Apr 5

WIT Life #159: UN Messages of Solidarity with Japan

WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.

Last week I had an interpreting assignment at the United Nations Department of Public Information, and while there I had the chance to learn about a new webcast series featuring UN Messengers of Peace showing their support of Japan during this time of crisis.  Currently there are 8 of these public service announcements with the bilingual tagline “Japan we are standing by your side (みなさんを応援しています).”  They are offered by prominent figures such as Ban Ki-moon and Michael Douglas, and I particularly like the one of Stevie Wonder which closes with him saying, “Japan, I love you!” to the tune of his famous song.  All of the spots have Japanese translations at the bottom, and they are scheduled to be shown in Japan by NHK and other providers.  They began at the end of March and are scheduled to continue throughout the year, so make sure to check them out as new messages are added!


Comments are closed.

Page Rank