#Japan #Shibuya #Disaster Preparedness #Yaraku Translation #Multilingual Support

Ensuring Multilingual Disaster Preparedness

September is recognized as Disaster Preparedness Month, prompting an important question: Are your enterprise or municipality equipped to deliver evacuation information in multiple languages? In line with this, Yaraku Co., Ltd., a company headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, provides a translation support tool called “Yaraku Translation.” As part of their efforts, they recently released materials addressing the critical role of translation during emergencies. The documents highlight the challenges and solutions in delivering accurate information to foreign residents and non-Japanese employees during disaster situations.

Background: Responding to Growing Foreign Populations

According to statistical data from the Immigration Services Agency, the number of foreign residents is expected to exceed 3.58 million by the end of June 2024, marking the highest record to date. Many foreign workers are contributing significantly to local economies, particularly in primary industries like agriculture and fishing. This trend necessitates that companies and municipalities take responsibility for delivering vital information accurately and promptly during disasters to protect the lives of their employees and residents.

What Companies Must Do

As hiring foreign talent becomes standard practice, delivering accurate evacuation information during emergencies has become a part of corporate safety obligations. Companies are increasingly required to establish evacuation manuals and emergency communication systems in multiple languages to become a preferred employer for foreign workers.

What Municipalities Must Do

With a rising number of foreign residents, it has become crucial for municipalities to provide disaster and living information in multiple languages. However, addressing multiple languages is resource-intensive, and any lack of preparedness or staffing can lead to delayed or incorrect information. Therefore, it’s essential to create an efficient and reliable system ahead of time.

Challenges: Miscommunication Can Be Fatal

Japan is susceptible to various natural disasters, highlighting the necessity for multilingual support across numerous areas. Historical events illustrate the chaos that can arise from insufficient preparation.

For instance, during Typhoon Hagibis in 2019, a municipality's disaster email contained a misinterpretation in Portuguese that misled recipients to “evacuate to the river” instead of “evacuate from the rising water.” Furthermore, the 2018 Western Japan floods exposed the inadequacy of the information provided to foreign residents, causing delays in evacuation. These instances demonstrate that relying solely on automatic translation during emergencies poses significant risks to human lives.

Solution: Yaraku Translation for Easy Multilingual Access

Given the limited resources many organizations have for translation tasks, efficiency in translating information becomes paramount. Yaraku Translation offers a solution that blends quality and ease of use. There’s no need for specialized training, allowing users to operate the software intuitively from the moment they adopt it. Furthermore, the pricing structure is designed to be accessible even for small enterprises and rural municipalities.

User-Friendly Features

• - Ease of Use: Allows immediate operation without specialized personnel.
• - Disaster Resilience: Features like a glossary for terms such as “emergency shelter” or “earthquake alerts” help prevent misinterpretations.
• - Quality Control: Reverse translation for verification and features for translation checks enhance safety and speed.

Case Study: Minowa Town’s Initiative

Minowa Town in Nagano Prefecture has introduced Yaraku Translation as a proactive measure to ensure better disaster preparedness. With a population of approximately 24,000, including around 820 foreign residents, the town plans to expand its disaster hazard maps originally published only in Japanese to five languages by 2025. This initiative aims to enhance safety and inclusivity for both foreign residents and non-Japanese employees in local businesses.

Conclusion

Taking strides towards efficient multilingual disaster communication systems is crucial to ensure safety for all residents, irrespective of their language background. Those interested can access the downloadable material on the importance of translation during disasters.

[Download the Material Here]

Company Overview

• - Company Name: Yaraku Co., Ltd.
• - Location: 16th Floor, Link Square Shinjuku, 5-27-5 Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo
• - CEO: Yu Sakani
• - Business Scope: Development and provision of the translation support tool “Yaraku Translation” powered by generative AI.
• - Website: Yaraku Official Site