Department of Education and Skills, Ireland (PPLI: Post-Primary Languages Ireland)
HARADA Akiko

Dublin, the capital of Ireland, is divided into the north and south sections by the River Liffey. The river is crossed by a number of bridges, one of which, the beautifully designed Samuel Beckett Bridge, I pass when I commute to my office. Ireland is home to four Nobel laureates in literature, including Samuel Beckett, the namesake of that bridge, and this is a point of great pride for the people of Ireland. Though long subject to British rule and once considered one of the poorest countries in Europe, Ireland achieved an equal status to the UK with the establishment of the EC. After the miraculous economic growth period known as the Celtic Tiger, Dublin today is home to countless tech startup companies.

The original language of the country is Celtic, or Irish, and all signs and documents are in English and Celtic displayed, both now official languages. The Irish language is a required subject from primary school through secondary school, and there are even many who use Irish as their main language daily in the area around Galway. This means that when Irish students learn a “foreign” language, it becomes their third language. Students in secondary school - Junior Cycle currently have many languages to select from, including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Polish, Japanese, and Chinese.

Most of the students who select Japanese are interested in Anime and games, subjects they are very familiar with. As part of our activities to promote the Japanese language, quiz competitions were held on Japanese culture in four regions for students in their first year of secondary school - Senior Cycle. Though the quiz topics included Japanese sport, festivals, food, Anime, J-Pop, and geography, the ratio of correct answers was highest for Anime and music-related topics, resulting in great excitement in all four venues.

Incidentally, this year was a momentous one for those involved in foreign language education in Ireland. This year marked the announcement of the government’s official Language Strategy which we had waited for almost ten years. The policy increased both the budget and staffing of the Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) where I work, resulting in a major change in the work we do. Accordingly, it is necessary to carefully develop a strategy of how to promote the Japanese language in light of future forecasts. Japanese is seen as more of a minor language compared to the popular European languages, so in order to make it seem more familiar, I hope to communicate the appeals of the Japanese language and culture by leveraging upcoming events like the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

As I am the only Japanese-Language Specialist in Ireland, my work is diverse. The primary job, however, is to support Japanese language teachers at the secondary school - Senior Cycle level, which involves regularly visiting schools and holding mock classes, resource development, teacher training, hosting seminars, and workshops to improve Japanese language ability. I also support the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme with the support of universities, Japanese schools of Ireland, and embassies. As part of the English-speaking world, there are numerous exchange students and young visitors on working holidays from Japan, and I have started working on a framework to deploy these as volunteers to Japanese classes. Accordingly, I continue my efforts every day in the hopes that as many students as possible will take an interest in Japan and its language and perhaps one day serve as bridges between Japan and Ireland.