日本推出多語言電話翻譯服務吸引外國遊客大綱

Tourists who encounter a language barrier while visiting Japan can now access 24-hour, multilingual phone assistance, it's reported.

有報道稱，如今，在日旅遊遇到語言障礙的外國遊客，可以通過24小時多語言電話翻譯服務獲得幫助了。

Local authorities have started offering the translation services after a boom in foreign visitors, many of whom have little knowledge of Japanese, The Japan Times website reports. In some areas the hotlines are accessed by staff in hotels, car rental companies or restaurants to decipher tourists' queries, but others enable visitors to contact a call centre directly.

據《日本時報》網站報道：隨着赴日旅遊的外國遊客人數的激增，日本地方政府開始爲他們提供翻譯服務，因爲大部分遊客對日語一竅不通。在某些地區，酒店、汽車租賃公司或飯店員工接聽翻譯熱線，負責解答遊客的問題。但在其他地區，遊客還是直接與熱線中心聯絡。

The number of international visitors arriving in Japan has soared in recent months. In August, an estimated 1.82 million foreign tourists entered the country, a 64% increase on the previous year, according to figures from the Japan National Tourism Organisation.

近幾個月來，赴日旅遊的國際遊客數量飆升。日本國家旅遊局數據顯示：8月約有182萬外國遊客到日本旅遊，較前一年增長了64%。

Local authorities have partnered with private companies which run the call centres, and staff can help people with everything from finding a doctor who speaks a particular language, to negotiating a deal in a souvenir shop. One company has 13 languages available, including Russian and Indonesian. "In the case of hotels, guests often ask simple questions such as what time is breakfast or dinner," says Toshiharu Kimura, a spokesman for Shiga Prefecture. They also often ask how to send baggage home, he says.

日本地方當局與經營電話服務的私人公司合作，工作人員可以爲遊客提供他們所需的一切幫助，無論是尋找會說特定語言的醫生，還是在紀念品商店討價還價。有一家公司能爲遊客提供俄語、印尼語等13種語言服務。滋賀縣發言人木村壽治說：“就酒店方面的服務而言，遊客經常會問些簡單的問題，如什麼時間供應早餐或晚餐。”他們還經常會詢問如何把行李寄回家，木村說。

In the southern Saga Prefecture, the government has launched a smartphone app to connect tourists directly to an operator, who can answer queries or contact local services on a tourist's behalf. A spokeswoman for the Saga Tourism Federation says: "We've gotten the fire department and the police on board as well, so you can use the service for help if you are involved in a traffic accident in a rented car or you need urgent medical help."

在日本南部的佐賀縣，政府推出了一款智能手機應用程序，使遊客能直接與運營商聯繫，運營商會解答遊客的問題或代表遊客與當地服務機構聯繫。佐賀縣旅遊協會發言人說：“我們把消防部門和警察也加了進來，如果你開着租來的汽車發生交通事故或需要緊急醫療救助，便可以使用該服務。”