CHICAGO –

The latest developments with the 新型コロナウイルス (shingata koronauirusu, novel coronavirus) reveal some interesting linguistic similarities and differences between reporting abroad and within Japan. Triangulating the reporting in English and Japanese can expand our understanding of the virus and how people have experienced the outbreak.

This understanding starts at the origin of the outbreak: While English speakers have heard constant mentions of "Wuhan," the Japanese call the city "武漢" (Bukan). Regardless of pronunciation, we have to remember that Wuhan is its own city, filled with millions of people who are just like us — uncertain and hoping for the best.

The uncertainty is reflected in the reporting. By Jan. 10, a day after the World Health Organization issued a statement on a "novel coronavirus" and a "cluster of pneumonia cases," Japanese news outlets were reporting on 原因不明の肺炎 (gen'in fumei no haien, pneumonia from an unknown cause), which then transitioned into ウイルス性肺炎 (uirusu-sei haien, viral pneumonia).

It's interesting to see how the language in Japanese focused on the effects of the virus rather than the name, unlike in the United States, where reporting has focused almost exclusively on the word "coronavirus."

This is reflected in Google Trends. While both コロナウイルス (koronauirusu, coronavirus) and "coronavirus" spiked around Jan. 12, the term "肺炎" (haien, pneumonia) spiked but "pneumonia" did not.

To punctuate this point, the title for Wikipedia entries for the outbreak in both languages is remarkably different. The English entry is "Coronavirus disease 2019," while the Japanese is the more informative "2019新型コロナウイルスによる急性呼吸器疾患" ("Nisen jyūkyū-nen shingata koronauirusu ni yoru kyūsei kokyūki shikkan," "Acute respiratory illness due to 2019 novel coronavirus").

新型肺炎 (shingata haien, novel pneumonia) has persisted as a term in Japanese news reports, likely because it is compact and easy to display as a chyron.

Not everything has been different with the reporting in Japan and the West. Coverage expanded rapidly as the coronavirus' 感染拡大 (kansen kakudai, spread of infection) began.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship dominated coverage in both countries, and politicians' responses began to be closely examined. U.S. President Donald Trump has been criticized for an overly rosy outlook on the chance of spread in the United States and for botching an initial set of testing kits for the virus, while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been associated with the word そっちのけ (socchinoke, neglect) as he attended a birthday party for a supporter on Feb. 21.

Fears of a 汎発 (hanpatsu, pandemic) have become front page news as outbreaks arose in South Korea and Italy. デマ (dema, false rumors) that マスク (masuku, masks) were made from the same material as トイレットペーパー (toiretto pēpā, toilet paper), led to panic and 買い占め (kaishime, buying up of goods), a phenomenon previously seen during the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and the Oil Shock of 1973.

Similarly, areas in the U.S. experiencing clusters of 感染者 (kansensha, infected people) have also experienced runs on certain products at grocery stores.

Concerts, museums and large public events began to be canceled and postponed in Japan, leading to frequent use of the words 中止 (chūshi, cancelation) and 延期 (enki, postponement).

Finally, on Feb. 27, Abe determined that Japan had reached 極めて重要な時期 (kiwamete jūyōna jiki, an incredibly important point) with the 2020 Olympics not far on the horizon, leading him to issue a 要請 (yōsei, request) that primary, junior and senior high schools close from March 2 through the spring holiday. People took that as meaning they should try to stay home, doing テレワーク (telewāku, remote work) if possible.

Outbreaks have started to hit areas of the U.S., and several states have issued 非常事態宣言 (hijōjitai sengen, state of emergency declarations), which frees up emergency funding.

Readers who are able to should follow what's being said about the disease in Japan and other countries. While it may sound hyperbolic, being bilingual in the internet age could end up saving your life. With two languages, you have access to twice the news and the perspectives of millions more people than you would with one language alone.

Above all, avoid panic and making hasty decisions. Take care of yourself and try not to hoard. 石鹸を使って、20秒以上手をよく洗い、目や口、鼻などには極力触らないようにしましょう (Sekken o tsukatte, nijū-byō ijō te o yoku arai, me ya kuchi, hana nado ni wa kyokuryoku sawaranai yō ni shimashō, Use soap and wash your hands well for more than 20 seconds, and to the best of your ability try not to touch your eyes, mouth and nose.) That's not just recommended advice in the age of COVID-19, it's also good for battling the common cold and flu.