"New Multilingual Guide to Having a Baby in Japan"

"New Multilingual Guide to Having a Baby in Japan"

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Welcome to "Learn Japanese from the News."
　
Join us as we learn Japanese and about the country through Japanese news stories.
Today's headline is…
　
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赤（あか）ちゃんができた外国人（がいこくじん）に「やさしい日本語（にほんご）」などで情報（じょうほう）を伝（つた）える
　
"New Multilingual Guide to Having a Baby in Japan"
This news story was published on NEWS WEB EASY's website on April 14th.
　
Now let's go over some vocab words that will help us understand what's going on.
　
赤（あか）ちゃん
baby
　
母子手帳（ぼしてちょう）
Maternal and Child Health Handbook
　
手続（てつづ）き
procedure
　
Let's keep these words in mind as we listen.
　
「赤（あか）ちゃんができたことを住（す）んでいる市（し）や町（まち）に知（し）らせると、母子手帳（ぼしてちょう）などをもらいます。そして、赤（あか）ちゃんを産（う）んで育（そだ）てるときに必要（ひつよう）な情報（じょうほう）や手続（てつづ）きを、看護師（かんごし）などから説明（せつめい）してもらいます。
しかし、看護師（かんごし）などは外国人（がいこくじん）に上手（じょうず）に説明（せつめい）できないことがあります。横浜市（よこはまし）にある「かながわ国際交流財団（こくさいこうりゅうざいだん）」は、やさしい日本語（にほんご）と5つのことばを使（つか）った説明（せつめい）の紙（かみ）をつくりました。この紙（かみ）には、赤（あか）ちゃんを産（う）む病院（びょういん）の予約（よやく）や、健康（けんこう）のチェックにかかるお金（かね）などについて書（か）いてあります。
４月（がつ）から団体（だんたい）のウェブサイトで見（み）ることができます。」
　
A Yokohama-based foundation that supports international residents in Japan has created a guide to help expectant parents understand childbirth and childcare in the country. It's available in five languages, in addition to simple Japanese.
　
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Now we'll break down a few sentences from the story that contain helpful expressions and keywords. Let's start with the following sentence:
　
赤（あか）ちゃんができたことを住（す）んでいる市（し）や町（まち）に知（し）らせると、母子手帳（ぼしてちょう）などをもらいます。
　
"When you notify the city or town where you live that you are having a baby, you will receive a maternal and child health handbook and other materials."
　
The Japanese government started issuing 母子手帳（ぼしてちょう）in 1948.
　
The booklet is used to chronicle the health of both mother and child during pregnancy and childbirth, and to log the child's growth and vaccinations until they reach the age of six. It's an important record book that helps support their wellbeing.
　
Because mothers can keep track of their checkups in a single booklet, it makes it easier to communicate their situation to their healthcare provider and receive the care that they need.
　
So expectant parents should go to their city office or to a health center to register their pregnancy and receive a 母子手帳（ぼしてちょう）. Availability varies by municipality, but the handbook comes in several languages, including English.
　
OK, let's move on to our next sentence.
　
赤（あか）ちゃんを産（う）んで育（そだ）てるときに必要（ひつよう）な情報（じょうほう）や手続（てつづ）きを、看護師（かんごし）などから説明（せつめい）してもらいます。

"You'll be briefed by a nurse on the information you'll need and the procedures required when giving birth and raising a baby."
　
The key here is the phrase てもらいます. When we want to describe the act of having someone do something for us, we take the form of the verb that ends in て and say てもらう.
　
So in today's story てもらう is added to the verb 説明（せつめい）する and it becomes 説明（せつめい）してもらいます.
　
Other examples would be わからない漢字（かんじ）を書（か）いてもらいました "I had them write down the kanji character I didn't understand," or 道（みち）を教（おし）えてもらいました, which literally means "I had them give me directions." てもらう allows us to express that we had someone do something for us.
　
Yes, and in that way, you're implying that you appreciate what they did for you.
　
For example, let's say Chiara did me a favor. Instead of simply saying キアラさんが手伝（てつだ）いました, by saying キアラさんに手伝（てつだ）ってもらいました, I can express my appreciation for Chiara's help.
　
You are very welcome.
　
And that's all for today.
Being pregnant in a foreign country must be a really daunting experience, especially with language and cultural barriers.
　
Yes. Let's hope that the guide mentioned in today's story can make things a little less stressful for expectant parents.
　
Be sure to tune in next time for more!
　
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