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JSANZ JAPANESE FIRSTS 2021

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JSANZ would like to recognize Japanese teachers and students who do a great job.

There are ten categories in the competition.

You can nominate yourself or another person.

The same application form will be used for both types of nomination.

You can only make one nomination for each category.

JSANZ Japanese Firsts — Competition Categories

  • Most Innovative Lecturer
  • Best Specialist Lecturer Kanji
  • Best Specialist Lecturer Keigo
  • Best Specialist Lecturer Grammar
  • Best Specialist Lecturer Culture
  • Most Caring Lecturer
  • Most Memorable Japanese Lesson (Name Lecturer and give a short description)
  • Best Effort from a First Year Student
  • Most Engaged Second, or Third Year, Student
  • Most Interesting Japanese Language Figurehead in New Zealand

JSANZ Japanese Firsts — Competition Dates

The competition begins 20 April

The competition ends 20 June

The winners will be announced 20 July

JSANZ Japanese Firsts — Application Process

Submit your nominations on the form below.

A current phone number and email address are required on the application form so that we can contact you if you are a winner.

Late or incomplete nominations will not be accepted.

A panel of JSANZ members will decide on the winners. If a JSANZ member has been nominated that person will not be eligible to join the decision-making panel.

Nomination forms cannot be changed once submitted.

You will receive an email confirming your nomination after it has been submitted.

JSANZ Japanese Firsts — Prizes

If you win one of the 10 categories in the JSANZ Japanese Firsts competition you will receive a glossy e-poster for your classroom, giving details about you and your award.

Photographs for the poster will be taken by your university or by a JSANZ member.

The winning posters will also be published on the JSANZ website and possibly in other publications relevant to Japanese language teaching.

The competition is open to all students and lecturers of Japanese language and Japanese Studies at New Zealand tertiary institutes.

IMPORTANT NOTES

  •  If you nominate someone or if you make a self-nomination your name will not be made public for any reason. Your nominations will be completely confidential. 
  •  You cannot nominate the same person more than once for the same category but you can nominate the same person for more than one category. 

Good luck with your choices.

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YOUNG VOICES ON ASIA – Best Paper Prizes of $1000

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The Asia New Zealand Foundation has established several new best paper prizes of $1000 each for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

YOUNG VOICES ON ASIA – Best Paper Prizes of $1000

The Asia New Zealand Foundation is launching the first round of its Young Voices on Asia competition – New Zealand undergraduate and post-graduate students are welcome to submit their max 2000 word entry for one of five Best Paper prizes of $1000.  The categories and deadlines are:

New Zealand, Asia and: 

1.            Regional environmental issues/climate change (due 31 July)

2.            Trade and economic policy (due 30 August)

3.            International relations and foreign policy (due 30 September)

4.            Humanities/social issues/media (due 28 Oct)

5.            Science, Technology and Innovation (due 1 Dec)

https://www.asianz.org.nz/research/young-voices-on-asia-best-paper-prizes/

Please see the link for more information. Any questions can be addressed to James To, Senior Adviser (Research and Engagement) jto@asianz.org.nz

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Please participate in our research project: ‘Reflections on 2020 we are glad to be over but what’s next? – Capturing a historical moment of Japanese language education in Australia and New Zealand’

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Dear Japanese language academics, 

My name is Taeko Imura and I have been teaching Japanese language for 28 years at Griffith University in Australia. In the event of COVID-19, many of us were given no choice but to make a swift transition from traditional face-to-face classroom to remote teaching from home. Adapting to meet the needs of students and university standards, following the constant changes of local government and health authority guidelines, was a formidable challenge that we have never had before – we were in the same boat. This project aims to investigate experiences and perceptions on online/remote teaching that tertiary Japanese language academics had in a watershed event in education history and to provide insights into future Japanese education.  

We would like to invite many Japanese language academics to participate in a research project ‘Reflections on 2020 we are glad to be over but what’s next? – Capturing a historical moment of Japanese language education in Australia and New Zealand’ (Griffith University ethics reference no. 2020/907 and funded by the Queensland Program for Japanese Education) and share experiences and perceptions. There are two anonymous online surveys to the research project: one after semester 2, 2020 and another before semester 1, 2021. You may choose to participate both or one of them. This is the first survey and is open to all tertiary academics who have taught Japanese language in 2020 regardless of academic position/appointment in Australia or New Zealand. Therefore, we will appreciate if you can disseminate this email to casual/sessional academics and postgraduates who were involved in teaching Japanese language remotely at your institution to participate in the research. The second online survey focuses on changes that Japanese language academics have made for teaching in 2021 and will be distributed in February.  

We highly value your opinion and time as the information you provide will capture this unique period which has impacted on how we may teach Japanese after post COVID-19. All your responses are completely anonymous, cannot be identified at any stage and treated confidentially at all times. The responses will be retained in electronically-secured Griffith University staff server where only myself and a research assistant have access to for a period of five years before being destroyed. Findings of this research may be disseminated through conference presentation and published in professional journal. A summary report can be provided on request to those who respond to the survey/s after data have been analysed. The report will inform you what experiences and views academics had in regard to teaching Japanese language remotely and may assist you in preparing for 2021.  

The survey consists of mainly multiple-choice questions and some questions require short answers. It should take you no longer than 10 minutes to complete. Access from a computer is highly recommended since the display of the Likert-type question on mobile phones or tablets becomes a long list and takes more time to go through. The survey is now open and will close at 11:59 PM on 20 March 2021. There are no foreseeable risks associated with participation in this research. Your participation in this research is voluntary. You can withdraw from further participation at any stage and there are no consequences for withdrawal. If you would like further information regarding any aspect of this project, you are encouraged to contact me via email t.imura@griffith.edu.au  

This study has been granted ethical clearance by the Griffith University Human Research Ethics Committee (GU Ref no: 2020/907). Griffith University conducts research in accordance with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. If you have any concerns or complaints about the ethical conduct of this research project, you are encouraged to contact the Manager, Research Ethics on 07 3735 4375 or research-ethics@griffith.edu.au 

If you decided to participate, please click here to access the survey. By submitting the survey electronically, you have given consent to participate in this research project.  

 
Thank you very much for your participation in this research project. 

Dr Taeko Imura  

Chief investigator 

School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science,  

Griffith University, Nathan campus, Australia  

Email: t.imura@griffith.edu.au 
 

Graduate profile

The Pathway to Graduation

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Why do I need to learn a language?

Many companies today are part of a worldwide network with international customers. If you can speak a foreign language, even at a basic level it is a skill that could gain you the position you want.

Why should I do a minor in Japanese?

You won’t become fluent but it will be a foundation to get you to higher levels. After you graduate you can build on your skills by doing further learning or immersing yourself in a country where Japanese is spoken. A minor will start your language learning journey and real life experience polish what you know and add to it.

Why am I not fluent after completing my Japanese degree?

This is the same with all majors. If your major is accounting you will only understand the basics when you graduate. You will gain deeper knowledge when you are out in the workforce.

Is it OK to learn Japanese just because I love it?

If you have a strong Japanese minor you are sending this message out to employers, “This student went out of their way to give extra attention to something they really have an interest in”

 A minor can also cultivate different skills and encourage you to think in ways that may seem unconventional in your major field. Unconventional thinking can lead to creative problem solving.

What do I have to offer an employer if I have done a minor in Japanese?

It is nearly impossible to do business without solid intercultural communication skills and at least one extra language. The biggest thing that makes majoring in Japanese so attractive is not those two things. It is the skills you develop while learning a language: critical thinking and reasoning, cultural adaptability, information and trend analysis, good listening skills, language processing and inference speed and skills, powerful short and long-term memory.

In social media and when you have a job in a globalized economy, interconnectedness is rapidly becoming one of the defining characteristics of the 21st century, and by speaking another language, you will be able to access and interact with more communities than you would as a monolingual speaker.

Will going to Japan on a one-year language exchange help me get a job?

Many students go on language exchanges but what you do when you are in Japan will set you apart. “You have to show that you’re aware of the soft skills it has taught you. This could include cross-cultural awareness, maturity and resilience from time spent abroad – and even logical problems,” says Jack Porteuous, language and culture adviser for UK Trade and Investment.

I was better at Japanese a few years ago and am not so good now. Do I tell the interviewer this?

It is best to let them know that you have basic language skill but you need practice and support for the company to get the best out of you.

What major should I do alongside my Japanese minor?

Anything really as long as you are prepared to research the field well. For example Japan is a key player in the export market for fashion. Anyone with Japanese language skills and effective communication with Japanese consumers as well as other business skills or knowledge would be very attractive to an employer.

NOTE: All the information provided above is freely available on the internet therefore references have not been provided.

If you have graduated from a New Zealand Tertiary Institute with some Japanese language in your degree our readers would love to hear about your experiences. Fill out the New Graduates Form below and we will add you to our graduates profiles.

(click on ‘More’ to find the forms)

If you are already featured on this page please fill out the

2021 Graduates Update Form

Click on ‘more’ to find both forms

Continue reading “The Pathway to Graduation”
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Auckland Area Secondary School Japanese Language Speech Competition

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As with many other events, the Auckland Area Secondary School Japanese Speech Competition was held using an online format this year. The participants recorded their speeches on video in front of an audience.

This year there were originally 41 participants across three categories. 23 participants submitted videos (6, 7, and 10 in Open, Year 11, and Years 12&13 Categories, respectively). The Q&A session with Top 3 from Years 12&13 Category was held, and the results for all three categories were finalised during the week.

List of Prizewinners

Prize-WinnersDownload

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JSANZ Speech Competition Winners

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Congratulations to Valerie Liang for her winning speech and a big thank you to all the participants for the huge amount of time and effort they put into their entries.

Name of the participantTitle of the speech (English)Title of the speech
(Japanese) 		 Link to the winner’s video

Valerie Liang (Akira)
Overcoming the disappointing feeling		残念な気持ちを乗り越えて
The University of Auckland		https://yohttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmT6U-nVHiKFPNkPFsy_uSg
Ewara Schuellner
My experience with martial arts		武道の経験University of Waikato
Isaiah Mangubat
My Dream 		私の夢University of Canterbury 

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Online Talent Contest

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As you may have heard the Japan Foundation Sydney is running an online Talent Contest, J-Talent for the Oceania Region.

https://jpf.org.au/events/whats-your-j-talent/

Participants are encouraged to showcase their Japan-related talents, including Japanese language from the below four categories.

  • Japanese Language
  • Lifestyle
  • Traditional Arts and Culture
  • Pop Culture 

We invite you and your students to enter the contest, particularly the Japanese Language category and have fun with the Japanese Language for the chance to win some great prizes! Entries can be up to 2 minutes in length and individual, group and family entries are strongly encouraged.  

A fifth free topic (Your choice) has been added to the four topics to make it easier for everyone to enter. 

  • Welcome to my…(school, hometown, country, etc.)
  • Something I love
  • My discovery (realisations from daily life)
  • What I wonder about
  • -> Your choice

Please check the judging criteria for the contest here: https://jpf.org.au/jpf/jpfmedia/J-Talent-Judging-Criteria-1.pdf 

There are two points regarding the Japanese language, which may appear overwhelming however please be aware that the weighting of this criteria is much smaller than content and video. The focus is squarely on having fun with language, so please encourage all of your students to not be shy and have a try!

If you or your students don’t feel comfortable entering the language category, we warmly welcome you to enter one of the other categories (lifestyle, traditional arts and culture, pop culture) and show off your hidden Japan-related talents!

We have added a fun sample video (Japanese) of 30 seconds to help get some ideas flowing (however entries can be of up to 2 minutes). Please see it here: https://youtu.be/jEpfb28EPBo 

As mentioned in the guidelines, Japanese language audio should be accompanied by English subtitles for the enjoyment of all. To make this easier, we have added a ‘how-to’ tutorial video here:https://youtu.be/9ZKoRKxqwdsCaptions

We hope this helps inspire you and/or your students to enter this fun contest and unleash their #JTalent.

Submissions are being accepted until October 31, so there’s plenty of time to enter!

We can’t wait to see your fantastic entries!

For any questions, don’t hesitate to contact jtalent@jpf.org.au