Hello. This is Yasuzuka.
I attended the 2nd Joint Meeting of Tri-Head and Neck Society 2024, which was held in Ōsaka from September 19th to 20th. I would like to report here.
This time, I went alone, without any doctors accompanying me. It was my first experience to attend international conference. Both the presentations and the Q&A sessions were conducted in English. I would like to write this report in English for my practice of writing in English.
後に日本語でも記します。
My presentation was the first one of the first session on the first morning, so I went to Ōsaka the day before and stayed overnight. Ōsaka is a city where you can enjoy a lot of gourmet food. I ate katsudon for dinner the day before my presentation, hoping for good luck.
I went back to the hotel and looked out the window at the downtown area. “Tomorrow is the day of my presentation.” I was a little nervous and excited. (Can you guess which hotel I stayed at? Of course, I stayed here on my own expense for some reasons I won’t write here in detail. Don’t worry, you will usually be provided financial assistance for travel expense.)
The next morning, I got up earlier than usual. I had breakfast, got dressed, and checked the final draft of my manuscript. I realized that the clock had already passed 8 o’clock.
I had to be on time, so I took a taxi to the venue. At the reception desk, they spoke in Japanese, which made me feel at ease. After completing the registration process, I entered the conference hall.
I gave a presentation titled “A clinical study of carbon-ion radiotherapy for non-squamous cell carcinoma of nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses.” To be honest, the presentation itself went more smoothly than I had worried. I think it’s because I had practiced reading it out beforehand, and my supervisors had helped me to edit the presentation slides. On the other hand, the Q&A session was difficult. I could barely understand what the questioners were saying, and I knew what I wanted to say in response, but I couldn’t think of the right words to express it in English. This is quite natural, as there were almost no opportunities for me to speak English in everyday life. I sometimes speak English in outpatient, but it’s only once every three months. Some of the participants were very fluent in English. There was a presenter from Taiwan who spoke English very fluently and discussed confidently in the Q&A session. To my surprise, she is a medical student. I thought I had to work hard in training English.
That day, I listened to many presentations in various sections. Aside from the content of the presentations, I was interested in the English of the presenters. I couldn’t help analyzing how they pronounced words to make them easier to understand. My first international conference was a very stimulating experience.
The first day is over, and it’s time for dinner! What shall I eat? Ōsaka is a city where you can enjoy a lot of gourmet food. While walking around the city, I found a suspicious-looking stairs. I went down, found myself in a time tunnel, and I arrived at Ōsaka during the Shōwa period. I wandered around the mysterious space, and entered an okonomiyaki restaurant from among the shops lined on the street. Ah, this is the real okonomiyaki in Ōsaka. Look at this dancing katsuobushi (踊る花カツオ) ! I really enjoyed it.
The second day of the conference. I took photos of me in front of the sign. Since I was there alone, it was difficult to take the photos. The sign is on the first floor, and the secretariat is on the sixth floor. There were no staff around the sign. I placed my camera on a stand and took the photos using the remote controller. People walking by looked at me with curious eyes. Some person walked between me and the camera, and a car drove. I’ll post those photos as well as the best shot.
The conference is over! Time for sightseeing!
On the next day I visited Shin-sekai. It was very atmospheric. From the top of Abeno Harukas, I saw far into the distance, and Tsūtenkaku Tower looked small. I also went to Dōtonbori. I took a photo in the same pose as the signboard, but I decided it was top secret, so I erased myself with keshi-gomu magic (消しゴムマジック). Please try to imagine my posture from the shape of my shadow.
It was about five years ago that I first visited Ōsaka. Until then I had always believed that all of the Ōsaka cities were like Shin-sekai or Dōtonbori. Please keep that a secret.
What shall I have for a late lunch? Ōsaka is a city where you can enjoy a lot of gourmet food. I decided to try something different and went for afternoon tea. As you can see from the photos, it was really delicious. Can you believe this is in the Umeda area? In Ōsaka, you can find everything – katsudon, okonomiyaki, and even luxurious afternoon tea.
Outside the window, I saw the venue of the conference. Can you guess where I had the afternoon tea?
By the way, what is the name of this pancake? Is it okay to call it imagawayaki (今川焼)?
This conference was very fruitful for me. I would like to participate in another international conference in a safe area. I need to brush up my English skills before then.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the doctors in my department who have kindly sent me to this conference, as well as to the doctors in my association who have always supported us.
こんにちは。安塚です。
2024年9月19日～20日に大阪で開催された、第2回日台韓合同頭頸部外科学会（2nd Joint Meeting of Tri-Head and Neck Society 2024）に参加してきました。この場を借りてご報告いたします。
今回は、医局からは私一人だけで行って参りました。私にとっては初めての国際学会でした。発表も質疑応答も英語で行われました。この報告も、英語で文章を書く練習もかねて、英語で記してみました。
私の発表は朝一番のセッションの1番目でしたので、前日に大阪入りしました。大阪は食い倒れの街。グルメには事欠きません。発表前日の夕食には、験を担いでカツ丼を食べました。ホテルに戻り、窓から夜の街を見る。明日が本番だ。少し緊張しつつ、楽しみでもありました。
翌朝、いつもより早起きしてしまいました。朝食をとり、着替えて、原稿の最終確認を行っているうちに、時計の針は8時を過ぎていました。遅れてはいけないので、会場にはタクシーで向かいました。受付窓口では日本語。ちょっと安心。登録作業を済ませて会場に入りました。
今回は「A clinical study of carbon-ion radiotherapy for non-squamous cell carcinoma of nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses (鼻腔および副鼻腔の非扁平上皮癌に対する重粒子線治療の臨床研究)」という演題で発表を行いました。発表自体は意外と難なく終わりました。事前に読み上げる練習もしていましたし、上司の先生方に発表スライドを添削していただいていたおかげです。一方で、質疑応答は難しかったです。質問者の発言を聴き取ることは出来ましたし、答えたい内容も分かるのですが、それを英語で何と表現すれば良いのかすぐには思い浮かばない。普段英語で会話する機会はほぼありませんから、これは自然なことかもしれません。外来で英語を使う機会はありますが、3ヶ月に1回ほどです。参加者たちの中には、流暢に英語を使いこなす人もいました。台湾からの発表者に、大変に流暢に英語を話し、質疑応答でも堂々と議論する人が居ました。何と驚いたことに、彼女はまだ医学生だそうです。すごいな、と思いました。私も頑張らなくては。
その日はいろいろなセクションを聞いて回りました。発表の内容だけでなく、私は発表者の英語力の高さに気が向いてしまいました。私にとって初めての国際学会は、大変に刺激に満ちた経験でした。
1日目が終わり、夕食の時間。さて何を食べようか？大阪は食い倒れの街、グルメには事欠きません。この日はお好み焼きをいただきました。
2日間の学会が終わり、次の日に少しばかり観光に行ってきました。新世界に道頓堀。大阪らしい街並みを楽しめました。私が大阪を初めて訪れたのは5年ほど前のことでしたが、それまでは大阪の市街地はどこも新世界や道頓堀のような街並みなのかと思い込んでいました。
遅めのお昼ご飯として何を食べましょう？大阪は食い倒れの街、グルメには事欠きません。ちょっと趣向を変えて、アフタヌーンティーに行きました。写真を見ておわかりになるとおり、格別の味でした。窓の外には、学会の会場が見えました。
今回の学会は、私にとって実りの多い学会でした。また、治安の良い地域で国際学会があったら参加したいな、と思いました。それまでに英語力も磨いておかなければ。
最後に、本学会に快く送り出していただいた医局の先生方、また日頃よりご支援をいただいております同門会の先生方に心より感謝申し上げます。
ところで、今読んで頂いた日本語文と、冒頭に記した英文の内容が結構違っていることに、お気づきになりましたか？
