In China, I saw surprisingly few Japanese people who could compete with English or Chinese speakers in business. Since I have also suffered communication gaps, I explored their reasons and solutions. Consequently. I came to realize that Japanese people’s clumsy ambiguous communication negatively influence business management and market development. Problems In Global Communication As the business environment has globalizes, Japanese workers have to communicate regularly across cultures. However, their communication abilities do not meet international levels.
The complexity of business communication is based on a focal Interest point, which Is different from ordinal conversations. To reach a consensus between multiple parties, a rigorous process Is followed: Identifying differences, overcoming conflicts of opinions, and solving problems. On the contrary, the peaceful Japanese people do not like aggressive communication. This produces negative results In most cases. The expectation is not only to speak English, but also to create a mutually beneficial relationship with potential partners.
I have seen many Japanese people missing this ability even if they speak fluent English. From my linguistic point of view, the ‘co’ of communication was originally a prefix meaning ‘inter’ or together’, UT most people in Japan are not used to exchanging thoughts or ideas In an equal position. Most notably, Japanese people are desperately poor In negotiations with people having different cultures. This is because we have just one set of communication styles: oppressive, begging, or extremely fuzzy. As a result, Japanese parties cannot find a mutual ground, and the negotiations fail.
I used to be a poor negotiator too, but thanks to the tough Chinese bargainers, I have been trained ever since I began to speak Mandarin. The problem raises another fundamental issue: our English-speaking ability itself. In the age of globalization, knowledge of English Is Identified as a must; In contrast, lots of Japanese employees still believe that they can work overseas using only Japanese. In China, most of the Japanese expatriates could speak neither English nor Chinese. 1 OFF they do not change their stance. This tendency is remarkably recognized in the management class (mostly men).
It is rather questionable whether Japanese companies are really seeking ‘global human resources’, or if they Just want obedient interpreters according to their management styles. This is another controversial robber that prevents Japanese companies’ globalization. Possible Solutions and Approaches I believe that the Japanese people’s poor English communication skill is originated from our culture schema. For example, in Japanese primary schools, pupils’ attitudes are forced to be passive due to the conventional style of classes that is comfortable for teachers to control class.
It is actually the best time for communication training through oral interaction since children’s creativities and communication abilities are budding. I strongly rebut this teaching style and teachers should activate pupils’ immunization ability through some training such as debate even in Japanese basis. Another possible approach is to teach English with communication skills simultaneously in debates and group sessions. One of the merits is that students can take on another persona while speaking in English.
Using a foreign language motivates them to switch characters, allowing them to clearly express their opinions instead of moderately speaking with ambiguous words. English is a logical language and suitable for discussions or negotiations, therefore English might promote more active discussions than Japanese. I also used to change my personality when relining in Mandarin with less stress than in Japanese. One more problem to be solved is that many Japanese students are scared to make mistakes due to their shame-recognition. Students therefore are extremely sensitive towards grammar and stuck.
Unfortunately, there is a systematical big gap between English and Japanese. It actually blocks the process of speaking English. The method to overcome this barrier differs for each individual. If small children or teen aged students can spontaneously imbibe the language, it would be good. However, once such a natural flexibility is lost, it is hard to acquaint the second language. Then, I would like to propose devising a method of inserting an extra process before translating Japanese into English; speakers transform Japanese into an intermediate Japanese sentence with English structures.
It can be considered to be a pivot language in computer programs which is used to translate between any pair of languages. I insist that the intermediate range between the two languages from the linguistic aspect should be more focused to improve Japanese English oral communication if this process might unconsciously function for new English speakers. Traditional English education in Japan is focused n literal translation however this kind of approach can be useful as one of strategic teaching methods.
Conclusion Throughout my overseas career, I have felt a sense of crisis that the Japanese are being left behind in globalization due to their poor communication abilities, and communication skill is nowadays one of the most urged competencies in workplace though it can hardly be expected to be developed in Japanese old organization culture. I claim that English learners need to learn English with intercultural communication trainings so that it will enable them to work or live in multicultural symbiotic societies. 2/2
