The cross-cultural understanding lecture is designed to introduce the culture and customs of a foreign speaker to Japanese people. This year’s topic was in what way people learn languages in the U.K. The speaker, Mr. Daniel Edwin Lee, talked about how people in the U.K., a multi-cultural country, learn other languages. (No. 19-20)
Date & Time : 10:00～12：00 December 1st , 2019
Venue : Meeting Room No.1, Abiko Civic Plaza
Speaker : Mr.Daniel Edwin Lee (Wells, Somerset, the U.K.)
Participants : 30 people (including 8 non-AIRA members, 4 secretariat members)
This lecture sponsored by AIRA Foreign Languages Department, originally scheduled on October 13th, was postponed to the day because the Kanto region was hard hit by Typhoon No.10. The title of the lecture was “You can speak English if you follow this way”.
Mr. Lee has been teaching English for 20 years since he came to Japan and is now one of an AIRA’s English instructors in charge of the advanced classes. While pointing out problems that Japanese learners were likely to be trapped, he mentioned the problems from the two aspects; what Japanese learners have left behind in learning English and what method they should take to acquire speaking skills.
Although three types of knowledge are indispensable to speak other languages, which are ①grammar, ②vocabulary and strategy for smooth communication, the Japanese educational system focuses on grammar and vocabulary too much. Contrary, the UK’s one emphasizes on strategy for smooth communication. When you start conversation with someone, in principle, you have to think of ①psychological approach, ②contents of the communication, and ③strategy for smooth communication .If you want to make smooth communication, you have to know the enjoyment of talks, be aware of the feelings of your counterpart who might want to talk his/her idea, and talk about specific topics that your counterpart can follow easily. Mr. Lee explained these matters, showing many examples and using pictures of his home-town, Wells City. He advised the participants to try to speak out more often even with short sentences and hear as much as possible. If you take in this strategy, you will be able to speak English.
Mr. Lee’s lecture covered all aspects pointed out recently about English education in Japan. The basic factors in studying languages, expressed in another way “Talk, hear, and write a lot”, is a secret of improving languages skill.
(Translated by Ms.Hitomi Koyama)
