In what has become a too-familiar experience in Tokyo, a crowded subway train screeches to a sudden halt. From around the car, mobile phones start to ring.

　　乘坐擁擠的地鐵時發生地震在東京是再尋常不過的事情了。在地鐵急剎車時，車廂內各個角落的手機開始響起來。

　　The sound is an emergency earthquake warning from an iPhone app that lets subscribers know when the quake will come, where the epicenter will be located and how strong the shaking will be. Often, seconds after the phone rings, the shaking starts.

　　這一響聲是iPhone的一款應用程序發出的緊急地震警報，讓用戶知道地震何時會來臨，震中在哪個位置，以及地震強度有多大。通常，手機響后幾秒鐘，地震就會開始。

　　Following the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which have left nearly 28,000 dead and missing, Japan has been hit by hundreds of aftershocks of varying strengths.

　　在3月11日發生強震和海嘯之后，日本已發生數百次強度各異的余震。這次強震和海嘯已導致近2.8萬人死亡或失蹤。

　　The app called Yure Kuru, or shaking coming, was developed by RC Solution Co, a Tokyo-based firm that specializes in providing disaster-related information services, such as relaying warnings or letting people confirm the safety of friends and family.

　　這款應用程序名為Yure Kuru（地震來了），是由一家專門提供災害信息服務的日本公司RC Solution研發的。該公司提供轉發警報或幫助確認親友的安全等服務。

　　"Emergency quake warnings began several years ago, but the equipment to receive them was quite expensive," said Akira Kuriyama, president of RC Solution.

　　RC Solution的總裁栗山明說：“緊急地震警報在幾年前就有了，但是接收警報的設備相當昂貴。”

　　"We wondered if there wasn't a cheaper and easier way to provide this service, and we thought of smartphones."

　　“我們想知道是否有更廉價、更容易的方式來提供這一服務，于是我們想到了智能手機。”

　　The app, based on technology originally developed by Japan's Meteorological Agency and railway firms, was released in November 2010.

　　 這一應用程序基于日本氣象廳和鐵路公司研發的技術，于2010年11月發布。

　　When the alarm is triggered, a window comes up on the phone screen saying that in approximately 10 seconds, there will be a quake of a certain strength. Users can decide for themselves at what strength of quake the phone will ring.

　　在警報響起時，手機屏幕上會彈出一個窗口，上面的文字顯示說，大約在10秒后，會發生一定級別強度的地震。用戶可以自行設定在發生何種強度的地震時手機會響起。

　　Prior to March 11, there were 100,000 subscribers, Kuriyama said. But now there are at least 1.5 million, and the company has stopped counting.

　　栗山說，在3月11日前，用戶數為10萬，而現在至少有150萬用戶。由于用戶太多，公司已經停止計算用戶數。

　　The app is symbolized by a cartoon catfish, which, according to Japanese folk belief, are said to warn of quakes.

　　這一應用程序的標志是一條卡通鯰魚。據日本民間的說法，鯰魚可以預報地震。

　　"We're very happy to be of service," Kuriyama said. "Among other things, there still isn't a lot of understanding about the quake warning. If our app helps more people learn about this, and increases their safety, we'll be pleased."

　　栗山說：“我們很高興能對大家有所幫助。另外，人們在地震預警方面了解得并不多。如果我們的應用程序能夠讓更多的人對此有所了解，并讓人們更安全，我們會很高興。”