Meet Someone Special by Covering Up Your Face(翻译)

Speed dating is an efficient way for single people hoping to find romance to meet a number of other single people at once.
速配约会是那些希望找到爱情的单身人士同时跟多名其他单身人士见面的有效方式。

People who attend a speed dating event go on several short dates in the same night. At the end of the night, they let the organizers know if they met someone they would like to see again.
参加速配约会活动的人士在同一个晚上进行多次短暂约会。在当晚活动结束时，他们让组织者知道他们是否遇到了希望再次遇到的人。

The organizers then help the daters get in contact with each other.
然后组织者帮助这些约会对象互相接触。

The problem with this kind of event, however, is that the people with the best looking faces and bodies are often the most popular.
然而这类活动的问题在于，长得好看身材又好的人通常是最受欢迎的。

But one speed dating company in Japan is working to change that. It wants to prove that people can connect emotionally without seeing each other's faces clearly.
但是日本的一家速配约会公司正致力于改变这点。该公司想要证明，人们可以在不看清对方相貌的情况下进行感情交流。

The company is called Def Anniversary. It thinks that people trying to find a partner should think more about personality than appearance.
这就是Def Anniversary公司。该公司认为，试图找到伴侣的人士应该更多地关注性格而不是外貌。

The singles are required to wear surgical masks, which cover the lower part of the face.
这些单身人士需要戴上医用口罩遮住下半脸。

Kei Matsumura is the head of Def Anniversary. She said the singles attending her events should get to know each other's personality first instead of judging a person only on his or her appearance.
Kei Matsumura是Def Anniversary公司的负责人。她说，参加该公司活动的单身人士应该首先了解彼此的性格，而不是仅仅根据对方外表来判断一个人。

One opinion survey found that nearly half of single people between the ages of 25 and 36 in Japan want to be married. They say they just have not met the right person yet.
一项民意调查发现，日本25岁到36岁的单身人士中有近一半想要结婚。他们说自己只是还没遇见合适的人选。

Those questioned say there are not very many ways to meet new people outside of work.
这些被调查者称，他们工作之外没有很多渠道遇见陌生人。

That is why speed dating events are popular.
这就是速配约会颇受欢迎的原因。

Chiharu Tsukahara is one speed dater. She said she was able to learn more about her possible dates because her face was covered.
Chiharu Tsukahara是一名速配约会者。她说自己能够更多地了解她潜在的约会对象，因为她的脸遮住了。

"Generally, facial features influence our first impression, but here, personality matters," she said.
她说，“一般来说，面部特征会影响我们的第一印象。但是在这里，性格更重要。”

Yasumasa Kishi is another speed dater. He liked Def Anniversary's masked dating event.
Yasumasa Kishi是另一名速配约会者。他喜欢 Def Anniversary公司的速配约会活动。

"Because I was not being judged on my appearance, I think I was able to be more outgoing with the women," he said.
他说，“因为别人无法以貌取人，我认为这样我就能更多地向女生表达热情。”

Research from Japan's health ministry said the marriage rate nationwide has dropped by 50 percent since 1975.
日本卫生部的研究表明，自1975年以来，日本的结婚率下降了50%。

Maybe the masked dating will make a difference.
也许假面约会将会发挥作用。