There is one foreign product the Japanese are buying faster than others and its popularity has caused an uneasy feeling among many Japanese．
有一种外来产品日本人接受得比其他产品快，它的流行引发了许多日本人的不安。
That product is foreign words．
这个产品就是外来词。
Gairaigo-words that come from outside have been part of the Japanese language for centuries．Mostly borrowed from English and Chinese these terms are often changed into forms no longer understood by native speakers．
几个世纪以来，外来词一直是日语的一部分。这些外来词大多是从英语和汉语中借鉴而来，经常被转换成连母语人士都无法理解的形式。
But in the last few years the trickle of foreign words has become a flood and people fear the increasing use of foreign words is making it hard for the Japanese to understand each other and could lead to many people forgetting the good qualities of traditional Japanese．
但在过去几年里，外来词的使用已经从涓涓细流变为一股洪流，人们担心，外来词的使用越来越多，使日本人难以相互理解，并可能导致许多人忘记传统日语的优良特性。
“ The popularity of foreign words is part of the Japanese interest in anything new ” says university lecturer and writer Takashi Saito．“ By using a foreign word you can make a subject seem new which makes it easier for the media to pick up．”
大学讲师兼作家斋藤隆说：“外来词的流行是日本人对任何新事物感兴趣的一部分。使用外来词可以让你的主题看起来很新，让你的媒体获取更容易。”
Experts often study abroad and use English terms when they speak with people in their own fields．Those terms are then included in government white papers said Muturo Kai president of the National Language Research Institute．“ Foreign words find their way easily into announcements made to the general public when they should really be explained in Japanese．”
专家们经常在国外学习，在与本领域的人交谈时使用英语术语。美国国家语言研究所总裁穆图罗·凯说，这些术语之后会被纳入政府白皮书。“在向公众发布的公告中，外来词很容易出现，而实际上它们应该用日语解释。”
Against the flow of new words many Japanese are turning back to the study of their own language．Saito’s Japanese to Be Read Aloud is one of many language books that are now flying off booksellers’ shelves．
随着新词的不断涌现，许多日本人开始重新学习自己的语言。斋藤的《朗读日语》是目前书商书架上最受欢迎的众多语言书籍之一。
“We were expecting to sell the books to young people ” said the writer “ but it turns out they are more popular with the older generation who seem uneasy about the future of Japanese．”
“我们本打算把这些书卖给年轻人，”作者说，“但事实证明，这些书更受老一辈人的欢迎，他们似乎对日本的未来感到不安。”
