日本推出多语言电话翻译服务吸引外国游客

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

有报道称，如今，在日旅游遇到语言障碍的外国游客，可以通过24小时多语言电话翻译服务获得帮助了。

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.

据《日本时报》网站(Japan Times website)报道：随着赴日旅游的外国游客人数的激增，日本地方政府开始为他们提供翻译服务，因为大部分游客对日语一窍不通。在某些地区，酒店、汽车租赁公司或饭店员工接听翻译热线，负责解答游客的问题。但在其他地区，游客还是直接与热线中心联络。

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.

近几个月来，赴日旅游的国际游客数量飙升。日本国家旅游局(Japan National Tourism Organisation)数据显示：8月约有182万外国游客到日本旅游，较前一年增长了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.

日本地方当局与经营电话服务的私人公司合作，工作人员可以为游客提供他们所需的一切帮助，无论是寻找会说特定语言的医生，还是在纪念品商店讨价还价。有一家公司能为游客提供俄语、印尼语等13种语言服务。滋贺县(日本地名)发言人木村寿治说：“就酒店方面的服务而言，游客经常会问些简单的问题，如什么时间供应早餐或晚餐。他们还经常会询问如何把行李寄回家，木村说。

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."|在日本南部的佐贺县，政府推出了一款智能手机应用程序，使游客能直接与运营商联系，运营商会解答游客的问题或代表游客与当地服务机构联系。佐贺县旅游协会(Saga Tourism Federation)发言人说：“我们把消防部门和警察也加了进来，如果你开着租来的汽车发生交通事故或需要紧急医疗救助，便可以使用该服务。

Vocabulary

multilingual：使用多种语言的

decipher：解释