirosaki University in Aomori Prefecture has created the "Basic Disaster Vocabulary 100: Easy Japanese edition." The new usages were announced on the organization's homepage on Jan. 17, the anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake.

用語集作りでは、１９８３年の日本海中部地震と９５年の阪神大震災で被災した児童の作文集をもとに、使う頻度の高かった災害用語１００語を選んだ。そのうち日本語能力試験１、２級以上のレベルの４７語について「やさしい日本語」への言い換えを併記した。

Compiling the glossary was based on compositions by pupils who lived through the 1983 Nihonkai-Chubu earthquake and the Hanshin disaster in 1995. The 100 most frequently used terms from the compositions were chosen. Of the 100, 47 phrases in the Japanese Proficiency Test, levels 1 and 2, have been rephrased to "easy Japanese."

例えば、「大震災」は「大きい地震」、「懐中電灯」は「手に持つ電気」とした。声に出して耳で理解できるか、外国人２０人に聞き取ってもらうなどチェックもした。

Some examples of the rephrasing include such changes as "daishinsai" to "ookii jishin" and "kaichuu dentou" to "te ni motsu denki." Twenty foreigners were also asked about the changes in an effort to check their understanding of the rephrasing.

阪神大震災で大勢の外国人が災害情報から取り残され、２次被害の危険にさらされたことが今回の用語作りのきっかけとなった。

The recent vocabulary revamp is an attempt to avoid a reoccurence the events after the Hanshin quake, when a large number of foreigners were left out of the loop and stranded because the available disaster information was insufficient.

同研究室の佐藤和之教授は、「緊急時に外国人を避難所へと誘導したり避難生活での最低限必要な情報を伝えたりするには、英語などへの翻訳に時間をかけるより日常的に使う簡単な日本語の方が早く、さまざまな母語の人に対応できる」と言う。

"In order to guide foreigners to evacuation centers and deliver the minimum necessary information to get by, using everyday, simple Japanese is faster than translating the information into English -- and it works better for people who speak other languages," said professor Kazuyuki Sato, of the Hirosaki research center.

同研究室は、被災時に自治体や消防、ボランティア団体らがラジオ放送や防災無線を使って情報を流したり、外国人向けの防災ポスターを作ったりする際に用語集を活用してほしいと期待する。

The same researchers hope that local bodies, fire departments, and other volunteer groups will put the new vocabulary lists into practce when broadcasting information via radio and wireless communications and in foreigner-oriented disaster-prevention posters.

佐藤教授は「災害時などでも外国人には英語など外国語で伝えないといけないという日本人の先入観があるが、できるだけやさしい日本語を使うことで十分に助けられる」と話している。

There are some Japanese who have the preconcieved notion that information must be conveyed to foreigners only in English or other foriegn languages --even times of disaster, but using simple Japanese as much as possible can also be extremely helpful," Sato said.