What Ukrainian Refugees Are Facing Right Now Sep 27 18:42

"I can't speak Japanese."

This is a passage from a newly created Japanese phrasebook for people evacuated from Ukraine.

Differences in language are a barrier that stands in the way of the lives of those who have escaped the ravages of war.

How can we solve the wall while we are forced to live as refugees for a long time due to military invasion?

People from Ukraine have also started to move.

(Kyoto Broadcasting Station Reporter Megumi Ebitsuka)

“I declined all job interviews”

Daria Datsenko (22), who fled to Japan from Ukraine.

She used to live in Kyiv, the capital, but has been living in Kyoto since April following the Russian military invasion.

Her father remained in Kyiv, but her family is said to have been separated, with her mother and her sister fleeing to Canada.

So far, we have received a total of 350,000 yen in support from local governments and support groups.

So Datsusenko started looking for a job.

I thought that it would be possible to work in Japan as well, such as a familiar customer service business or a librarian who had a license in Ukraine.

But things haven't gone as planned.

Most of the job postings I see in books and on the internet are in Japanese.

Resumes to be applied for are usually written in Japanese.

I tried to use the kanji and hiragana I had just memorized, and tried to write based on example sentences and formats I found on the Internet, but all of them were rejected.

Because he was pressed for living expenses, he ended up relying on a Ukrainian company for a part-time job such as drawing illustrations for websites.

Ms. Datsusenko:

“Japanese was necessary when I was looking for a job. I feel that there are not enough places to work.”

With the support of the local government, I go to a Japanese language school every day to practice writing and speaking kanji, but I feel that there are big hurdles to overcome before I can actually use it.

Mr. Datsusenko:

“Japanese is very confusing because it is completely different from Ukrainian and English in terms of the order of subjects and predicates. There are three types of characters: kanji, hiragana, and katakana.Japanese is a very beautiful language. I think so, but it looks like it will take some time to be able to use it.”

Employment rate of evacuees Less than 10%

Acceptance of evacuees from Ukraine started in March in Japan.

According to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, 1,817 people have evacuated as of the end of August.

The national and local governments continue to provide support, but as the military invasion continues, the need to find work to live independently is increasing.

However, 137 of the evacuees found employment.

In terms of rate, it remains at 7.5% (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare summary).

Japanese stands out.

The difference in language, which was an issue from the beginning, is still a "wall".

These are the results of a survey conducted by the Nippon Foundation, which continues to provide assistance, to 554 evacuees regarding their Japanese skills by the end of September.

67% of the respondents answered that they could hardly speak and could not understand Japanese.

22% said, "I can speak a little and understand only simple Japanese."

Only 7% answered that they can "speak and understand Japanese in daily life."

In addition, to the question, "What are your most important needs/services?" 277 people in "medical care".

From the open-ended responses, we can see that the difference in language causes stress.

``I can't explain enough about my physical condition.'' (Female living in Tokyo)

``I want my mother to find a job, but she is 75 and doesn't know English or Japanese. I come here, but no one in my family can read Japanese.” (Woman living in Chiba)

Kana Saji of The Nippon Foundation, who conducted the survey, points out that the impact of being unable to speak Japanese is widespread, and that some people have not even reached support.

Kana Saji, Support Office for Ukrainian Refugees, The Nippon Foundation

"When I interviewed people who had evacuated to Japan, I found that it was difficult to communicate with the local government, and that they could not talk to the receptionist at the hospital reservation stage. , I feel that language problems lead to many problems such as medical care, employment, etc. The government continues to support Japanese language learning, but there are cases where this information is not correctly communicated to the evacuees. There is a need to create a system that allows people to search for information smoothly.”

Support movement with "conversation collection"

There are also moves to help overcome the language challenges they face.

Vladimir Migdalsky from Ukraine.

While working as a professor of mathematics at a graduate school, he has studied Japanese for many years and has continued to interpret and translate between Ukrainian and Japanese.

He has also acted as an interpreter when successive presidents, including President Zelensky, visited Japan.

Migdalski realized that he could not find a ready-to-use Japanese and Ukrainian phrasebook, so he decided to create his own.

Mr. Migdalsky:

“First of all, it takes courage to evacuate to an unknown foreign land like Japan. When I thought about whether I could do it, I thought that what I could do was Japanese, and I wanted to make the most of it.”

Migdalski's mother, Victoria, and daughter Julia, "three generations," worked on the phrasebook.

All three had a deep connection with the Japanese language.

Her mother, Victoria, has been a Japanese language teacher in Ukraine for almost 30 years.

Since she was evacuated to Migdalsky's place in April, we have worked together to create a collection of phrases.

Her daughter Julia was born and raised in Japan.

When she actually used the phrasebook, she worked on the translation so that it would be understood as natural Japanese without feeling uncomfortable with Japanese culture and style.

It is a conversation collection that was completed in July after about half a year.

About 500 phrases that can be used immediately in daily conversation, such as "I can't speak Japanese", "When should I take this medicine", "Where is the nearest bank?"

To make it easier for Ukrainian people to read aloud, I added romaji next to the Japanese.

I put Japanese right next to the Ukrainian, and when I was in trouble because I couldn't speak it quickly, I tried to show it with my finger so that I could convey it to the Japanese people.

The completed conversation book was distributed to some evacuees.

It is also sold at bookstores nationwide, and sales will be donated to evacuees.

Mr. Migdalski:

“As the military invasion drags on, I think more and more people will come to Japan.The stress of running away from the war and living in a strange land will help you calm down and worry about the future. I hope that the collection of phrases will be useful in many ways so that you can live without it."

When I asked an 18-year-old man who was accepted to a university in Kyoto after the military invasion how he felt after reading this collection of phrases, he answered, "It's easy to use. I use the phrase 'I can't speak Japanese.' I think, but it seems that you can tell it by pointing with your finger."

Long-term support required

I want to escape from the ravages of war and live in peace.

What kind of mechanism is necessary to be close to that wish and realize it?

Mr. Saji of The Nippon Foundation, who conducted the survey, points out that it will be important to persevere in providing support while keeping an eye on changing needs.

Kana Saji, Support Office for Ukrainian Refugees, The Nippon Foundation:

"Some of the people who have evacuated tend not to express their troubles and worries right away because they feel sorry if they only ask for Japan's gratitude and support. I feel that it is important to build relationships in order to enhance the content of the support.In addition, immediately after the military invasion began, many companies and organizations offered support, but there were only a few. Some projects last for months or even half a year.It is also important for the public and private sectors to work together to provide long-term support.”

Since the military invasion began in February, I have continued to interview evacuees, and I feel that the frustration of life in Japan has increased the stress of evacuees.

I think that more careful support is needed to support independent living in Japan.

Kyoto Broadcasting Station ReporterMegumi

EbitsukaJoined

in 2018 In charge of Kyoto City GovernmentContinues to report

on the current situation of Ukrainian refugees and the movement of support.

Her hobby is ballet.