The importance of TOEIC, TOEFL, and IELTS

This article discusses 5 questions about these tests: How accurate are these tests? How useful are they? How does one best prepare for them? Who should take them? How accurate are TOEIC, TOEFL and IELTS? You can also listen to a reading of the article. The Linguist. No date. Read all of this article.

Examining university English entrance exams

This article by Michael Guest discusses what the purpose of English entrance exams should be and suggest some ways to improve them by making them test real world English competence, ability to communicate, a range of language skills, academic ability and creativity. Daily Yomiuri, Jun. 27, 2011. Read all this article.

Not guilty as charged: Do the university entrance exams in Japan affect what is taught?

This short academic article by Michael Stout argues that although English entrance exams for university have often been blamed for causing problems with English teaching in Japan, entrance exams these days actually have little negative or positive effect on the way English is taught. The article looks briefly at the history of English exams and criticisms of them before arguing they have little impact on teaching. ELT Journal, spring 2003. Read all this article.

TOEIC’s popularity on the rise

This article looks at the increasing numbers of people taking the TOEIC test, as it challenges Eiken, at companies that use TOIEC as a measure of English ability, and at universities that support their students in studying for or taking the test. The article is mainly positive about TOEIC but does include some reservations about the growing focus on TOEIC at the end. Daily Yomiuri, April 15, 2012. Read all this article.

TOEIC revisions mean big change in English study

This article looks at changes to the TOIEC test in 2006, mainly including British, American, Canadian and Australian accents, and the argument that this makes the test more authentic, as well as the increasing use of TOEIC by companies in Japan for assessing English ability. Japan Times, May 1, 2006. Read all this article.

Why do English teachers have to be native speakers?

In Japan, North -American and British varieties of English, and exams largely based on then such as TOEIC and TOEFL have been the standard for learning English. This article looks at how English teachers from India and the Philippines are challenging the stereotype that only Western native-speakers can be good English teachers. Japan Times, April 15, 2010. Read all this article.

A response to Kumiko Torikai’s Asahi News interview

Kumiko Torikai’s interview with the Asahi newspaper regarding a ‘new English education paradigm’ has generated a fair bit of discussion. Today, I offer my two cents (Oops! Sorry for the American colloquialism!)…  ELT News.com, 11 April, 2011.

Interview with Kumiko Torikai – Part 3

Kumiko Torikai, Ph.D. is a professor and founding dean at the Graduate School of Intercultural Communication, at Rikkyo University, in Tokyo and a visiting professor at Kanda University of Foreign Studies. She is a lecturer/supervisor of the NHK multimedia program English through the News. She is a member of the Science Council of Japan, as well as councils and committees in the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Land and Transportation and the Cabinet Office. She is Former President of the Japan Association for Interpreting and Translation Studies and a former president of the Japan Congress/Convention Bureau. ELT News.com. Read more…

Interview with Kumiko Torikai – Parts 1-2

Kumiko Torikai, Ph.D. is a professor and founding dean at the Graduate School of Intercultural Communication, at Rikkyo University, in Tokyo and a visiting professor at Kanda University of Foreign Studies. She is a lecturer/supervisor of the NHK multimedia program English through the News. She is a member of the Science Council of Japan, as well as councils and committees in the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Land and Transportation and the Cabinet Office. She is Former President of the Japan Association for Interpreting and Translation Studies and a former president of the Japan Congress/Convention Bureau.  ELT News.com. Read more…

Interview with Kumiko Torikai

Kumiko Torikai is the Director of the English Language Program at Rikkyo University and has been a professor at the university since 1997. A graduate of Sophia University and Columbia University, Torikai has over 30 years experience as an interpreter and interviewer. ELT News.com. Read more…

Geographies of the Eikaiwa Wonderland

Eikaiwa is a Japanese term that can be translated as “the activity of English conversation.” It is often used metonymically to mean an organization that teaches conversational English, particularly one of the big private English conversation schools. In Japan there are many hundreds of eikaiwa establishments. The largest companies are NOVA Intercultural Institute, GEOS, AEON and ECC (the Big Four). Each of these organizations has an extensive network of schools located throughout Japan and a network of recruitment offices abroad. The corporate history of AEON serves as a typical example of the historical growth of one of the bigger English schools. Founded in 1973, it had 25 branches in 1984. By 1989 this had increased to 149, and by 1997 there were 230. At that point, AEON employed over 2000 personnel, of whom about 500 were foreigners (AEON 1997). The other big schools exhibit similar patterns of expansion over this period (NOVA 2004, ECC 2004). Total estimates for eikaiwa sector size are unreliable; however, according to some sources between 400,000 and 700,000 students are attending eikaiwa at any one time. The University of Arizona. Read more…

English language education in Japan

English language education in Japan began as early as 1600 with the initial contacts between the Japanese and Europeans. The for-profit markethas experienced a crisis of confidence in recent years following the bankruptcies of the major Nova and GEOS brands. Almost all students graduating high school in Japan have had several years of English language education, however most still do not have any command of spoken English. Wikipedia. Read more…

Japanese Textbook Pollution: A disastrous ELT affiction

In the world of English language teaching (ELT) in Japan today we are witnessing a peculiar phenomenon, what I can only call “textbook pollution”, and it is to my shock and dismay rapidly undermining the whole basis and quality of ELT in Japan. Those who are involved in English-teaching there must know exactly what I am going to say in this essay, but for those who are not familiar with that world, it might appear rather extraordinary. I shall try in this short tentative essay to draw attention to what seems to me one of the most alarming diseases to be observed in ELT in contemporary Japan. The English Learning and Languages Review. Read more…

English at work in Japan

This article by Kimie Takahashi discusses the decisions by companies such as Rakuten and Uniqlo to make English their company language. It looks briefly at the arguments in favour of this move, such as preparing Japanese companies for globalization, but also at some of the arguments against from both academics and business leaders. Language on the Move, 22 July, 2010. Read more…

Abolish English entrance exams

Gregory Clark is wrong about the possible solutions to Japan’s English problem. Japanese university students are usually motivated only for the first three months of study. After that, overwhelmed by the large number of courses covering a hodgepodge of different materials, influenced by the emphasis on club activities, working part time and playing around, and facing the growing realization that all one has to do to graduate is attend at least half the classes and do a minimal amount of work, most students adapt to the environment and lose all motivation for study. This is not their fault, but the fault of those who create and maintain the environment — teachers and administrators. Japan Times, 26 February, 2009. Read more…

Scandal-ridden English language schools close doors

Nearly a thousand British language teachers were left fearing for their jobs today after Nova, the scandal-ridden owner of Japan’s biggest chain of language schools, closed its doors and filed for court protection from creditors who are owed at least ¥43.9bn (£187m). Guardian, 26 October, 2007. Read more.

Filipino English Teachers in Japan

FETJ is an association of Filipino English teachers in Japan which provides support to  its members by facilitating regular education through trainings, continuous communication, and assistance in job placements. The organization aims to serve as bridge between members and  other related institutions including Japanese Board of Education, serving as a Liaison. It also serves as a catalyst towards enhancing the quality of life among the  Filipinos living in Japan. Go to the website. 

Towards International English in EFL Classrooms in Japan

English is a global language but because it is a living language, it has inevitably changed in order to suit specific contexts or needs (Crystal, 1997). As English has spread all over the world, there are many varieties of English in the world. They are often categorized in two groups, “the center” and “the periphery”. The center refers to native varieties of English, such as what Holliday (1994) calls BANA (Britain, Australia and North America). The periphery seems to be more complicated, because it does not always refer to non-native varieties. If we consider ‘native’ to mean people whose first language is English, many people in countries of Asia and Africa may be recognized as native-speakers (Prodromou, 1997).  The Internet TESL Journal. Read more…

 

Insatiable thirst for English boosts language schools

You have probably come across a goofy rabbit waving a flag, a grim-faced businessman looking upward into the sky, or a smiling trio comprising a Japanese and two foreigners giving the thumbs up.

The advertisements are different but the goals are the same. These people — and the flag-waving rabbit — are all part of massive ad campaigns launched by companies battling for their slice of the 670 billion yen foreign-language education industry, which is prospering thanks to the nation’s insatiable desire to learn English. The Japan Times, 4 June, 2004.

 

Lack of continuity in English teaching hit

The introduction of English in elementary school classrooms to help improve fluency in later years is bringing to light a problem that has dogged Japanese educators for years — how to provide continuity in teaching the language so that students can graduate from university with a conversant level. Japan Times, July 8, 2004. Read more…

35 widely unknown Japanese internet slang terms

Over the 5th and 6th of October 2012 1,064 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 58.2% of the sample were female, 10.5% in their teens, 13.7% in their twenties, 26.6% in their thirties, 27.6% in their forties, 11.7% in their fifties, and 9.9% aged sixty or older. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample. 世論 What Japan Thinks, December 3, 2012. Read more… 

 

Japanese gets lost in translation

It has been going on for centuries, but now the government says it has gone too far.The Japanese language is being invaded by too many foreign words.  For decades you have been able to order an “oranji jusu” from your local “kohi shoppu” and cheerfully ask for a “hamu ando cheesu sandoitchi”.

But in recent years, the steady stream of newly coined foreign words has become a flood.”The beauty of traditional Japanese language will be tarnished by the thoughtless use of imported words,” said education minister Atsuko Toyama. BBC News, July 8, 2002. Read more…

Japan’s globalization imperative – Why are General Motors and Volkswagen more successful in China than Honda and Toyota?

For all the international success of Japan’s big, well-known companies, many still lag behind their global rivals in the most important markets. Why are General Motors and Volkswagen more successful in China than Honda and Toyota? Why are LG and Samsung bigger in India than Panasonic and Sony? Why is IBM larger in Japan than Fujitsu is in the United States?  McKinsey & Company. Read more…

Swedes ‘best in the world’ at English

Swedes have the highest proficiency in English as a second language in the world, according to a new study which tested nearly 2 million people in 54 countries.   26 October 2012, The Local.  Read more…

Ruling Affirms Right to Apply in Swedish for Academic Posts in Sweden

Three Swedish universities, which had placed job advertisements requiring certain applications to be filed in English, are now being told to change their approach after a recent decision that gives a primary role to the national language. 25 September 2011, NY Times. Read more…

Thai reforms failing to reach needy

Priority has been given to raising education standards and in particular English language skills. But the push to equip the country with an English-speaking workforce has exposed worrying trends. While demand from urban middle class parents for English-medium schooling for their children is fuelling a boom in “international schools”, in rural areas the state education system is under-resourced and failing to deliver adequate English-language classes. Guardian Weekly, 22 November, 2001. Read this article.

Thai schools urged to boost speaking

The Thai government has embarked on an ambitious nationwide programme to teach English at least once a week in all state schools as part of the new 2012 English Speaking Year project. The initiative is intended to ease Thailand’s entry into the Asean community in 2015, when southeast Asia becomes one economic zone and a universal language is required for communication and business. Guardian Weekly, 14 February 2012. Read the article.

‘Master Malay, English language’

Minister in the Chief Minister Department Datuk Fatimah Abdullah called on parents and students to lift Malaysia to a higher level globally through mastering the Malay and English language.

Speaking at the state level 2011 Rhythmic Language Competition at Kingwood Hotel yesterday, she said this was important because the Malay language was the national language whereas English is an international communication language. Borneo Post, 28 September, 2011. Read more…

The language holding Malays, Tamils and Chinese together

THOUGH it is not uncommon to find a small country with more than one official language, Singapore is still an unusual case. Among four official languages, Malay is the symbolic national language, English the working language, and Mandarin the language representing the island’s ethnic Chinese, even though it is not the “mother tongue” for most. Clear? The Economist, 28 January, 2011. Read more…

SOUTH AFRICA: LANGUAGE & EDUCATION

Language has always been a contentious issue in education in South Africa. From the drive for mother-tongue education to the ever pressing need to be able to use international languages such as English. To be able to understand the language and education situation in South Africa today it is necessary to look at the historical background of languages in schools and tertiary institutions in this country. In addition this page also briefly looks at current national policies regarding language in education and the current language situation in South Africa. SA languages.com. Read more…