Special Karuta - A card game for Interpreters !

One of the typical New Year games in Japan is Karuta. This card game has such a simple rule that all family members can enjoy it. After hearing a text card (yomifuda) read out aloud, players need to find the matching picture card (efuda) ahead of the others.
A few years ago, I conceived a new Karuata game to play with fellow interpreters. You need to find a matching number written in Japanese in response to a German number read out.

Linguistic Background of this Card Game:
#⃣ Numbers are organized not in units of three decimal points (000) but in units of four decimal points (0000) in Japanese. When you are interpreting, you need to do a quick conversion in your head.
Thus, I prepared text cards containing tricky numbers and a pair of picture cars, one with a right number and the other with a wrong one.

Here are some examples:
(Since statics are always changing, I anonymized the numbers in the above text.)

Entry question …
❔ Über xxx Verbraucher in einem Radius von 500 Kilometern um die Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf
❔Größter Messeplatz der Welt mit jährlich rund xxx Besuchern
❔Rund xxx Studenten, davon xxx aus dem Ausland

The game is not meant to be something one should learn by heart. Rather, I wanted to enhance professional awareness of my team of interpreters in a playful way. All in all, it was great fun and we had a hearty laugh over Otetsuki (hand move to touch a wrong card).

For years, I have been holding New Year’s gathering with interpreter colleagues. Last year’s gathering was held virtually for a well-known reason. I wonder if and when I should throw another virtual party. And if so, with which contents? 👉Any input from fellow interpreters will be appreciated.

🤞 Let us hope for the best that we can see our smiling faces in person sometime later this year.

#newyear #games  #karuta #interpreter #japanese #german