実践ビジネス英語 ディクテーション (11/16,17)

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 15のテーマは、’Loneliness as a Modern Epidemic’（孤独という現代の病）でした。Vignetteでは、イギリスのメイ首相が今年の初めに孤独問題担当大臣を任命したことや、45歳を超えるアメリカ人の最大40パーセントが慢性的な孤独感に苦しんでいることなどが話題になりました。

“Talk the Talk”では、杉田先生が「慢性的な孤独はタバコを1日に15本吸うようなもので、肥満よりも慢性的な孤独で亡くなる人のほうが多い」という専門家の警告を紹介されています。

*英文の終わりに語注をつけました。

Loneliness as a Modern Epidemic

（S: 杉田敏先生　H: Heather Howardさん）

S: Our current vignette talks about the growing problem of loneliness, particularly among elderly people.

How are your parents in this regard, Heather?

H: I’m happy to say that they’re both OK.

My father retired unusually young at the age of 49, actually, and has lived on his own for a long time now.

However, he’s always stayed in touch with an extensive network of friends; many of them former teachers like himself.

He regularly sends me pictures of hiking trips they take together, rounds of golf.

He also travels a lot outside Alaska to see friends, and we regularly meet up here in Japan or visit a third country together.

My mother’s health doesn’t let her be as physically active, unfortunately.

But she too interacts with many people and has a number of projects she’s involved in.

Just recently she launched an online magazine aimed at professional chefs.

My only concern for them is that I don’t have any brothers or sisters.

I sometimes wish there was someone closer to home if and when my parents need someone.

But I’m an only child.

S: That’s an increasingly common situation.

I grew up in a large family―four brothers and three sisters―which wasn’t so rare among Japanese people of my generation.

But women are having far fewer children these days, and more people are growing up as an only child.

In the future, seniors will have fewer children and siblings to call on for help.

Some might say, “A stranger living nearby is better than a relative living far away.”

But such a network can be fragile if not fostered with care.

H: That’s true. However close we are to our friends, we don’t have the blood ties that will always, to some extent, keep us connected with family.

Even the longest and warmest of friendships can fade away if it’s not nurtured.

S: Yes, and it seems that life without friends and family is not just difficult but may be detrimental to our health, especially as we get older.

Some experts warn that chronic loneliness is like smoking 15 cigarettes a day and it kills more people than obesity.

Because loneliness is now considered a serious social issue, people are exploring its causes and trying to find solutions.

H: Now that is a scary image, 15 cigarettes a day.

Social isolation is a bad enough prospect on its own, but the vignette presents a pretty daunting list of health problems that can result from it: high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic inflammation and in some cases dementia.

Especially given that last one, I like the idea of continuing education as a way to combat loneliness.

Stimulating the mind is always a good thing and if such classes combat loneliness too, it feels like attacking the possibility of dementia from two angles.

S: The vignette also talks about how improved communications technology can make us feel lonelier.

H: I can certainly understand that.

Very few people are gonna put up their sad or lonely feelings on social networking sites.

For example, most of us concentrate on happy things―“Look at this fun vacation I took,” or “this party I went to,” etc., etc.

Reading a lot of posts like that can make us feel like everyone has a constantly fun, exciting life except us.

Nobody else ever feels sad or alone, which of course they do, we all do.

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Words and Expressions

detrimental to: ～に有害な

chronic inflammation: 慢性炎症

dementia: 認知症

continuing education: 生涯学習

お疲れさまでした。今回も長かったですね。お読み下さり、ありがとうございます♪