VOA标准英语2010年-Speaking Creole on the 'Comfort'

The U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort, currently en route to Haiti, has treated patients in the region before. Medical personnel who have personal connections to Haiti are preparing fellow shipmates for what is ahead.

There are more than 550 medical professionals on the hospital ship Comfort.  One of them is Haitian neurologist Mill Etienne.  He grew up in New York, and his parents spoke¹ Creole around the house.  Now he is on his way to Port-au-Prince, the now-devastated city where he was born.

For him, the mission is intensely personal.  "Last I spoke to my mom was right before we left.  She was just overjoyed about me going down there, crying on the phone," he said.

He said one of his nieces was missing for a day, and a cousin was found alive after two days buried beneath rubble².  The discovery prompted excitement and another wave of concern for those not found.

That concern is shared by surgical³-tech Hospital Corpsman Yves Henry on the Comfort.  He grew up on the outskirts⁴ of Port-au-Prince, where his grandmother still lives.  "My mom, she finally got in contact with my grandma, and they told her that she is okay, so we are happy.  No, the rest of my family we have not heard from yet, so we are just praying and hoping they are all okay," he said.

He found out about his grandmother while he was aboard the Comfort.  He says his thoughts are with the many people in Haiti who cannot find their family members right now and what he can do to help them.

Henry says he is proud to be in the U.S. Navy and he praised it for its quick response to help the people of Haiti.  "Whichever, whatever job necessary that they want me to do, translate or work as a surgical tech or whatnot.  I am here to do whatever necessary to help," he said.

Translators will be boarding the ship once it arrives in the vicinity of Haiti.  The Comfort's director of nursing, Commander Mark Marino, told medical staff that translators will be available 24 hours each day.  "But even then, 100 translators amongst possibly 800, 900, even 1,000 patients, rotating shifts is going to be a super challenge.  Just be prepared for that as well.  You may have to wait to do something until you can get a translator," she said.

Doctor Etienne says there are about 15 people of Haitian-descent aboard the Comfort.  They have been gathering⁵ in the mornings to discuss ways to teach the staff about Haitian culture and history.

"When you are delivering medical care, one of the most important things is to have appropriate communication and understanding.  And that is what we are trying to do right now," she said.

Each day, a Creole phrase is printed on the ship's schedule so the staff can introduce themselves and communicate with the patients they are dedicated⁶ to helping⁷.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

3 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

4 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

5 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

6 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。