connect

悲しい事故でした。英語で表現すればそれは大きなlossなのです。connectもまた英語らしい言い回しで、訳語だけではその原義はつかめません。LDOCEの項目にconnectをunderstand and peopleといった概念でくくっていますので、参考にしてください。（gacha）
Junior high school mourns loss of Irish teacher killed in hit-and-run
MAEBASHI -The staff and students of a local junior high school are mourning the loss of English teacher Alan Buckley, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident early on the morning of Aug. 22.
"He was really trying to connect to Japan, was studying hiragana and kanji very hard, and was popular with the students. It is very sad," said Kenji Saito, vice-principal of Nishi Junior High School in Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture, where Buckley, 32, had worked as an assistant language teacher since his arrival from Ireland in July 2009. Buckley, who also taught at two local primary schools several times a month, had just renewed his contract for a second year.
According to local police, Buckley visited a convenience store about 800 meters from the scene of the accident on Route 254 twice to buy beer -- three beer cans and his clothes were found on the sidewalk nearby.
Police believe Buckley stripped after drinking and laid on the road where he was run over by 63-year-old truck driver Masami Wakabayashi, who was arrested for the hit-and-run on Aug. 22. Wakabayashi has apparently admitted to the allegations.
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20100824p2a00m0na010000c.html