論文・翻訳コンテスト

日本語課題 → 英語訳　谷中麻里衣

When you think about it, fax machines are child-friendly, and very well made. The pictures and words one draws and writes on a piece of paper get to the receiver of the fax without any alterations. The childish but original writing of children or the interesting quality of drawings cannot be conveyed by e-mail. If one wants to convey these qualities by e-mail, the child’s drawing must be scanned, attached to an e-mail, and so on. The procedure alone would be far too troublesome. I realize yet again how the fundamental aspect of a fax machine, which is, ”when one inserts a piece of paper, the receiver gets it, too, ”seems nothing out of the ordinary, and yet it really is amazing. The fact that what we write is received in the same size is important, too. Let us postulate that a child has outlined the contours of his or her hand and sent it by fax. The child receiving the fax can place their own hand on the faxed sheet and compare their sizes. Such a natural and important aspect cannot be achieved by any other form of communication. The fact that the fax machine is child-friendly shows it is also friendly to us adults. It also implies that it is a mode of communication that is close to us physically.