Meaning of 相談

[Dariat]

Hello.

I was hoping that someone could clarify the meaning of 相談（そうだん） to me. I was reading this article: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k100154 ... 21000.html , and I'm a little vague on what exactly I may imagine when they say 相談.

The dictionary tells me that it means consultation; discussion. But if that's what it means I can't really make sense of this part 「…約５２０の相談が県や市などに来ました」. It seems weird to me that they would have statistics on how many discussions have "come to prefectures and cities". What does that even mean? This made me think that perhaps 相談 means something like "reports", as in a "reports from consumers". Am I wrong?

Someone please help me clear my confusion!

[community.japanese]

Hello Dariat san,
相談 means “a person has a problem or concern and the person ask someone to give advice to solve the problem”.
In this case 520 people had problems with smart phones and didn’t know the cause or how to solve the issues. Then they contact public servant advisers.
Yuki 由紀
Team JapanesePod101.com

[Dariat]

Thank you very much. I understand much better now.

[community.japanese]

Dariat san,
Douitashimashite.
Yuki 　由紀
Team JapanesePod101.com

[thegooseking]

Dariatさん, 由紀先生、

Having cleared up the meaning of 相談 in this excerpt, I'm still concerned about what 県や市など means. I would translate it as "things like prefectures and cities", but it seems awfully imprecise for any news site, and doesn't really "fit" with the more precise (though still a little imprecise) figure of "around 520". Is this a set phrase or idiomatic in Japanese? Perhaps taken to mean something more like, "throughout the country"?

小狼

[Dariat]

I can't really comment on your question itself, but please keep in mind that this is from a section on NHK's site specifically designed for children and beginners of Japanese.

[community.japanese]

Hello 小狼さん、
県や市 means public consultation (advice) service which prefectural offices and city halls have.
520 people come to the prefectural offices or city halls or called them to solve the problems.
Yuki 由紀
Team JapanesePod101.com

[thegooseking]

なるほど。ありがとうございます。

I guess it's similar to the Citizens Advice Bureau we have in the UK (or at least fills a similar purpose). Now I see where 相談 is coming from!

小狼

[Dariat]

Thank you, Yuki, for that additional explanation. Now that other part makes much more sense, too.

[community.japanese]

小狼さん、Dariat san,
どういたしまして。
Yuki 由紀
Team JapanesePod101.com