Japanese, Foreign Media Diverge

[Hannah Bell]

TOKYO—As Japan's nuclear crisis deepens, a gulf has developed in the way in which the foreign and Japanese media are covering the unfolding drama.

The disparity has led to a stark difference in public perceptions of the gravity of the situation: Many Japanese are going about their daily lives and routines as normal. In sharp contrast, many foreigners have left after being deluged with phone calls from relatives pleading them to leave Japan after watching and reading media reports in their home country.

Contributing to the perception gap is the difficulty translating certain nuclear terms that have different meanings in Japanese and English. Top Japanese government spokesman Yukio Edano kept using the Japanese word "yo-yu," in reference to the fuel rods in nuclear reactors, which means the rods are melting. However, many journalists translated this term as "meltdown", which has much different implications and stirs up strong emotions. Mr. Edano, later clarified that the situation the plant faced was "quite different from what's generally described as a meltdown" in English...

Hiroshi Ishikawa, the general manager of the National Press Club in Japan, says that deep down, the Japanese media has a view the situation will be resolved. "The foreign media is focusing on the other side—that this is getting out of control."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703512404576209043550725356.html

[crikkett]

1. melting uranium rods are not dangerous?

it's difficult to comprehend

[Hannah Bell]

2. where do you see that? I didn't think the article was difficult to comprehend either.

but apparently it is.

[JTFrog]

3. What do you think the rods are filled with? n/t

[Statistical]

4. Exactly.

[Hannah Bell]

5. k

[Hannah Bell]

7. k

[TBF]

6. Interesting article -

particularly the comments about the translation issues.