I had a pretty awful daydream about being with a friend in Japan, and then suddenly my friend needing emergency medical assistance and me fumbling trying to communicate over the phone clearly + effectively what was happening to him / where we were / how urgent it was and basically him not getting help quickly enough as a result.
I’m FAR from fluent in Japanese, but I can (under non-urgent circumstances) adequately describe my location, my condition, wanting help, etc. But, with a high stakes situation, I can imagine my limited knowledge of Japanese failing me when I might need it most due to stress (like, describing specific room or apartment numbers, or specific parts of much larger cities could be challenging; I wouldn’t want to say the wrong number street or apartment and have the help arrive 5 miles away. Also, replying to the emergency responders could be difficult if they’re speaking too quickly for me to process or use vocab I haven’t encountered).
I know that there’s *likely* to be people who understand English on the other line, but I don’t want to assume going in that whoever I’d be speaking to is 100% fluent in English; there’s definitely a difference between understanding some English, vs understanding and speaking English totally fluently. Also, maybe there’s someone who’s 100% fluent in English in the room with whoever picks up the phone, but if the English speaker is not the person that initially answers the phone and it takes time to transfer the call over, that’s more time spent without getting needed help.
Has anyone been in a situation like this, and what did you do to most quickly and effectively get help? I’m definitely the type that worries and overthinks things way too often; having a game plan in advance would make me feel more comfortable, I think.
I appreciate any replies! Thank you.
4 comments
> I know that there’s likely to be people who understand English on the other line, but I don’t want to assume going in that whoever I’d be speaking to is 100% fluent in English
If I remember right, last time I was in Japan I received a welcome roaming text message with few emergency phone numbers, and one of them was labelled as English-language emergency number.
https://jp.usembassy.gov/services/calling-for-help/
Just so you know the responders themselves aren’t at a complete loss when helping foreigners they have resources of their own to access as well.
So I’ve actually been in this situation. Once after a ski accident and once after a car crash, both times in rural Japan. Both times concerned Japanese people called the ambulance. Ambulances are free in Japan, so getting one to come out is pretty easy (you do have to pay for any treatment you receive in the ambulance, but the ride to the hospital is free). Don’t hesitate to call ambulance or have someone call one for you if you need help. Patients who arrive by ambulance get to skip the line at the ER, so it’s worth it. If you’re panicking too much to make the call yourself, ask a passerby for help. (Ambulance is kyuukyuusha)
In both situations I’ve been in, no one spoke English and no one attempted to contact a translator. One time I was the injured person and one time my friend was injured and I was emotional support/interpreter.
When I was injured after an accident, I was so panicked that my Japanese level totally dropped and I had trouble explaining my symptoms. If you’re in that situation, I recommend really playing up the pain you’re feeling. Don’t try to grin and bear it. That’ll just lead to you getting under diagnosed. Also **request phone interpretation** Alot of times hospitals won’t offer this service to you since they don’t want to pay for it, but most hospitals have a phone interpretation service. Costs are paid by the hospital, not the patient
With my friend’s car crash, I wasn’t there when it happened, but she had a panic attack and the police called an ambulance for her. She spoke around N5 level Japanese. When I arrived she in the ambulance with the paramedics trying to calm her down. They were trying their best to communicate with her despite the language barrier. After we got through the accident paperwork, they let me ride in the ambulance with her and stay with her at the hospital to translate. I’m honestly not sure how they would have handled the police forms if I hadn’t shown up. I’m also not sure what translation services are really available in that situation.
One time I got a speeding ticket and I tried to fake not speaking Japanese to get out of the ticket (it’s worked for so many people I know lol), but those cops spent like 20 minutes on the phone trying to find someone in their department who spoke English could interpret over the phone. I think their boss ended up interpreting lol. So, I guess a lot of time comes down to how much effort the Japanese person you’re talking to want to put into communicating/finding an interpreter.
So, I guess, **to summarize**
1. Save any English emergency support numbers. Have them easily accessible. Make note of the service area. There are no nation-wide English emergency Lines, to the best of my knowledge
2. Be sure to write down the name/address of the place you’re staying and have it accessible in case of emergency. Familiarize yourself with Japanese addresses and how they’re displayed on Google Maps. That way if you’re out and about, you can use Google maps to tell someone the address of your location
3. When in doubt call an ambulance. If you have trouble, ask a stranger for help
4. Try your best to communicate with ambulance staff. Play up your injuries/pain a little to get your point across
4. When you get to the hospital, request a phone interpretation