You may have read my earlier post about how a boy shouted for help when he drifted into the deep end of a pool in Singapore. He spoke either Japanese or Korean. The security staff spoke English and Mandarin or Hokkien or Tamil.
I shouted in English to him, "Are you Okay?"
He did not reply but kept bobby up and down, shouting.
I called loudly in English, "Help! Help - someone's drowning!"
The security guard came and looked. He was probably a non-swimmer. He stood in front of the lifebelt.
I shouted to the security guard, "Throw the lifebelt!"
When the boy got to the side, coughing, the guard wanted the boy's name to make a report. The guard could not understand the boy, or even whether he lived in our block or was trespassing.
Later the boy's mother came down to the pool. The guard still could not communicate with her nor even understand what language she was speaking.
I realised I could say thank you, arigato, in Japanese, and goodbye, sayonara, but I could not call help.
Duolingo - This is where you can go to learn or brush up on your Japanese for free online.
The Japanese flag.
Swimming pool in Singapore where a boy got into difficulties. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
I have written several sentences in English and added Japanese translations from Google.
In Google, on the column with the Japanese, first you see the symbols, which are the same in Chinese (like the no smoking signs in public in Europe show a cigarette crossed out for no smoking - understood by speakers of several languages, although they would say the words differently in their own language.)
Below you see the symbols first, then below that are the words as you would pronounce them written in our standard alphabet.
If you are learning Japanese, teaching Japanese, or operating a swimming pool, you might want to print out a copy of this and laminate it and keep it at the security desk by the swimming pool.
English
1 Hello / good day
2 Hello (person answering on the phone)
3 Help
4 Help me!
5 Someone is drowning!
6 Do you speak English?
Do you speak Mandarin?
Do you speak Japanese?
Do you speak Korean?
Do you speak Spanish?
Can you speak French?
Can you speak German?
20 Goodbye.
1 Hello / good day
2 Hello (person answering on the phone)
Help
Help me!
Someone is drowning!
Do you speak English?
Do you speak Mandarin?
Do you speak Japanese?
Do you speak Korean?
Do you speak Spanish?
Can you speak French?
Can you speak German?
Are you okay
throw the life belt
come to the shallow end
are you okay now?
Call an ambulance
/phone for an ambulance
somebody is drowning
I must make a report
What is your phone number
where do you live
write down your name
write down your address
please wait
thank you
Japanese
1 konichi wa
2 mushee mushee
20 Sayonara
Useful Websites
Google translate
Duolingo
Memrise
See other posts on drowning and on Korean.
Author
Angela Lansbury.
I have written several sentences in English and added Japanese translations from Google.
In Google, on the column with the Japanese, first you see the symbols, which are the same in Chinese (like the no smoking signs in public in Europe show a cigarette crossed out for no smoking - understood by speakers of several languages, although they would say the words differently in their own language.)
Below you see the symbols first, then below that are the words as you would pronounce them written in our standard alphabet.
If you are learning Japanese, teaching Japanese, or operating a swimming pool, you might want to print out a copy of this and laminate it and keep it at the security desk by the swimming pool.
English
1 Hello / good day
2 Hello (person answering on the phone)
3 Help
4 Help me!
5 Someone is drowning!
6 Do you speak English?
Do you speak Mandarin?
Do you speak Japanese?
Do you speak Korean?
Do you speak Spanish?
Can you speak French?
Can you speak German?
20 Goodbye.
1 Hello / good day
2 Hello (person answering on the phone)
Help
Help me!
Someone is drowning!
Do you speak English?
Do you speak Mandarin?
Do you speak Japanese?
Do you speak Korean?
Do you speak Spanish?
Can you speak French?
Can you speak German?
Are you okay
throw the life belt
come to the shallow end
are you okay now?
Call an ambulance
/phone for an ambulance
somebody is drowning
I must make a report
What is your phone number
where do you live
write down your name
write down your address
please wait
thank you
1こんにちは/こんにちは
2こんにちは（電話で答える人）
3 助けて
4 助けて！
5 誰かが溺れています！
6 英語を話せますか？
7 あなたは北京語を話しますか？
日本語話せますか？
あなたは韓国語を話せますか？
あなたはスペイン語を話しますか？
フランス語を話せますか？
あなたはドイツ語を話せますか？
大丈夫ですか
ライフベルトを投げる
浅い端に来る
今、大丈夫？
救急車を呼んでくれ
/救急車のための電話
誰かが溺れています
報告しなければならない
あなたの電話番号は何番ですか
どこに住んでいますか
あなたの名前を書き留めてください
あなたの住所を書き留めてください
お待ちください
ありがとうございました
1 Kon'nichiwa/ kon'nichiwa
2 kon'nichiwa (denwa de kotaeru hito) tasukete tasukete! Darekaga oborete imasu! Eigo o hanasemasu ka?
Anata wa Pekin-go o hanashimasu ka? Nihongo hanasemasu ka?
Anata wa Kankoku-go o hanasemasu ka?
Anata wa Supeingo o hanashimasu ka? Furansugo o hanasemasu ka?
Anata wa doitsugo o hanasemasu ka? Daijōbudesuka raifu beruto o nageru asai hashi ni kuru ima, daijōbu? Kyūkyūsha o yonde kure/ kyūkyūsha no tame no denwa darekaga oborete imasu hōkoku shinakereba naranai anata no tenwabangō wa nan-bandesu ka doko ni sunde imasu ka anata no namae o kakitomete kudasai anata no jūsho o kakitomete kudasai omachikudasai
arigatōgo zaimashita
Japanese
1 konichi wa
2 mushee mushee
20 Sayonara
Useful Websites
Google translate
Duolingo
Memrise
See other posts on drowning and on Korean.
Author
Angela Lansbury.
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