実践ビジネス英語 ディクテーション (7/13,14)

こんにちは。NHKラジオ「実践ビジネス英語」”Talk the Talk”のディクテーションです。

Lesson 7のテーマは、’Recovering From Natural Disasters’（自然災害から立ち直る）でした。タイムリー過ぎて怖いくらいです。Vignetteでは、災害が相次いで起こった時には被災地間に救援物資の争奪戦が起こることに言及があり、考えさせられました。救援活動に関連して、ボランティア活動がアメリカに根付いている理由なども話題になりました。

“Talk the Talk”では、東日本大震災発生時の経験や、望ましい被災地支援のあり方などについて話されています。 

Recovering From Natural Disasters

（S: 杉田敏先生　H: Heather Howardさん）

S: In our current vignette, the A&A staff discuss the many disasters that occurred around the world in 2017 and how recovery seems to be taking a long time.

We’ve had our own share of natural disasters in Japan as well.

I’ll never forget that fateful Friday afternoon on March 11, 2011.

I was in a meeting at my office on the 10th floor of a building in Shibuya when the earthquake struck.

The building shook so hard that two bookshelves in my office tumbled over, and I heard steel file cabinets fall down elsewhere on the same floor.

We used the stairs to get out of the building and sought refuge in a nearby local temple.

Were you at work also, Heather?

H: I was, and I’ll never forget that day, either.

Our office started shaking violently and it just went on and on.

Another staffer and I crouched under our desks and held each other’s hands the whole time.

After the shaking finally stopped, one of our senior staff came over and said, “That wasn’t Tokyo”, meaning the center of the earthquake was somewhere else, that it was even stronger somewhere else and we all thought, “Oh, no.”

S: Did you manage to get home that evening?

H: I did.

At first, I thought I’d have to sleep in my office because the trains were stopped and it was impossible to get a hotel room.

I think I called 30 properties and they were all full.

But then I heard the trains had restarted―I think it was about 11:30 p.m. at that point―and I thought, “I want to go home. I want to see my husband.”

So I left everything at the office except my purse, and managed to cram into the most crowded train I think I’ve ever seen in my life.

Of course everything was running very slowly and I didn’t make it home until about 1:30 in the morning.

What about you, Mr. Sugita?

S: I managed to get hold of my car in the garage and drive home.

As you experienced too, the public transportation system was badly disrupted all over Tokyo and it took quite a long time to move just a short distance.

The roads were swarming with commuters who had decided to walk home.

Fortunately, I got home very tired but in one piece.

Getting back to our vignette, the A&A staff how many people want to send needed items to disaster areas.

But it’s actually better to send money.

H: I’ve also heard that said about volunteering.

Some people want to rush to the site of disaster to help out with relief efforts in immediate aftermath, but I’ve heard that’s usually more of a hindrance to emergency personnel than a help.

If someone has medical skills, for example, and is a member of some organization that’s called on to help by relevant officials, that’s one thing.

But the majority of people can do far more good by making a donation and staying home, where they won’t clog up the roads with their vehicles or burden rescue personnel with the need to feed and/or shelter them.

S: Though, that desire to go is also admirable

It’s good that people want to help.

H: It is.

And they can go at a later time as many have to Tohoku and elsewhere when things have settled somewhat.

That’s a good way to ensure that contributions continue and that awareness doesn’t diminish as time goes on.

People can volunteer to assist with reconstruction efforts and encourage their friends and family to do the same.

お疲れさまでした。お読み下さり、ありがとうございます♪