Japan’s Robot Revolution in Senior Care

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Being cared for by robots is becoming the method of choice1method of choice達(dá)到預(yù)期效果的最佳方法。among elderly residents.機(jī)器人看護(hù)正成為老年人的最佳養(yǎng)老選擇。

Japan’s artificial intelligence expertise is transforming the elder care industry,with niche robotic caregiving accomplishing more than just taking pressure off the critical shortage of caregivers.Senior care facilities across Japan are testing out robots that deliver an assortment of social and physical health care and the government-backed initiative has been met with positive reviews by elderly residents.

日本的人工智能技術(shù)正改變著養(yǎng)老產(chǎn)業(yè)現(xiàn)狀，小眾化的機(jī)器人看護(hù)技術(shù)已超出了單純緩解護(hù)工嚴(yán)重短缺壓力的范疇。日本各地的養(yǎng)老機(jī)構(gòu)正在試用提供各種社會(huì)照護(hù)和身體保健服務(wù)的機(jī)器人，并且這項(xiàng)政府支持的舉措已獲得入住老人的積極評價(jià)。

[2]Japan’s rapidly graying population is being eyed by the government as a lucrative market for medical technology.Dismal government projections show that by 2025,Japan’s first baby boomers will have turned 75 and 7 million people will be suffering from some form of dementia.The nation won’t be able to avert a dementia crisis without an additional 380,000 senior care workers.

[2]日本迅速增長的老齡化人口被政府視為醫(yī)療技術(shù)領(lǐng)域中一個(gè)商機(jī)巨大的市場。據(jù)政府不樂觀的預(yù)測結(jié)果顯示，到2025年，日本首批嬰兒潮一代將步入75歲，屆時(shí)將有700萬人口患有某種形式的癡呆癥。如果不增加38萬名養(yǎng)老護(hù)工人員，日本將無法避免這場癡呆癥危機(jī)。

[3]The chronic shortage of professional care workers has encouraged the Japanese government to simplify procedures for foreign caregivers to get trained and certified.The current Technical Intern Training Program between Vietnam,the Philippines,and Indonesia under an Economic Partnership Agreement was extended to include nursing care as well as agriculture,fishery,and construction sectors.

[3]專業(yè)護(hù)工的長期匱乏，促使日本政府簡化了外籍護(hù)工受訓(xùn)和認(rèn)證的程序。根據(jù)經(jīng)濟(jì)伙伴關(guān)系協(xié)定，越南、菲律賓和印度尼西亞之間現(xiàn)行的“技能實(shí)習(xí)培訓(xùn)計(jì)劃”已擴(kuò)展到護(hù)理、農(nóng)業(yè)、漁業(yè)以及建筑業(yè)領(lǐng)域。

[4]Despite the government’s move to bolster the numbers of senior care workers,the target number of foreign graduates has fallen flat,with the national caregiver examination proving a major hurdle to pass.The success rate for foreign students was a measly2measly很少的；不足的。106 students in 2016,which slightly improved to 216 students in 2017.Another grim reality is that 19 to 38 percent of foreign nurses who pass the exam opt to leave the industry and return home,citing tough work conditions and long hours.

[4]盡管政府采取措施來增加養(yǎng)老護(hù)工人員的數(shù)量，但外籍畢業(yè)生的規(guī)模因受國家護(hù)工技能考試這一主要阻力的影響未能達(dá)到預(yù)期的目標(biāo)。2016年通過考試的外籍護(hù)工畢業(yè)生只有區(qū)區(qū)106人，2017年略有提高，僅達(dá)到216人。另一嚴(yán)峻的現(xiàn)實(shí)是，通過考試的外籍護(hù)工中，有19%到38%的人員會(huì)選擇離開這個(gè)行業(yè)回國，理由是工作條件艱苦、勞動(dòng)時(shí)間長。

[5]This is where the government believes care robots will be able to step in.

[5]政府認(rèn)為看護(hù)機(jī)器人正好能在這一領(lǐng)域一展身手。

[6]Shintomi Nursing Home in the heart of Tokyo is making international headlines for being home to 20 models of care robots,mimicking cute furry animals,small children,human shaped“humanoids,” or full-sized lifting and walking robots.The government-funded project took off in 2013take a shine to愛上；看中。but five years on residents have taken a shine to3their robotic companions.A research study by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development showed that,with robot care,seniors’ autonomy,sociability,mood,and communication improved along with a better quality of life over all.

[6]位于東京市中心的新富町養(yǎng)老院日前登上了國際新聞?lì)^條。該養(yǎng)老院擁有20臺(tái)看護(hù)機(jī)器人，有可愛的毛皮動(dòng)物仿真機(jī)器人、模擬兒童機(jī)器人，還有人形機(jī)器人以及全尺寸的托舉和步行機(jī)器人。這一由政府資助的項(xiàng)目于2013年啟動(dòng)，五年后的今天，入住的老人已對他們的機(jī)器人伴侶頗有好感。日本醫(yī)學(xué)研究與發(fā)展機(jī)構(gòu)公布的一項(xiàng)研究表明，在機(jī)器人的看護(hù)下，老人的自主能力、社交能力、精神狀態(tài)以及溝通能力都有了提升，整體生活質(zhì)量也隨之提高了。

[7]A nationwide survey by private elder care company Orix Living found that 80 percent of respondents over 40 welcomed or were open to being helped by a care robot.Respondents revealed a common fear of becoming a burden on family members and explained feeling more relaxed in the presence of a robot.

[7]提供私人老年看護(hù)服務(wù)的歐力士養(yǎng)老公司進(jìn)行了一次全民調(diào)查，在40歲以上的受訪者中，80%的人對看護(hù)機(jī)器人表示歡迎或是持開放態(tài)度。受訪者普遍害怕自己成為家人的負(fù)擔(dān)，并表示在機(jī)器人面前會(huì)感到更放松。

[8]The most visually unusual form in the catalog of care robots is the “Telenoid.” At first glance it looks like a bald,expressionless,unfinished robot from a horror movie.But the Telenoid,which mimics the gestures as well as broadcasting the voice of remotes users,was intentionally designed to be unisex,ageless,and easy to hug in a person’s lap.In spite of first impressions,the Telenoid robot specializes in friendly communication for dementia patients who live alone or in nursing homes.The goal is to improve communication with family and staff as well as serving as conversation stimuli.

[8]在列入產(chǎn)品目錄的看護(hù)機(jī)器人中，Telenoid是外形最不尋常的一款。乍一看，它就像是恐怖片里那種面無表情的、未完工的禿頭機(jī)器人。但是，Telenoid不僅可以模仿人類的姿勢，而且能夠播放遠(yuǎn)程用戶的聲音，其設(shè)計(jì)初衷就是無性別、無年齡且便于人類抱在腿上。盡管第一印象不佳，但Telenoid專門擅長與獨(dú)居或住在養(yǎng)老院的癡呆癥患者進(jìn)行友好交流。目的就是為了增進(jìn)患者與家人和工作人員的溝通，并激發(fā)其對話能力。

[9]The robot is maneuvered remotely using an external tablet and the robot’s mouth and head moves to mimic conversation.From a psychological standpoint the austere exterior encourages recipients to harness the power of imagination to envision the Telenoid as a positive image of the person they are actually talking to—or someone they want to talk to.One resident from Shintomi Nursing Home explained that talking with a robot eased the anxiety of overthinking what the other person is thinking during conversation,making participants more inclined to speak freely and share feelings.

[9]這款機(jī)器人通過外部的平板電腦進(jìn)行遠(yuǎn)程操作，它的嘴巴和頭部可以模擬對話時(shí)的動(dòng)作。從心理學(xué)的角度來看，Telenoid嚴(yán)肅的外表促使用戶將其想象成正與之交談或愿與之交談?wù)叩牧己眯蜗?。新富町養(yǎng)老院的一位入住者解釋說，與機(jī)器人聊天可以緩解過分考慮對方想法的焦慮，從而讓談話者更易于自由地表達(dá)看法和分享情感。

[10]The range of rehabilitation robots also includes Aibo,the pet dog robot,and Paro,a robotic baby harp seal that delivers emotional responses,producing similar effects to those found in animal therapy.For a conversation partner the 30cm Robohon and CommU robots feature a fast speech recognition function geared for simple conversation and“baby talk” responses.

[10]康復(fù)機(jī)器人還包括寵物狗機(jī)器人Aibo和小海豹機(jī)器人Paro，它們可以傳遞情感反應(yīng)，達(dá)到與動(dòng)物療法相似的效果。對于談話對象來說，30厘米高的Robohon和CommU機(jī)器人則具有快速對話識(shí)別功能，可以進(jìn)行簡單對話，并作出“嬰兒咿呀學(xué)語”式的回應(yīng)。

[11]While Japan tends to be slow at adopting bold public policies,it has been quick to get on board with kickstarting subsidies for care robot innovation.Although the industry is still in its early stages,generating only $16 million annually,the robotic business industry is projected to triple in revenue by 2065.However,a major setback remains the price of Telenoids and humanoids,which ranges from $3,800 to$8,000 each.■

[11]盡管日本在出臺(tái)大刀闊斧的公共政策時(shí)往往行動(dòng)緩慢，但為看護(hù)機(jī)器人革新提供啟動(dòng)補(bǔ)助時(shí)卻進(jìn)展迅速。雖然機(jī)器人行業(yè)仍處于初級(jí)階段，每年僅創(chuàng)收1600萬美元，但到2065年，機(jī)器人行業(yè)的收入預(yù)計(jì)將增長到目前的三倍。然而，Telenoid及人形機(jī)器人那3800至8000美元不等的零售價(jià)仍是主要的障礙。□

（譯者曾獲第五屆“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽優(yōu)秀獎(jiǎng)；譯者單位：山東省文登整骨醫(yī)院）