For Japan's medical interpretation industry, tourism boom presents growing challenge
During one of her medical-interpreting lessons in July, teacher Yoshiko Ishizaka, 77, brought up the case of a former student who was dealing with schizophrenia. The principal of Tokyo-based International Medical Interpreter Academy used the example to engage her class in a discussion on the ...
Japan needs guidelines and infrastructure for multilingual support for foreign residents
It is high time that the national government formulated guidelines on what information it should disseminate in what languages.
Tourists to Japan are fueling a boom in personal translation devices
Takehiko Fujita wouldn't be able to do his job selling eye drops and pain relievers without his pocket translator. Instead of an app, language dictionary or call-in translation service, the clerk at a Japanese drugstore uses Pocketalk, a ¥25,000 device made by Sourcenext Corp. that ...
Japan to toughen eligibility standards for Japanese-language schools
The Immigration Services Agency said Thursday it will toughen eligibility standards for Japanese-language schools that can accept foreign students, effective Sept. 1. The stricter standards will require 70 percent or more of the students who complete the courses to proceed to universities, get jobs in ...
Nationwide test results highlight Japanese students' poor English speaking and writing skills
In the speaking section, many students struggled with improvised speech on randomly chosen topics.
The enactment of a new law that spells out the government's responsibility to ensure adequate Japanese language education for residents from overseas is a step forward. Policy actions and funding to back it up must now follow.
New law holds government responsible for teaching Japanese to all foreign residents
The legislation places the onus for providing learning opportunities on the state but does not contain any concrete measures to fund.
Wall Street learns hard lesson on why not to say 'pig' in China
Wall Street is getting a costly language lesson. For financial professionals around the globe this past week, rising trade tensions and fears of a slowdown were no match for an unlikely drama suddenly unfolding in China: UBS Group AG's struggle to quell a public uproar ...
To aid tourism, Japan to expand language support and offer free Wi-Fi on 300 bus and train routes
The government said Friday it plans to provide multilingual information and free Wi-Fi access on 300 public transport routes as it steps up efforts to boost inbound tourism. As a first step, foreign language support and free Wi-Fi will be made available on 100 local ...
Japanese, Italian, Korean? I'm all of these
One question I have always found difficult is, "Where are you from?" While most people I meet are able to answer it with a single word — Japan, England, India — for me the answer is a lot more complicated. The question itself is innocent ...
Moves are afoot to push media to switch Japanese name order in English, but will it work?
Some laugh it off as a First World problem. But others say the topic touches upon issues of identity, sovereignty and press freedom. Foreign Minister Taro Kono recently stirred controversy by saying he wants to change the way Japanese names have long been rendered in ...
Japan Times Bee winner fails to reach final round of U.S. Scripps National Spelling Bee
Wednesday marked the end of the road for Ariya Narayanasamy, winner of this year's Japan Times Bee, as he failed to advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals. Despite correctly spelling each word he was given on stage, Narayanasamy's score on a written exam ...
