Japanese Translation for Lost Children

[Jade-Elise]

6 weeks to go!!! Oh my!

On my list is some safety procedures in place for the children just in case they do get lost! I was thinking of a wristband like this:

Now should I add on here a Kanji for phone number? Will my phone number look the same in Japan? We are going to have our phones on just for this purpose, in case the children are lost.


I also wanted to create a card for my son who has a disability which effects his speech. Although it is Japanese speaking country, some of the face characters would speak English right? So a card outlining his Name and basic, I have a disability I cannot speak well, would be good right? I could hand it to the CM or the Character to read before talking to him? Would this work in most situations? (never ever been to Disney before!) Suggestions welcome!

I was thinking of having this:
私の息子は発語失行の障がい者で、自由に話すことができません。
Watashino musumewa shogaishade, jiyuuni hanasu kotoga dekimasen.
My son has verbal apraxia and is disabled; he cannot speak freely.

 

[Agent 86]

Hmmmmmm. How old are your children? Would it be sufficient for you to say to them: If we get separated, meet in front of the Castle (or other landmark, depending upon the park)? Otherwise, if you tell them to approach a Cast Member, I'm sure the Cast Member will figure it out and take them to City Hall in Disneyland (and the equivalent in Disney Sea).

I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure Japan has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. I think any lost child would be very well taken care of irrespective of a wrist band.

I haven't met many "face" (i.e. talking) characters in Tokyo Disney. But, I'm sure they would just assume that your son is shy if he doesn't speak. I don't know about the card. You usually "meet" the handler and the character at almost the same time (i.e. you quickly hand the camera to the handler and then approach the character). It may be sufficient to simply tell the handler that your son is shy, although I'm pretty sure that ALL of the "face" characters speak English (since they're all based on Western-looking cartoon humans and they're all usually from other countries), so you could say whatever you feel like saying by way of "explanation" directly to the character.

The non-face characters (i.e. the ones in suits like Mickey Mouse) don't talk. I think the most recent suits allow them to make pre-recorded sounds / phrases, but I don't think they can actually carry on a conversation. So, no need to really worry about those characters as there will be no real expectation for your son to speak to them.

Feel free to ignore this entire post since I don't have children (yet), so I'm not speaking from experience!

 

[aussie shaz]

I think it would be just as easy to maybe write your number on their arm, or give them a piece of paper with the phone number on it to have in their pocket. It really will depend on how old the kids are.
Regarding explaining about your sons speech. I wouldn't worry about it at all. Everyone at all Disney parks are amazing and will mime, play etc, no matter whether he speaks or not.

 

[Corbisblue]

You can ask for an "ID sticker" for your child at Guest Services (they will have English-speaking staff). There is a section on the official website with more information. So, if your child becomes lost a Cast Member will see the sticker and know exactly what to do. This should be sufficient, you won't need to put your phone number down either (since I am guessing it's not a Japanese number it may cause confusion).

http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/faq/guest.html#faq-tdr2

The face characters will speak English and characters like Mickey just do gestures (no speaking involved). I don't think it will be necessary to have to explain about your child's speech, the characters are trained to handle all types of situations, so I think you will be fine. If you really insist on something written out in Japanese, you can ask at Guest Services and I am sure someone can help you with that.

Hope this helps!

 

[Jade-Elise]

Thank you for the advice
My son does talk, he is just very hard to understand due to the disability. I am able to translate for him, but I just wondered if it would enhance the magic. When we visit Santa at the shopping center I have a card with his name, his disability with a brief description and then what he will ask for. (He loves 'trash packs' and that word is ridiculous for him to say). I find Santa and the Elves treat him differently when they know he has a disability rather than quizzically looking at him. I just don't know how the characters interact with the kids.

My kids are 7 & 8, our first time over in a foreign country together.

 

[Agent 86]

All Cast Members, particularly the face characters are very well trained in Disney theme parks to deal with a wide assortment of different guests. I wouldn't worry about how they're going to interact with your son - they will do everything within their power to make it a magical experience.

As mentioned, the face characters speak English so you could always provide an explanation to them if you feel it's necessary.

 

[MomoMama]

As another poster said, they have the facilities in both parks to keep the lost children. I think they are located next or inside the baby centers. You can get the child ID stickers at those facilities, at stroller rental, and at Main Street House at TDL. The sticker seems to be double-stickers. There are spaces to write down your phone number, child's name, and age on one, and then there is another "Tokyo Disney Resort" sticker to put on top of that, so those information are not visible until you peals off the top sticker.
Tell your children to find any CMs if they get lost. I think they should understand simple English like "I'm lost." "Lost child" is MAIGO in Japanese.
They don't use Kanji numbers for phone numbers. I would write down my email address too.

I'm also thinking it's not necessary to fully explain about the speech issues. But I think your Japanese written cards are good to have just in case.
When my kid is being shy and not in a talking mood, the characters are still great, talk gently and give hugs (DD mostly meets princesses). That seems magical enough for DD, but if you want your son to engage in conversations with the characters, maybe you can tell the character about the disability and that you would talk for him? I think you may get better ideas from DIS disability board.

6 weeks to go...you must be super excited! Hope your family will have a fantastic trip!

 

[Feistygirl916]

We have used dog tags for my daughter when she was little and although she never got lost, it helped my sanity We bought them at Walmart or PetSmart/Petco, for under $6. They have them on necklaces, and I had my phone number and her first name on it, and the city/state we were from.

When she was about 2-3 years old, we had them attached to her sneakers, so she couldn't take it off.

 

[planningjollyholiday]

Yes all the face characters speak English. Plus a lot of regular cast members can "get by" speaking a little English, or at least get someone who can speak the language for you.