Tag - language

 
 

LANGUAGE

LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
May 4, 2015
Tour guide exam to be more relevant
The Japan Tourism Agency will revamp an exam for tour guides serving foreigners, following criticism that the test contains questions that are too difficult or simply irrelevant to the job.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Apr 27, 2015
USJ to open new theme park in Okinawa
The CEO of the operator of Universal Studios Japan says the firm plans to open a new theme park in Okinawa.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Apr 27, 2015
So many "you" and "I" words, but best used sparingly
Today we will introduce the proper use of 'you' and 'I' in Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 27, 2015
These tips for Japanese mastery go out to the muddlers
When it comes to learning Japanese, most of us muddle through. This article is for the muddlers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 22, 2015
Ukraine's young actress in a coded world without sound
Yana Novikova is a 21-year-old Ukranian actress who was born deaf. She is one of the leads in "The Tribe," a near-silent film starring a cast of deaf actors who communicate only through sign and body language. There are no subtitles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 22, 2015
Violence speaks louder than words in Ukrainian film 'The Tribe'
Obscurantism; noun: The practice of being deliberately obscure or vague. If that represents a new genre in art cinema, then Ukrainian director Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy may be its leading proponent. His film "The Tribe," which garnered some attention at Cannes last year, features deaf actors communicating...
LIFE / Language
Apr 20, 2015
'Vague' Japanese language can be maddeningly specific
For a supposedly vague language, Japanese can be incredibly specific when it comes to personal pronouns, the law and the family, for example.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Apr 20, 2015
Cheap cancer detection method developed
Japanese researchers have announced an economical cancer detection method using roundworms that can identify cancer patients by sensing odors in urine.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Apr 20, 2015
Whether or not to use ka-dō-ka
Today we will introduce the proper use of Xu304bu3069u3046u304bY and Xu304bY, which mean 'Y whether or not/if X (or not).'
EDITORIALS
Apr 11, 2015
University of Tokyo failing non-Japanese students
With enrollment of foreign students declining, the University of Tokyo needs to work on making its program for English-language coursework more attractive.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 25, 2015
Frenemies, screenagers, kidults — kondo your English with these trending terms
How up-to-date is your English vocabulary? New words reflect a changing society and, as a result, new words are coined every day. Reading English newspapers and media from around the world can help you keep up with the changes. Here are some words I picked up recently on my travels.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 24, 2015
Indonesia to withdraw local language plan for foreign workers
Indonesia will withdraw a plan that would force foreign workers to take local language proficiency exams after protests from investors, two government officials said.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Mar 22, 2015
University teachers in Japan work under the shadow of a falling ax
For most teachers, their job is more than an economic exchange of time for money — it is a vocation. Concern for students' educational development is genuine, as is a deep belief in the value and importance of education, and a regard for the institution's reputation and welfare.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Mar 15, 2015
First impressions count for ALTs meeting their new Japanese colleagues
Fostering a good vibe early in the new school year can pay huge dividends, making the next 12 months easier for the both of you.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 14, 2015
Examples of linguistic gap between South, North Korea
AP — After 70 years of separation, people in North and South Korea speak in increasingly different ways. South Koreans have incorporated many English words and phrases into their language while isolated communist North Korea has eliminated words with foreign origins and created homegrown substitutes....
CULTURE / Books
Jan 3, 2015
Novelist Mizumura fights to arrest fall of Japanese literature
The abiding belief among some native English speakers in Japan is that Japanese people need to use more English instead of sheltering in the comfort of a mother tongue barely spoken beyond their archipelago.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Dec 17, 2014
Japan and others gain from Jamaican brain drain
In the last part of this series on Jamaicans in Japan, Baye McNeil speaks to a teacher, author and poet in Yokohama and an attorney in Tokyo.
WORLD
Dec 16, 2014
U.S. dictionary Merriam-Webster picks 'culture' as word of year
Whether popular, corporate or entitled, "culture" was named word of the year by U.S. dictionary Merriam-Webster on Monday as a flexible catch-all that can easily identify a subject, idea or issue.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan