News

JSANZ Speech Competition Results

Speech contest 2.

We are delighted to announce the winners of the 2015 JSANZ Tertiary Japanese Language Speech Contest.

First place:                Brennan Galpin                   (University of Canterbury)

Second place:            Simon Hsieh                         (University of Auckland)

Third place:              Jay Tweddle                         (Victoria University of Wellington)

We would like to congratulate all of the participants and in particular, Brennan Galpin, Simon Hsieh and Jay Tweddle.  Brennan will receive a return air ticket to Japan, and Simon and Jay will receive Prezzy cards ($100 and $50 respectively), sponsored by the Sasakawa Fellowship Fund for Japanese Language Education and the Japan Foundation.

We hope the participants continue their Japanese learning journey with renewed motivation and enthusiasm, and wish them all the best for the future.

Comments from the Chief Judge

The contest has attracted more participants than the previous year and the overall quality of the speeches was very high. The contestants made commendable speeches with passion and enthusiasm, and we enjoyed the opportunity to judge speeches on interesting themes with originality and strong messages.

Speeches have a power to move and inspire the audience when they are based on what speakers have gained and learnt through own experiences, and when ideas, arguments and messages are elaborated in their own words with concrete examples.  These were exactly the elements of the winning speeches in this contest.

The majority of contestants successfully demonstrated Japanese language command with correct grammar, a variety of vocabulary and expressions.  Some speakers, however, talked a little too fast, which made it difficult for the audience to comprehend.  Some speakers can improve their speeches by paying more attention to the understanding of the audience.  There were some participants whose speech missed marks due to a rather monotonous tone, although they gained high marks for its content, development and expressions.  There is room for some contestants to improve speech delivery and to develop presentation skills.

We wish the contestants all the best for their Japanese studies.  Also, we would like to thank all the teachers and the members of the JSANZ Speech Contest Committee who have been involved in organizing the event. 

2015 JSANZ Tertiary Japanese Language Speech Contest

Name & Institution Speech Title
Robyn Hwang  Massey University The Benefits of Learning a Second Language
Nada El Hosseny  Massey University My Favourite Japanese Crafts
Jordan Tuinman  University of Otago The Misunderstandings of Wasei-eigo
Aidan Watkin  University of Otago The Future of Humanity
Toby Birkbeck-Jones  University of Canterbury A Takumi Story
Brennan Galpin  University of Canterbury My Life and Karate
Simon Hsieh  University of Auckland My Wabi-Sabi
Roxanne Yu  University of Auckland My Secret Gadget “Kaiwagomu”
Yeyoung You  Auckland University of Technology Cyber Bullying
Wai Chi  Ng  Auckland University of Technology Same Sex Marriage in Japan
Hao Ming Lee  CPIT Don’t Bully!
Jolene Skeen  University of WaikatoExpression of Masculinity and Femininity through Langauge 
Jazmen Apiti  University of Waikato The Similarities between Japanese and Maori
Jay Tweddle  Victoria University of Wellington Fujimura Shinichi and the Relaltionship between Archaeological Fraud and Science Fiction
Calvina Deng  Victoria University of Wellington 3 Reasons Why You Should Travel
News

Prize giving: JSANZ Speech Competition

JSANZ, Japanese Language Speech Contest, winner Brennan Galpin and father Glenn. Penny Shino Pres JSANZ, Masayuchi Tsuchikawa, Japanese Consul, Jonathan Le Cocq, PVC Arts, Masayoshi Ogino, 10.9.15 Client, Tim Winfield Arts.

A special prize-giving to congratulate the first prize winner of the 2015 JSANZ Japanese Language Speech Contest was held at the University of Canterbury on 10th of Sept.  

Dr Penny Shino, President of JSANZ presented Brennan Galpin (University of Canterbury) with the JSANZ trophy.  Brennan also received a return air ticket to Japan as his prize. 

It was an extremely competitive nationwide contest, with 15 finalists rigorously selected from each of New Zealand’s tertiary institutions. We hope that this triumph will encourage Brennan to continue his Japanese studies with renewed motivation and enthusiasm.

We would like to thank Professor Jonathan Le Cocq (Pro-Vice-Chancellor, College of Arts) and Dr Rachel Payne (Co-Head of the Department of Global, Cultural and Language Studies) at the University of Canterbury for hosting this special ceremony.

University news

Nippon Foundation Fellows Program Scholarship

 Application Deadline: December 11, 2015

The Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies (IUC), administered by Stanford University, is pleased to announce a call for applications to the Nippon Foundation Fellows Program at the IUC for the academic year 2016-17.

This program aims to provide the most promising students with the deep linguistic and cultural knowledge needed to become leaders in their fields,and to foster strong collegial bonds and intellectual exchange among them and with their IUC senpai. Fellows will receive a full tuition scholarship plus a modest living stipend to attend the 10-month immersion program in advanced Japanese at the IUC in Yokohama from September 2016 to June 2017.

 Over the last half century the IUC has trained more than 2,000 students.  Alumni of the school have gone on to teach about Japan at more than 225 universities around the world, and many IUC graduates have distinguished themselves in non-academic careers in which knowledge about Japan has been vital.

 Nippon Foundation Fellows participate fully in the program of instruction at the IUC, and in addition they:

  • Meet regularly with each other and the IUC Resident Director to discuss their research interests and experiences in Japan,
  • Invite two IUC alumni to offer a lecture in Japanese in Tokyo,and
  • Deliver a presentation in Japanese at a Nippon Foundation Fellows conference open to the public.

Eligibility: Ph.D. students in all fields of Japanese studies currently enrolled in universities from North America, Europe, Australia, or New Zealand; MA,MS, MBA,& JD students with Japan-focused career goals in academia, business, diplomacy/government service, journalism, translation, and law currently enrolled in or recently graduated from a North American university.  Applicants must pass the IUC proficiency exam.

Application Deadline: 11 December 2015

Complete details and applications are available online

web: www.stanford.edu/dept/IUC                                    email:  iucjapan@stanford.edu

News

2015 JNZBC Conference

The 42nd Japan New Zealand Business Council Conference was held in Tomakomai, Japan this year. Tomakomai is a city and port in Iburi Subprefecture in Hokkaido, Japan. It is the largest city in the Iburi Subprefecture and the fifth largest city in Hokkaido.

Dallas Nesbitt was able to attend the conference while she was in Japan. She took the opportunity to thank, in person, our generous sponsors, and to meet and talk with key people from both Japan and New Zealand.

Events

JSANZ speech competition 2015

The first prize winner in the 2015 JSANZ Tertiary Japanese Language Speech Contest will be awarded a return air ticket to Japan again this year.Two candidates from each tertiary institution in New Zealand can enter.Application opens in May so get prepared for the challenge.

Timeline

  • 1 May                 Application opens
  • 1 July                  Application closes
  • 15 August          Notification of winners 
University news

Sydney Career Forum 2015

We will be holding our third annual Sydney Career Forum next month, our
only regional event. It will bring together companies seeking Japanese-English
speakers and students with those language skills looking for internships 
or full-time employment.

The event is entirely free for students to attend. We also offer
travel scholarships for qualified applicants.

News

JSANZ book project

We encourage JSANZ members to submit a chapter proposal for our first edited book.   

Working title of the edited volume:

New Synergies for the Post-Methods Era: Approaches of Tertiary Japanese Programmes in New Zealand

Abstract Submission: the deadline for proposals is 31 March 2015.

News

Sasakawa Undergraduate Scholarships

Undergraduate Scholarships

The Fund offers five scholarships a year to students who are enrolling full-time in a first undergraduate degree in Japanese language. The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage top students to continue with their Japanese study at tertiary level. Preference will be given to those studying a conjoint degree or a double major, but not at the exclusion of those who are studying a Japanese specific degree. The closing date for applications is the 1 April 2015.