天声人语（日英汉对照版） 2010/12/28 不器用

abyssthinice

天声人語
VOX POPULI: Slow down and watch where you're going

2010年12月28日（火）付


米国のフォード元大統領は不器用な人だったらしい。どのぐらい不器用かというと、冗談めかして「あいつは歩きながらガムがかめない」と言われるほどだったそうだ。半面、それゆえの飾り気のなさと、誠実感が持ち味の人でもあった▼

Former U.S. President Gerald Ford (1913-2006) was known for his clumsiness. In fact, he was so clumsy that people jokingly said he couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time. But he was also known for his unpretentious personality and sincerity.

美国前总统福特好像是个笨人。笨到什么程度呢，据说都有人开玩笑似的说他：“那家伙不会一边走路一边嚼口香糖”。但正因为如此，他也是个生性不矫揉造作、有诚实感的人。


そんな話を、クリスマスの日に思い出した。混雑する地下鉄駅の階段を上ろうとしたら、若い女性が倒れ落ちてきた。下りながら携帯を操作していて、踏み外すか、人ともつれるかしたらしい。何人かが駆け寄ったが、けががないのが幸いだった▼

I remembered him on Christmas Day. As I was climbing the stairs of a crowded subway station, a young woman came tumbling down. She was using her cellphone while going down the stairs and apparently missed a step or bumped into someone and fell. Several people rushed to help her. Fortunately, she was not hurt.

圣诞节那天，想起了这个故事。刚要走上拥挤的地铁站的台阶，有位年轻女性摔了下来。好像是边下台阶边操作手机而踩空了，还是被人绊了。有几个人赶了过去，幸好没有受伤。


一刻も待てないのか待ってもらえないのか、雑踏で熱心に携帯をいじる人は結構いる。その姿は傍らに人無きがごとしだ。フォード氏が存命なら驚くだろう。いじるか、歩くか、どちらかにできないものか▼

Are people so busy they cannot even wait another minute to use their phones? Or, are people on the other end so impatient?
I frequently see people intently fiddling with their cellphones in crowded places. They don't seem to care about anyone around them. If Ford saw them, he would roll over in his grave. Why can't people concentrate on one or the other, either use their cellphone or just walk?

不知是一刻也不愿等待还是不容等待，在熙熙攘攘中专心拨弄手机的人不少。那样子简直旁若无人。福特先生如果健在，也会惊讶吧。就不能要么拨弄、要么走路吗？


死亡事故も起きている。駅のホームで携帯画面に熱中するうち縁（へり）に近づき、入ってきた電車と接触したという。本人だけでなく、先の女性のような場合は人を巻き込む恐れもあろう。自転車に乗りながら、などは不届き千万である▼

In one case, carelessness led to a fatal accident. A person who was so wrapped up in using a cellphone on a train platform unwittingly came too close to the edge and was hit by an oncoming train.
It is dangerous not only for the person using the cellphone, but also for people around them. The same thing could have happened to the woman I mentioned above. No one should use a cellphone while riding a bicycle.

也发生了死亡事故。据说在车站月台上专注于手机画面时接近边上，与进站的列车相撞。不光本人，像刚才那位女性那样的话，恐怕也会连累他人。边骑自行车什么的边打手机，真是太不像话了。


さて仕事納めの日を迎え、街の忙（せわ）しなさも今日あたりが盛りだろうか。作家の幸田文は昔、「押しつまる」という随筆を小紙に寄せた。〈歩道だって素直には歩けない、人がみんなやけにぶつかって来る〉。〈こういうなかにいると、「とげとげした速さ」が伝染して困る〉。昭和３０年代の歳末の世相である▼

For many people, Tuesday was the last day of work before the end of the year. Perhaps the hustle and bustle of the streets will quiet down after Tuesday.
Writer Aya Koda (1904-1990) once contributed an essay called "Oshitsumaru" (Getting close to the end of the year) to the vernacular Asahi Shimbun. It read: "I cannot walk straight even on sidewalks because all the people seem to bump into me."
"I don't like being in such a state because I find myself infected with cranky speed." She was writing about the year-end atmosphere during the late 1950s to early 1960s.

迎来了年终工作收尾的日子，街道上的忙碌景象也于今为盛吧。作家幸田文过去曾给本报寄来一篇随笔，叫《年关临近》：“说是人行道，却不能痛痛快快地行走，人们都蜂拥而至。”“身处其中，‘紧张的速度’相互传染，真没办法。”这是昭和30年代岁末的世态。


何かに追われるように先を急ぐ気分を「追われ心」と言う。スピードアップした現代だが、ひとつスローに、不器用に。心はゆるやかに１年を締めたい。

The term "owaregokoro" (literally, chased-after feeling) refers to the feeling of rushing to escape when something is chasing after you.
Although we live in an age of speed, why not take the time to slow down and be clumsy for a change? I want to enjoy this year end with a relaxed mind.

像被什么追赶着似的向前赶的心情称为“追われ心”（赶得慌）。虽说是提速了的现代，不妨慢点儿、笨点儿。我真想舒心地过完一年。