JAPN 303 - Business Japanese
Course Description:
This course develops functional use of Japanese language for various types of situations and events that occur in the daily business environment. The types of situations include formal introductions, basic business rules, business etiquette, honorifics, and how to write business documents and email. It also presents and expands on cultural perspectives and concepts as they impact the business world. Taught in Japanese.
This course develops functional use of Japanese language for various types of situations and events that occur in the daily business environment. The types of situations include formal introductions, basic business rules, business etiquette, honorifics, and how to write business documents and email. It also presents and expands on cultural perspectives and concepts as they impact the business world. Taught in Japanese.
MLOs and Evidence:
MLO 1.1 - Students are able to communicate effectively in Japanese in three modes: interpersonal, interpretive and presentational; and in a culturally appropriate manner in a variety of social and professional settings and circumstances at the Intermediate-High level of language proficiency, according to the ACTFL Guidelines.
- To fulfill this MLO, we consistently spoke only in Japanese, and learned a more advanced mode of communication. We also often did class presentations, culminating in a video project.
MLO 1.2 - Students gain competency in the Japanese language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and discourse and compare and analyze the structural differences between Japanese and English.
- To fulfill this MLO, we used Japanese in new modes and learned the reasons for this. We also compared the concept of "business English" with business Japanese.
MLO 1.1 - Students are able to communicate effectively in Japanese in three modes: interpersonal, interpretive and presentational; and in a culturally appropriate manner in a variety of social and professional settings and circumstances at the Intermediate-High level of language proficiency, according to the ACTFL Guidelines.
- To fulfill this MLO, we consistently spoke only in Japanese, and learned a more advanced mode of communication. We also often did class presentations, culminating in a video project.
MLO 1.2 - Students gain competency in the Japanese language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and discourse and compare and analyze the structural differences between Japanese and English.
- To fulfill this MLO, we used Japanese in new modes and learned the reasons for this. We also compared the concept of "business English" with business Japanese.
In the course, I learned how to communicate in a business Japanese setting. Japanese business culture is very particular and displays a lot about Japanese culture as a whole. It provided a new insight into Japan and Japanese culture, which, when juxtaposed with American business culture, gives some background for deeper comparison of the two cultures. We learned how verbal and non-verbal cues can tell you a person’s position. For example, when we learned about bowing, we discussed what the degree of the bow indicates about the person bowing, and the person being bowed to. We also discussed the usage of honorific language and humble language more thoroughly than in previous courses. We were taught the nuances of how humble and honorific language are used, and what situations to use them in.
Our textbook was in Japanese, and often included phrases I was unfamiliar with. This provided an opportunity for misinterpretation, and learning from the instances in which I misinterpreted what was being said. It also challenged me to improve my Japanese proficiency and integrate new vocabulary and kanji into my use of Japanese.
There is nothing as specific as keigo in the English language, so it was difficult to compare business English with business Japanese. When trying to interpret the phrases used in business Japanese, the comparison happens organically, but more often, it is when we directly translate certain words that this comparison becomes key. For a total understanding of the course content, it was necessary to make comparisons between Japanese and English.
Our textbook was in Japanese, and often included phrases I was unfamiliar with. This provided an opportunity for misinterpretation, and learning from the instances in which I misinterpreted what was being said. It also challenged me to improve my Japanese proficiency and integrate new vocabulary and kanji into my use of Japanese.
There is nothing as specific as keigo in the English language, so it was difficult to compare business English with business Japanese. When trying to interpret the phrases used in business Japanese, the comparison happens organically, but more often, it is when we directly translate certain words that this comparison becomes key. For a total understanding of the course content, it was necessary to make comparisons between Japanese and English.
Evidence:
Below is our final project for the class:
Here are pictures of the front and back of a business New Years card:
homework3-4.docx |