Opinion Speed dating By Caroline Pover	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
たった5分間のデート 今、注目の「スピードデーティング」は、集まった男女がペアになり、5分ほど話しては相手を換え、付き合う相手を探すイベント。 外国人も交えてこれを実践するとまず相手との共通言語を見つける、母語以外の言葉で自己紹介する…など、大変だが、とても面白いイベントになりそうだ。

Before I begin this month's column, I must update you with some news about the foreign woman and Japanese man who met in a bookstore (see my last column). They have just announced their engagement, so big congratulations to them! And I hope this brings encouragement to those who are out there looking for love: Try your local bookstore.This month's column stays on the topic of looking for love, as I look at a new kind of dating event that has been successful in many cities throughout the world. The dating event is called "speed dating."

Speed dating is a party where an equal number of men and women attend, and spend a short amount of time talking to every member of the opposite sex. Participants speak to each person for five minutes, and generally you can have around 15 men and 15 women attending. At the end of the event, you tell the organizers who you would like to see again, and if that person also wants to see you again, then you can share your contact information with each other. No personal contact information is shared unless both people want to get in touch with each other, so it is very safe.

It's an interesting way to meet new people, and to possibly meet somebody who you can become serious about. Of course it's difficult to really know someone in just five minutes, but it's enough time for you to know whether you want to find out more. If you are a big believer in love at first sight, it can be a very exciting dating technique.

In other countries, most speed-dating parties involve people who share a first language, which does make it much easier to communicate in just five minutes. Speed-dating parties involving people from many different cultures who speak different languages can be very challenging. Just trying to find a shared language in just five minutes is difficult. But what a fun challenge and what a great opportunity for practicing a different language!

It also makes people think carefully about what kind of partner they want, and what kind of questions are important to ask before deciding someone is interesting. It works best if people actually prepare questions to ask someone, or prepare something to say about themselves that will best indicate the kind of person they are. Usually we meet potential partners in quite unexpected situations and often aren't really prepared so don't know what to say!

Shukan ST: July 15, 2005

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