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Broadcasting to an audience of three (and a goldfish)...
Comment, ramblings and musings... life through the eyes of a Japanologist...
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Wednesday, May 22, 2002 |
 And one more...
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One more post...
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"Beauty for actives. This is Paris at the feet of the pinhead.
Just you and your Sweet honey!!"
Superb!
And no, it's
not another T-shirt. This time, it's... a pencil case!
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Thinking about this English-Japanese point, two further points spring to
mind.
1. There is a very widely-held misconception in Japan that
'international understanding' is equivalent to, and synonymous with,
'English'. The teacher at these International Understanding lessons
still insists that they are English, and introduces them to the students
as such. But the very term 'international' encompasses far more than
English-speaking countries. Reducing 'international understanding' to
'English' is the very antithesis of 'international understanding'- in
doing this, the extent of non-understanding becomes clear.
2. Another point is that the point of view 'if it ain't English, it
ain't worth bothering with' is extremely widespread, perhaps even the
norm. For example, I chose pancakes because of the link to Easter, and
also because of the tradition of pancake races- in other words, because
the lesson wouldn't just be about cooking some random food, but rather
about cooking a food having first learned about the culture related to
and surrounding it. But this was all on the Japanese sheet (in my
naivety, I'd blithely assumed that this being Japan, Japanese would be
appreciated), and when I mentioned this fact, the teacher basically said
that such an explanation was unnecessary. Of course!- we wouldn't want
international understanding lessons to result in anyone actually coming
to understand a foreign country a little better- far more worthwhile to
use the time to translate English-for-the-sake-of-English back to
Japanese.
I resent being messed around like this...
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After lunch, went to the junior high school for the second of the
sentaku jugyo- the general studies lessons. I was asked to give
the first two of the 'International Understanding' lessons, and today I
decided we'd make pancakes (yes, I know it's not Easter, but pancakes
make a great lesson all year round!)
Anyway, the lesson went well, but the teacher in charge- an English
teacher- having asked me to make an English version of the Japanese
recipe I'd sent, proceeded to tell the students the Japanese for all the
ingredients as soon as I asked them! She didn't give them even a moment
to think! If this is the way that English is taught in normal lessons,
then I can see why the level of English ability in Japan is so abysmal.
What I can't see, though, is why on earth she made such a fuss about
having an English recipe if she then gave a running translation into
Japanese...
More irritating still, perhaps, is the fact that when I give lessons or
speeches I always use Japanese, because I am explaining foreign culture,
etc., and there are very few people in Japan who would understand such
an explanation if I gave it in English. Understanding is the main aim,
and to sacrifice the possibility of understanding just for the sake of
using English seems stupid and pointless to me. But when I was asked to
explain what is, after all, a simple recipe in English, I decided that
there was a fair chance that the students would understand, and so I
agreed to do so. It doesn't make me at all happy, therefore, that my
English was then translated into Japanese when I could- and should- have
used Japanese myself in the first place.
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Lunch in the Naval Base- and, as ever, we got in with kao pasu- that is, I'm well enough known that I'm recognised and don't need to show my pass.
As ever, our orders were for B-Lunch and Steak Lunch- many more times and they'll have the food waiting for us as we
enter!
As we left, there were large numbers of white-uniformed naval people lining up outside the aka-renga building, and signs on the road proclaiming 'No passage'. I wonder what the event is?- I'll have to find out. Good job I'm going for a drink with my naval students this evening, then...
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"King Terry Service"
Yes, it's another T-shirt... I'm at a loss as to what it might mean,
though.
And imagine actually having a King Terry!
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Perhaps I've started a trend (well, hardly a trend, but even
so...)
This morning, one of the Junior High School boys was in short
sleeves, and no blazer! It's good to know I'm not the only 'nail that's
sticking out'...
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An interesting phone-in on Virgin Radio this morning (in other words,
yesterday evening). It concerned eating dogs (of all things).
Well, I
can think of a damn good reason to eat dogs- or if not to eat them
myself, at least to allow other people to eat them. The reason lives in
the house next door...
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Last night, I opened the wine (a Barolo)
given to me by my students in the Naval Base. I didn't intend to drink
the whole bottle, but... well, I did. Not a good idea, I realise
now.
It was a damn good drink, though! Even the colour was
intriguing- not a dark, rich red, but an autumnal orangey-red.
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© Copyright 2003 Nathan Duckworth.
Updated: 8/1/03; 8:01:09 pm.
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