Time for Change

今こそ変わろう

When I first arrived in Japan, I thought it was humorous to see funny and strange “Engrish” almost at every turn. It was a clear example of how I was truly living in another culture and there were many stories and experiences to be comically shared with my teaching colleagues.
These days, as Japan is struggling on how to exist in the globalized world, and with the clock tick-tick-ticking on the arrival of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, it seems as though dramatic change is needed to foster updated English skills for Japan in the current century.

In my opinion, it is no longer a laughing matter that, according to many academic surveys, the only other country to have worse overall English-language skills in Asia is North Korea. What once brought chuckles and tales of silly stories is now a source of embarrassment and perplexity to this writer.
There have been major influences at work for quite some time in Japan that have contributed to this situation and housecleaning should be the order of the day if this country wants to effectively communicate with the rest of the world using the global language – English.

Let us start by making the first point perfectly clear: Japanese English is simply not on the same level as global English used by native speakers and should no longer be tolerated or labeled as acceptable in public displays.
As a corporate trainer, there have been countless times when I have appealed to the clients and managers in my classes to utilize the services of trained, experienced and knowledgeable native English trainers. It boggles the mind to think that many Japanese companies are insisting on global standards with regards to Sales, Quality, ISO, Production, Research and other areas but few have little concern with regards to upgrading and demonstrating their global English usage in their business practices.

How many times can we see products on a daily basis that exhibit strange “catch phrases”, incorrect spelling, inappropriate grammatical patterns and the like only to be dismissed as “acceptable applications of English” by company representatives. True corporate competitiveness should include all areas of business practice for ultimate success on the global playing field.
The next area that needs a major overhaul is the training and teaching methodologies of English in the Japanese schools.
English is different from other subjects of study as language practice requires activity, participation and reality applications for efficient and confident competence of its learners. Students sitting at a desk passively listening all day to a teacher of often questionable teaching and language skills, students being endlessly drilled and many times having to memorize obscure and unnecessary vocabulary and phrases, students not being taught Western-style communication strategies and also not having the opportunities to use those strategies in discussions or active role-playing situations – need I say more?

Schools need to train teachers on up-to-date English teaching methods, students need to have increased and regular contact with native instructors and English, as I see it, should be an optional form of study in the upper grades where teachers can spend more quality time with globally-minded students who are sincerely interested in actively developing their English skills and also have the capabilities for developing their global English skills.

The last and surely not the least area of change that needs to take place, and this is a delicate and tricky matter, is the attitude of Japanese learners with regards to the fear of not only communicating with foreign speakers of English but also being preoccupied with the number of mistakes being made during those communication opportunities. In this case, there are two situations to be looked at.

Learning sessions, to begin with, are the times when the emphasis on four-skill language development should be the focus. And of course, mistakes are going to be made, possibly time and time again. The learner needs to realize that mistakes are opportunities for skill development and growth. Hundreds and hundreds of mistakes can be made and should be expected as a result of active talk-time and participation.

Silence and passivity in the classroom do nothing for language skill growth and confidence awareness; if someone wants to learn a language, they must jump completely into the pool of language practice and realize that English is difficult and any learning is always a work in progress that needs time and nurturing.

The second situation that needs to be addressed is that classroom learning must have outlets for reality practice where understanding, not perfect skills, should be the benchmark of learner satisfaction.

Opportunities outside of the classroom are a necessity where learners can put into practice the skills they have been working on. Using English social media, watching English television and movies, reading English materials from newspapers or the Internet, singing English songs at karaoke, and of course, having contact with native English speakers are all ways that learners can change their mindset from a person of passivity and low esteem to a confident and proficient user of English in the world.

Too many excuses have been made for far too long. Let us realize the value of having global English skill levels, let us change our educational methods to develop the next generation of English speakers who not only effectively use English but enjoy using English and let us, once and for all, realize that the true reason we use a language is as a communication tool for addressing people from other walks of life.

Mistakes take a back seat when it comes to establishing understanding and trust with foreign individuals. Make the time and use the time whenever possible to increase the mind and endless opportunities for using English.

 

 

 

My Learning Experience in Australia

私のオーストラリア留学

私は6年ほど社会人として働いた後、英語のレベルアップとインターナショナルビジネスを学ぶ為、オーストラリアに1年ほど留学をしました。商社の国際取引をする部署で事務の仕事をしていたのですが、仕入先とのメールは英語で書くことが多く、相手に分かり易く的確な英語でメールを書ける様になりたいと思ったからです。
留学先をどこにするかは悩みましたが、大学生の頃1ヶ月ほどパースに短期留学してフレンドリーで大らかな国民性や豊かな自然とリラックスした雰囲気が好きになったので、オーストラリアに決めました。私の留学の目的は実践的なビジネス英語を学ぶ為だったので、留学準備をサポートしてくれる会社のスタッフと相談してまず語学学校に通い、その後にインターナショナルビジネスを学ぶため専門学校へ行くことにしました。
専門学校のインターナショナルビジネスコースに入学するのに十分な語学力をつけるため3ヶ月ほどシドニーの語学学校で勉強しました。オーストラリアはアジアから近く南半球に位置しているため、日本人以外にも中国や韓国の留学生は多いですし、少数ですがブラジルやコロンビアといった南アメリカからの学生もいました。

I went to Australia to improve my English and learn international business for one year after I had worked for six years in Japan. When I worked as an administrator in an international business department in a trading company, I often needed to write emails to our suppliers in English and wanted to write easy to understand emails in appropriate English.
It was hard to decide which country I should go to, but I decided to go to Australia since I had been to Australia to study English for one month when I was a university student and came to like the friendly and big-hearted people, beautiful nature and relaxed atmosphere. As the purpose of my stay in Australia was to learn practical business English, I talked with the staff of an agency which supported the preparation for my stay in Australia and decided to first attend a language school, then go to a college to learn international business.
I studied at a language school in Sydney for three months to obtain enough English skills for the enrollment in an international business course in a college. Since Australia is located near Asia and in the southern hemisphere, there were as many Chinese and Korean students as Japanese along with a small group of South American students from Brazil and Colombia, in our school.

ブラジル人の生徒からブラジリアの家に強盗が押し入って銃を突き付けられたという話を聞いたり、授業で値段交渉の話をしていたら、トルコ人の生徒がオーストラリアのスーパーで値切ったことがあるという話をして先生を驚かせたこともありました。他の国の文化を知ることはとても刺激的でした。
3ヶ月間はシドニーの中心地から北東にあるボークルーズという場所でホームステイをしていました。イギリス出身のホストマザーで独り暮らしをされていた為、食事をした後に一緒にお茶を飲みながら、色々な話をしました。結婚式を挙げることによってカップルの離婚率は下がるのかといった社会問題について議論したこともあります。
学校へはバスで通っていたのですが、バスで使えるカードがフェリーでも使えたので、フェリーで帰ることもありました。フェリーから見る景色は美しく、沢山の素晴らしいビーチがあるのですが、どのビーチもそれぞれ特色があり、ライフガードがいることが多いため、波が高めでも安心して泳ぐことができます。クリスマスにはホストマザーと友人とビーチでピクニックをしたのも良い思い出です。

My classmate from Brazil told us that he was held at a gun point when robbers broke into his house in Brasilia. Another classmate from Turkey told a story about how he had asked for a discount at a supermarket in Australia, which made our teacher surprised, when we were learning about discounts in a class. It was an exciting experience for me to know about the cultures of other countries.
I did a homestay in Vaucluse which is northeast from the center of Sydney. My host mother from England lived in a house by herself and we talked a lot while having a cup of tea after dinner. We sometimes had discussions about social problems such as whether having a wedding ceremony can lower the divorce rate of married couples.
I usually went to school by bus. I could use the same card for the bus and ferry and sometimes took a ferry to come back home. The view from the ferry was so beautiful. I could see many wonderful beaches which had their own features and were safe for swimming, even if the waves were rough since there were lifeguards on most of the beaches. It was a nice memory for me to have picnics on the beach with my host mother and friends on Christmas day.

留学中に痛感したことは、自分が日本のことを余りにも知らないということでした。他の国の学生から日本について質問されますが、日本人である私は答えられて当然と思われています。彼らは世界情勢にも興味があり、しっかりした考えを持っています。捕鯨について質問をされて答えられなかった時の恥ずかしさは、今でも覚えています。
また、日本の教育についても考えさせられました。日本の教育は受け身で知識を詰め込む形が多く、世の中の問題について考えたり、積極的に意見を言う機会は少ないため、海外の学校で授業を受けた際には戸惑うことが多い様です。日本人は英語が苦手と言われますが語学だけの問題ではなく、積極的に話す姿勢や世の中への興味も欠けているのではないかと感じました。
旅行でも文化の違いや日本の便利さ、安全性を改めて実感することはありますが、ホームステイをしたり、他の国の人と家をシェアしたりして生活を共にしないと実感できないこともあります。昔と比べて海外に行きやすい環境にもかかわらず、海外へ興味を持つ若者が減っているという話を聞きますが、私は実際に留学をしてみて、例え短期間でも海外で生活をしてみるというのは沢山の驚きや感動があり、人生において貴重で思い出深い経験になると感じました。

When I was in Australia, I strongly felt that I didn’t know about Japan very well. Students from other countries asked about Japan and expected knowledgeable answers from me. They were interested in the current situations in the world and had their own opinions about them. I still remember how I felt ashamed that I couldn’t answer when I was asked about whale hunting.
I also thought about the Japanese education system at that time. In our system students tend to be passive and are forced to cram knowledge during classes. Japanese students are often bewildered in classes in foreign countries since they don’t have many opportunities to think about problems in the world and actively express their opinions in classes. It is said that Japanese people aren’t good at speaking English, but I think this is not only because of language but also due to the attitude to actively speak to someone and having a lack of interest in the world.
During trips overseas, we may notice differences in other cultures and realize how safe and convenient Japan is, but there are many things you can’t notice if you don’t live with foreigners like doing a homestay or sharing a house. Compared to before, we can easily go abroad, but I heard that the number of young people who want to stay in foreign countries is decreasing. I actually stayed in Australia and feel that living abroad is a valuable and memorable experience with many surprises and much excitement even if it is for a short period of time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

17 years and Counting

これまでの17年とこれから

I recently celebrated my 17th anniversary of living and working in Japan. To say, “my, how time flies” would truly be an understatement. And yet, I have often been asked to summarize my experience of teaching ESL in Japan during the course of my challenging and always surprising years. The best way would be to illustrate two highlights and comment on the significance of those events from a teaching perspective.

To begin with, I would like to mention how challenging it is to get Japanese learners to understand the importance of “decreasing formality” when it comes to being successful communicating with native English speakers. Let me illustrate by sharing the following experience.

A few years after my arrival in Japan, I secured a contract through one of my business English employers to teach basic business ESL skills at a well-known chemical company in Osaka. Upon arriving at the classroom, one of the employees, who I had met the week before at the orientation meeting, walked in and I greeted him. “Good afternoon, Mr. Shimizu. How are you today?” He looked at me and replied, “I am fine. And you?” It was a nice formal and yet personal exchange for our first class together.

Over the course of time, Mr. Shimizu continued to study English with me from one term to the next. As we began our third year together, I started to gradually loosen up and hoped our relationship would do the same. One day, as Mr. Shimizu entered class, I said, “Hi, Takafumi. Do you have any good news today?” He looked at me and replied, “I am fine. And you?” Suddenly, I thought how interesting his response was after three years of continuous, twice-a-week practice.

Nevertheless, Mr. Shimizu continued to enroll in the company-sponsored ESL course. We now fast forward to the fifth year of our class, when one day, Mr. Shimizu entered my class, as usual, before any of the other participants. Surely, after five years in the same class, with the same employees and in the same company environment as well as practicing with the same trainer, you would think that formality would be the least of my worries at this point in time. Right?

Confidently and naturally, I addressed Mr. Shimizu in what I thought would be a relaxed form of greeting after five years, by saying, “Hey, Tak. What is going on today?” And of course, you probably guessed, he looked at me and replied, “I am fine. And you?”

Let it be said loud and clear, that extreme patience is needed to try and establish natural and relaxed relationships in such a formal and ritual-oriented culture. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” However, also remember, “Rome was not built in one day, either.”

My next experience took place a few years later, at a prestigious language school also in Osaka. By this time, I thought I had seen it all and was truly a seasoned veteran that could not be surprised by anything I might encounter in an ESL classroom in Japan.

In the language school, I was one of many foreign teachers who was assigned a daily schedule of eight, 50-minute classes, held in portable cubicle-style classrooms, each containing three students per period.

One day, as I entered my designated practice room, I greeted the three somewhat eager but low-level students who were trying to make eye contact with me and took my seat across from a cute but reserved female learner who I had not previously taught.

As I looked at her, I noticed she had body language that seemingly indicated a feeling of being rather cold. This made perfect sense to me because I had also noticed she was sitting directly under the air-conditioning unit that was attached to the ceiling above her seat.

Being the kind and considerate teacher I thought I was, I asked her before starting the class, “Are you OK?” She replied, “I am fine.” That response indicated to me that it was time to begin our, what I hoped to be, exciting class.

As the drills progressed, the other two male individuals in our group, who were about the same age, were much more active and responsive than the female learner. On top of that, her seemingly cold-natured body language remained unchained. Trying to do what I could to promote an equal-opportunity learning environment, I once again asked her, “Are you OK? You are rather quiet.” Seemingly on cue, she looked at me and stated, “I am fine.” By the way, if you are keeping count, that was strike two for me!

As the ending time of our class approached, I did my summary and wrap-up to get ready to finish our session for the day. And before I dismissed the group, one more time, I asked the female participant who looked like she was about to be frozen solid, “Are you sure you are OK?” Lo and behold, never changing her expression, she looked at me and stated once more for the record, “I am fine.” Yes, that was strike three for me!

Even so, I could not resist, so I stated, “You sure were quiet today. I think you are very cold, yes?” She responded, as if to help me understand what I seemingly did not, “I am fine.” I thereby said goodbye to everyone and left the cubicle for the break room to write my comments regarding the performance of each student.

As I was about to finish writing my observations and return the files to the shelf, I was summoned to the office to see the school manager. When I got there, the manager was standing next to the female student and they were both looking at me with extremely disapproving looks on their faces.

“What is the problem?” I asked innocently. The manager scowled at me and asked, “Why did you tell this student she had a cold personality?” “What?” I shrieked. “I simply said that this student looked like she was feeling cold because she had been sitting under the air-conditioning unit the entire class. I was worried because she seemed so uncomfortable and could not actively participate in our class activities.”

As I finished defending myself, I noticed that the female student had become very red-faced and began to profusely apologize over and over again before quickly leaving the office. She had obviously confused the meaning of “cold feeling” with “cold personality.”

After my manager did her share of appropriately apologizing to me, it dawned on me that one can never take for granted the words and mannerisms of communication. What is commonly known and understood by one individual can be totally misunderstood by another. From that moment on, I vowed to be on my toes and take more care with my words and expressions with future Japanese learners.

Needless to say, my cultural and professional experiences are constantly changing on a daily basis even after 17 years on the job. Whoever said that teaching ESL in Japan would be easy? Someday you might be able to read more about my escapades in Japan in a book I am thinking about writing.

 

 

 

Studying English in Oxford

オックスフォードでの英語学習

約10年前、オックスフォード大学へ語学留学しました。初めてひとりで海外進出した思い出深い経験です。現地ではオックスフォード大学のオリオルカレッジのキャンパスと寮で過ごしました。イギリスに到着した日、空港からバスや電車を使って自力で寮に辿り着くところから大変だった記憶があります。キャンパスは青々とした芝生に覆われ、教会やパブもあり、想像をはるかに超える素敵な場所でした。

Nearly 10 years ago, I studied at Oxford University to improve my English. I have a lot of memories of my first experience to go abroad alone. I spent my school days at Oriel College Campus and stayed at the dormitory of Oxford University. On the day I arrived in England, I remember travelling by myself from the airport to the dormitory by bus and train was very difficult. The campus, covered with fresh green grass, was far more beautiful than I could have imagined and there was a church and also a pub on the campus.

オックスフォードは「大学の中に街がある」と言われるほど、街のあちこちにオックスフォード大学のキャンパスが点在しており、街全体が若く文化的な雰囲気に包まれていました。同大学は11世紀末に設立された歴史あるカレッジ制の大学であり、各国の首相やノーベル賞受賞者を輩出しています。現在は「ハリーポッター」の映画のロケ地であることでも有名ですが、建築物も風格に満ちており、「不思議の国のアリス」の作者のルイス・キャロルや、歴史上最も偉大な天門学者の一人のエドウィン・ハップルが実際にこれらの建物で学んでいたのかと思うと非常に感慨深かったです。

As is often said about Oxford, “The town is located in the university”: the campuses of Oxford University are dotted around the city, and the whole town was full of a young and cultural atmosphere. This university with a long history was established at the end of the 11th century, and it made up of a number of colleges including oriel college. Many members of the Oxford University alumni have become notable in a variety of fields, ranging from prime ministers of many countries to Nobel prize winners. The stately buildings are now famous as filming locations for “Harry Potter”. I was deeply impressed that Lewis Carroll, the author of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, and Edwin Hubble, one of the greatest astronomers in history studied in those buildings.

留学先では日本以外にも、スペイン、イタリア、フランス、ロシア、トルコ、台湾など様々な国々からの留学生と一緒に英語を勉強することとなりました。彼らのほとんどが20代前後の学生であり、同世代の他国の学生と交流できる貴重な機会でした。講師はほとんどイギリス人の方々で授業は英語の文法なども学びましたが、ディベートやイントロクイズ、レクリエーションなども交えて教えて頂き、とても楽しかったです。一般的に日本における英語教材の大半がアメリカ英語ですが、この語学留学中はずっとイギリス英語を浴び続ける日々でした。最初は耳馴染みがなく聞き取りにくいこともありましたが、日が経つにつれて慣れていきました。現在でもBBCニュースや映画などでイギリス英語が登場するとよく聞き取れるのは、それらの授業の賜物だと思います。

In Oxford, I studied English with students from a wide variety of countries: Spain, Italy, France, Russia, Turkey and Taiwan. Most of them were in their early twenties, so I had a precious opportunity to interact with foreign students of about the same age. Most of the teachers were British people and their lessons were not only English grammar but also included debates, introduction quizzes and recreation. In Japan, American English is generally used for many English learning materials, but during this time I was constantly immersed in British English every day. At first, I had a little difficulty to listen to British English because of a lack of experience, but later I got used to it. Even now, I can understand British English well that appears on the BBC news or in movies thanks to those lessons.

イギリスと言えばパブです。留学中も他国の留学生と一緒にパブによく行きました。イギリス流ではパブで常温のビールを少しずつ飲むのが通なのだと教わり、ぬるいビールを飲んで新しい友人達と楽しく過ごしていました。イギリスは緯度が高く夏は21時頃まで明るいので、パブから帰る頃になってもまだ明るく、治安も良かったので安全でした。

Speaking of life in England, pubs are indispensable. I often went to pubs with foreign students during my stay. I learned that at a British pub people usually sip beer at room temperature, so I enjoyed sipping lukewarm beer and talking with my new friends. As England is at a higher latitude, it is still light even around 9:00 p.m. when we left the pub, and the town was safe, so we didn’t have any problems.

パブ以外にもストーンヘンジに出かけたり一緒に寿司を食べに行ったり、他国の留学生とは文化の違いもありながら楽しく交流していました。イタリア人は「本場のパスタを食べさせてやる」といってパスタをつくってくれ、台湾人はギターを弾いて聴かせてくれました。私は茶道具を持って行き着物を着て茶道を披露したところとても喜んでもらえました。互いに母国語ではない英語でしたが寮生活を通じて仲良くなり、今でもSNSで連絡を取り合っています。

Besides the pub, we went to many places including Stonehenge and a sushi bar. Despite cultural differences, I really liked to interact with the other students: an Italian guy cooked genuine pasta for us, and another guy from Taiwan played the guitar. They seemed to really enjoy my tea ceremony performance in kimono (Japanese traditional costume). We got along very well with each other during our stay in the same dormitory in English which was not our native language, and we still keep in touch through SNS sites.

この留学では、異文化交流で得られたものがたくさんありました。もし語学留学を検討なさっている方がいるなら、色々な国から留学生が集まるプログラムを是非お勧めします。語学力向上が期待できるだけでなく、観光目的の旅行とは一味違う文化交流を楽しめると思いますよ。

I acquired a lot through intercultural interaction. If you consider studying abroad, I highly recommend a program in which students from various countries join. In addition to improving linguistic ability, you will enjoy cultural interchange which you cannot experience by a mere sightseeing trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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