どちらに逃げればいいのかわからない。手を引かれて高台にたどりつき初めて津波を知った人もいるという。避難所でも情報が届かず孤立しがちだ。そうした聴覚障害者にとって「３・１３」は記念すべき日になった▲首相官邸での官房長官会見に手話通訳が登場したのだ。弱者に優しい民主党の面目躍如である。ところが、この手話通訳付き会見、さぞや好評かと思ったらそうでもないらしい。「まったく理解できなかった」「少しだけ理解できた」という聴覚障害者が７割近くに上ったというアンケート結果がある▲さまざまな理由の中で気になったのが「距離」と「表情」だ。通訳者が官房長官から離れて立っているのでテレビ画面には小さくしか映らない。そのため表情がよく見えないというのだ。手話の種類によって表情は文法と深い関係があり、手の動きを見ているだけでは意味が伝わらないという▲話し言葉でも表情や声の調子は重要な役割を果たしている。どこにアクセントを置くかで「辞めない」は否定にも疑問にもなる。声や表情だけでなく相手との関係性によってもニュアンスは異なる。本当の意味を伝えあうためには、言葉の土台にある感情や信頼が重要なのだ▲税と社会保障改革で野党に協議を呼びかけてもうまくいかず、電話で自民党総裁に入閣を要請し怒りを買う。不信任決議案をめぐる騒動もそうだ。野党時代は論客で鳴らしたはずなのに菅直人首相のコミュニケーション不全は深刻だ▲首相並びに官房長官は「距離」や「表情」を考えてみてはどうか。手話に熟練した人は通訳の指よりも表情を見ながら意味を読むという
英訳
毎日新聞 2011年6月6日 東京朝刊
Yoroku
Sign-language interpreter problems echo Kan's poor communication skills
Following the massive earthquake that hit eastern Japan on March 11, many hearing-impaired people had no idea in what direction they should be heading to escape. Some only learned of impending tsunami after they reached higher ground, having been led by the hand by someone else. They often found themselves isolated at evacuation shelters, where they faced extra challenges in obtaining information. For such people, March 13 was a momentous day.
It was this day, two days after the quake and tsunami, that sign-language interpreters made their debut at press conferences held by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano at the Prime Minister's Office. It was an example of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) government living up to the party's self-proclaimed identity as a party with "compassion toward the underdog."
Able-bodied viewers may have assumed that these interpreted press conferences have been well-received by those who need them, but that doesn't necessarily appear to be the case.
According to one survey, nearly 70 percent of hearing-impaired respondents said that either they "could not understand the press conferences at all," or that they "could only understand part of the press conferences" signed by interpreters.
Of the various reasons for these survey results, "distance" and "expression" are most striking. Because the interpreters are positioned some distance away from Edano during their appearances, their image on the television screen ends up being rather small. As a result, viewers cannot get a close look at the interpreters' facial expressions.
Because facial expressions and grammar are deeply intertwined in sign language, an interpreter's hand movements alone do not provide the viewer with enough information.
In spoken Japanese, too, facial expressions and tone of voice play an important role. For example, depending on where we choose to place an accent, the words "will not resign" can be either a statement or a question. In addition to voice and expressions, nuance can differ depending on the relationship between the speaker and the listener. In getting one's true intentions across, the emotions and trust that comprise the foundations of language are extremely important.
It was not long ago that after failing to bring opposition parties to the negotiation table concerning taxes and the social welfare reform, Prime Minister Naoto Kan incurred the wrath of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Sadakazu Tanigaki by asking him via phone to consider joining the Cabinet. Kan's lack of communication skills was also the cause of the recent no-confidence motion fiasco. The communication incompetence of Kan -- who at one time during his years as an opposition lawmaker was famous for being a powerful debater -- is serious.
Both Kan and Edano would do well to pay attention to "distance" and "expression." After all, those well-versed in sign language say that ultimately, they look for meaning not so much in the movement of one's fingers, but in the expressions. ("Yoroku," a front-page column in the Mainichi Shimbun)
Click here for the original Japanese story
(Mainichi Japan) June 6, 2011
