每日英語跟讀 Ep.K307: Japanese students invent ingenious ‘roach catcher’ to Taiwanese’s delight
For those living in Taiwan, cockroaches are definitely on the long list of pests that wreak havoc on people’s daily lives. These grotesque insects are seemingly everywhere and are hard to vanquish, leading to the rise of many “anti-cockroach” remedies; however, their effects are somewhat debatable.
蟑螂在台灣是令許多民眾感到頭痛的昆蟲，無所不在、生命力頑強也成了蟑螂的代稱。坊間也流傳著許多「滅蟑」偏方，但效果也是見仁見智。
An easy to assemble “cockroach catcher” has recently appeared on Amazon in Japan. The product was invented by a group of Japanese students, who developed it at an inexpensive price and has a very simple design. Priced at around 800 yen (about NT$200), the principle behind the cockroach catcher is also quite simple. Using the concept of a double box, the first covers the cockroach. Once it is inside the box, the user then pulls a handle, thereby effectively dragging the bug into a second box within the first one. The whole process will allow users to distance themselves from the cockroach so that they can also maintain “social distance” from the pests.
近期，日本Amazon出現了一款「抓蟑螂神器」，是由一群日本學生所開發出來的產品，外型十分簡約，價格也十分平易近人，只需800日圓（約台幣200元）就能將這個產品帶回家，抓蟲的原理也相當簡單，利用雙層盒子的概念，先將蟲子蓋住後，再拉把手，即可將蟲子困在盒子中，捕捉的全程都不會觸碰到昆蟲，讓民眾在捕捉昆蟲的過程中，也能跟昆蟲保持「社交距離」。
Assembling the product is also quite simple, as one only needs to fold up the transparent PET panels and follow the instructions to complete the product. In addition, this “cockroach catcher” has a thoughtful idea, designed for people who do not like to “see” bugs. Users can place stickers that come with the box on it, to avoid seeing them.
組裝方式也同產品的外形一般，十分的簡單易懂，包裝打開後只需將各個透明PET材質的板子順著摺痕折起、照著指示就能輕鬆將產品組裝完成。此外，這款「抓蟑螂神器」還有個貼心的巧思，專為不喜歡「看見」蟲子的人而設計，只要將內附的貼紙貼在箱子上，就能避免看見蟲子，可以說是怕蟲一族的福音。
The product became a sensation on its launch day on Amazon Japan, and it was the second best-selling product recorded in a single day. This led many social media users to comment what a wonderful product it was and voicing their desire to grab a couple for friends and family. Those deathly afraid of cockroaches also praised the design for helping distance users from the insects and added that they will be sure to stockpile some at home just in case.
產品開賣當日便在日本Amazon達到超高的購買潮，創下單日熱售第二的成績，引起了一票網友熱議，紛紛留言表示：「能抓蟑螂真的太棒了！」、「好想買！」、「能不碰到蟑螂就將牠抓走，簡直太棒了！」、「我超怕蟑螂的，這設計太棒了！」、「買爆！多囤幾盒在家裡！」
Some also joked that when they see cockroaches, their first reaction is to run the other way, while others mused whether they would be able to collect their wits and assemble the box when face to face with roaches. One social media also pointed out that perhaps, one day, cockroaches would evolve to be able to open boxes, leading another to comment it would be easier to just smack them dead with a slipper. Source Article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20210831-2743383
更有網友逗趣的表示：「我看到蟑螂都直接逃跑」、「遇到蟑螂時真的有辦法閒下來折這個嗎？」、「用拖鞋打可能會比較快吧！」、「蟑螂之後搞不好會進化到能打開這個盒子」。