In what has become a too-familiar experience in Tokyo, a crowded subway train screeches to a sudden halt. From around the car, mobile phones start to ring.
乘坐擁擠的地鐵時(shí)發(fā)生地震在東京是再尋常不過(guò)的事情了。在地鐵急剎車(chē)時(shí)，車(chē)廂內(nèi)各個(gè)角落的手機(jī)開(kāi)始響起來(lái)。
The sound is an emergency earthquake warning from an iPhone app that lets subscribers know when the quake will come, where the epicenter will be located and how strong the shaking will be. Often, seconds after the phone rings, the shaking starts.
這一響聲是iPhone的一款應(yīng)用程序發(fā)出的緊急地震警報(bào)，讓用戶知道地震何時(shí)會(huì)來(lái)臨，震中在哪個(gè)位置，以及地震強(qiáng)度有多大。通常，手機(jī)響后幾秒鐘，地震就會(huì)開(kāi)始。
Following the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which have left nearly 28,000 dead and missing, Japan has been hit by hundreds of aftershocks of varying strengths.
在3月11日發(fā)生強(qiáng)震和海嘯之后，日本已發(fā)生數(shù)百次強(qiáng)度各異的余震。這次強(qiáng)震和海嘯已導(dǎo)致近2.8萬(wàn)人死亡或失蹤。
The app called Yure Kuru, or shaking coming, was developed by RC Solution Co, a Tokyo-based firm that specializes in providing disaster-related information services, such as relaying warnings or letting people confirm the safety of friends and family.
這款應(yīng)用程序名為Yure Kuru(地震來(lái)了)，是由一家專門(mén)提供災(zāi)害信息服務(wù)的日本公司RC Solution研發(fā)的。該公司提供轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)警報(bào)或幫助確認(rèn)親友的安全等服務(wù)。
"Emergency quake warnings began several years ago, but the equipment to receive them was quite expensive," said Akira Kuriyama, president of RC Solution.
RC Solution的總裁栗山明說(shuō)：“緊急地震警報(bào)在幾年前就有了，但是接收警報(bào)的設(shè)備相當(dāng)昂貴�！�
"We wondered if there wasn't a cheaper and easier way to provide this service, and we thought of smartphones."
“我們想知道是否有更廉價(jià)、更容易的方式來(lái)提供這一服務(wù)，于是我們想到了智能手機(jī)�！�
The app, based on technology originally developed by Japan's Meteorological Agency and railway firms, was released in November 2010.
這一應(yīng)用程序基于日本氣象廳和鐵路公司研發(fā)的技術(shù)，于2010年11月發(fā)布。
When the alarm is triggered, a window comes up on the phone screen saying that in approximately 10 seconds, there will be a quake of a certain strength. Users can decide for themselves at what strength of quake the phone will ring.
在警報(bào)響起時(shí)，手機(jī)屏幕上會(huì)彈出一個(gè)窗口，上面的文字顯示說(shuō)，大約在10秒后，會(huì)發(fā)生一定級(jí)別強(qiáng)度的地震。用戶可以自行設(shè)定在發(fā)生何種強(qiáng)度的地震時(shí)手機(jī)會(huì)響起。
Prior to March 11, there were 100,000 subscribers, Kuriyama said. But now there are at least 1.5 million, and the company has stopped counting.
栗山說(shuō)，在3月11日前，用戶數(shù)為10萬(wàn)，而現(xiàn)在至少有150萬(wàn)用戶。由于用戶太多，公司已經(jīng)停止計(jì)算用戶數(shù)。
The app is symbolized by a cartoon catfish, which, according to Japanese folk belief, are said to warn of quakes.
這一應(yīng)用程序的標(biāo)志是一條卡通鯰魚(yú)。據(jù)日本民間的說(shuō)法，鯰魚(yú)可以預(yù)報(bào)地震。
"We're very happy to be of service," Kuriyama said. "Among other things, there still isn't a lot of understanding about the quake warning. If our app helps more people learn about this, and increases their safety, we'll be pleased."
栗山說(shuō)：“我們很高興能對(duì)大家有所幫助。另外，人們?cè)诘卣痤A(yù)警方面了解得并不多。如果我們的應(yīng)用程序能夠讓更多的人對(duì)此有所了解，并讓人們更安全，我們會(huì)很高興�！�