为解决游客语言障碍日本推出新奇便民标志

Language barriers can be a real struggle when traveling. But never fear， Japan has a clever solution for its English-speaking visitors.

Officials in the Iwate Prefecture have developed a lineup of tourism signs that display about menu choices， payment options and locker room etiquette in simple， illustrated form.

The signs are already on display around the city of Morioka， a regional development director， Takefumi Shimomukai， told The Japan Times. Theyre intended to make English-speaking tourists feel more welcome in the area， he added.

Twenty-six images are available for businesses to download online. Many of the signs have to do with dining. But they also provide advice for using onsens， Japans popular hot spring baths.

Shimomukai says they wanted to do something simple but fun to attract peoples interest. The area is less of a draw for foreigners than tourist centers like Tokyo and Kyoto， and communication troubles have made some locals unwilling to reach out to visitors. “Until recently some owners believed their profits from serving only locals were sufficient， and due to the language barrier， they may have left foreign visitors with a feeling that they were not welcome，” he says.

Slightly more hi-tech approaches to dealing with communication problems have been rolled out elsewhere in Japan， as the number of foreign visitors grows. A new app was trialed that translates rail announcements into a visitor's own language， and some regions offer 24-hour multilingual hotlines for advice on everything from finding a doctor to sending luggage home.

语言障碍是旅游中存在的一大困难。但是不用担心，日本已经为讲英语的游客想出了机智的解决方案。

日本岩手县推出了一系列旅游标志，以简洁明了、图文并茂的形式呈现菜品选项、支付方式以及更衣室礼仪等信息。

盛冈市发展负责人Takefumi Shimomukai对《日本时报》表示，该市正在使用这套标志。他们的目的是让讲英语的游客在这里有宾至如归的感觉。

商家可以在线下载这26幅标志图片。其中许多标志和用餐有关，但也有一些是关于使用日式浴池的建议，因为温泉浴在日本非常流行。

Shimomukai表示，他们想要做一些简单而有趣的事情来吸引游客。与东京和京都等热门旅游城市相比，这里对外国人的吸引力较弱，而当地人因为沟通问题不愿意与游客接触。“现在仍有些商家認为，他们只服务当地游客就能赚到足够的利润，而由于语言障碍问题，他们可能让外国游客感到备受冷落。”他补充道。

随着外国游客数量的增长，日本其他地方也出现一些解决沟通问题的方法，这些方法更加的科技化。曾经进行测试的一款新型应用软件可以将地铁公告翻译为游客本国的语言。还有一些地区提供24小时多语种咨询热线服务，你可以寻问求医、寄送行李回国等方面的建议。

Word Study

illustrate /'?l?stre?t/ v. 给……加插图；阐明

She went on to art school and is now illustrating a book.

sufficient /s?'f??nt/ adj. 充分的；足够的

These reasons are not sufficient to justify the ban.

trial /'tra??l/ n. & vi. 试验；试用

Children learn to use computer programs by trial and error.

multilingual /，m?lt?'l??ɡw?l/ adj. 说（或用）多种语言的

He recruited two multilingual engineers.endprint