Better reading services await elderly
老年阅读服务将更完善
China will ramp up efforts to enrich reading experiences for seniors by creating accessible reading environments and providing them with scientific guidance and products, with the aim of securing their right to read and attaining spiritual fulfillment in their twilight years.
中国将加大力度为丰富老年人阅读体验，为老年人创造便捷的阅读环境，并为他们提供科学的阅读指导和相关产品，以保障他们的阅读权利，让他们在晚年获得精神上的满足。
Fourteen central departments, including the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Education and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, have recently released a guideline urging local authorities to offer more accessible and higher-quality reading services to the elderly.
近日，包括民政部、教育部和中华全国总工会在内的14个中央部门联合发布指导意见，促使地方政府为老年人提供更加便捷和高质量的阅读服务。
The guideline clarifies that it's of great importance to offer seniors more convenient ways to read, which can boost their self-improvement and facilitate better engagement in family and social activities. The nation will integrate its resources to make sure older adults in rural and urban areas can access reading materials.
指导意见明确指出，为老年人提供更加便利的阅读方式具有重要意义，这不仅能促进其自我提升，还能帮助他们更好地参与家庭和社会活动。国家将整合资源，确保城乡老年人都能获取阅读材料。
Under the guideline, some State-level reading promotion campaigns targeting seniors will be launched and carried out via smart tools such as digital and information technologies, which will allow them to experience audiovisual reading. Local authorities are encouraged to organize reading activities, including recitation, book-sharing parties and sitcom performances, to make the experiences more interesting and attractive for the elderly.
根据该指导意见，将推出、开展一些面向老年群体的国家级阅读推广活动，通过数字化和信息化技术等智能工具，帮助老年人体验视听阅读。指导意见也鼓励地方政府组织朗诵、书友会和情景剧表演等阅读活动，以增加老年人的阅读兴趣和体验。
Figures from the civil affairs ministry showed that the number of people in China aged 60 and above was almost 297 million by the end of last year, accounting for more than 21 percent of the nation's total population. Among these people, about 37 million have completed senior high school and are literate, but their reading demands are not fully met due to a lack of accessible reading materials and related services.
民政部数据显示，截至去年底，中国60岁及以上人口接近2.97亿，占全国总人口的21%以上。其中约3700万人完成了高中学业并具备阅读能力，但由于缺乏便捷的阅读材料和相关服务，他们的阅读需求尚未完全得到满足。
The guideline encourages publishing houses and printing presses to publish books, magazines or newspapers appealing to seniors and make the copyrighted materials more accessible to them by adding audio services and printing with larger characters. Also, local public services departments are required to optimize the reading environment for older adults by installing barrier-free facilities or offering voluntary services such as delivering books to their homes. Local authorities can use some AI tools to offer scientific, systematic and personalized reading guidance to the elderly based on their ages, education backgrounds and health conditions, and publish regular reports listing their favorite books.
指导意见鼓励出版机构和印刷厂出版老年人感兴趣的书籍、杂志和报纸，并通过添加音频服务和大字印刷等方式让老年人更容易获取版权作品。同时，指导意见要求地方公共服务部门优化老年人的阅读环境，例如安装无障碍设施，或提供上门送书的志愿服务。地方政府还可以利用人工智能工具，根据老年人的年龄、教育背景和健康状况，为其提供科学、系统和个性化的阅读指导，并定期发布他们喜爱书籍的榜单。
Some provinces and cities have taken steps to better meet the older residents' reading demands. The city-level Wenzhou Library in Zhejiang province offers regular book interpretation services to the elderly, with volunteers speaking in the local dialect to help them better understand some classic Chinese novels. Jiang Xianjing, who works at the Wenzhou Library, told China Central Television that the library workers will help local residents aged 70 and above select the books they want and have them mailed to their homes. All they have to do is call the library.
一些省市已经采取措施，以更好地满足老年居民的阅读需求。浙江省温州市图书馆为老年人提供定期的图书解说服务，由志愿者用当地方言帮助他们更好地理解一些经典的中国小说。温州市图书馆的蒋显菁（音译）向中央电视台介绍，图书馆工作人员会帮助70岁及以上的当地居民挑选他们想要的书籍，并将书邮寄到家中，老年人只需打个电话即可。
