Community Interpreting at the Time of Great East Japan Earthquake

Abstract

The Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011,resulted in a great many victims, not only Japanese nationals but also a large number of non-Japanese members of Japanese society. As part of the support activities targeted at these people from other countries, the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Education and Research (CEMMER), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, began providing them with multi-language information support (in a total of 22 different languages) in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. The purpose of this paper is firstly to provide an outline of the general conditions of non-Japanese victims in the disaster area and secondly to describe the system by which CEMMER has been carrying out its multi-language translation support activities, together with the specific activities it has undertaken. Providing foreign nationals with the support they need in the event of a disaster requires not only comprehensive knowledge about administration, medical care, legal affairs, and education, which is often vital to acting as a community interpreter, but also the skills and techniques necessary to communicate information appropriately. CEMMER places the greatest emphasis on ensuring SPEED and ACCURACY in its translation support activities. However, it can only achieve these by utilizing the experience that it accumulates on an everyday basis regarding knowledge and technological expertise, and by using the coordination capabilities required to make effective use of this experience.