University of Bucharest
KURIHARA Sachiko

I have welcomed my third year in my post in Romania, which is also my last. Japanese-Language Specialists (hereinafter “Specialists”) dispatched to this area from the Japan Foundation (hereinafter “Foundation”) are responsible for classes in the university to which we are dispatched, but we also support, participate in, and give presentations at conferences and workshops connected with Japanese-language education, held inside and outside of the university. In this report, I’d like to introduce some examples from conferences and workshops in which Specialists are involved.

Japanese-Language Education Symposium

The University of Bucharest, where I have been dispatched, runs a Japanese-language education symposium in the fall each year. This was once again held in October 2018, with support from the Foundation, based on the theme of “Japanese-language education that aims for cross-cultural communication, and new words and concepts.” The 2018 Japanese-language education symposium included lectures on the themes of “The conceptualization of Japanese grammar, vocabulary, and characters that are useful for communication between different cultures” (Ms. KATSUKI Noriko of Trier University in Germany), and “The possibilities and impossibilities of translating Japanese onomatopoeia: How to make learners aware of diverse nuances” (Mr. SEGUCHI Toshikazu of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland); both were valuable learning opportunities for each of the participants to improve their classes in the future. In addition, The Japan Foundation, Budapest’s Deputy Director, SHIRAI Sayuri, spoke about the Foundation’s Japanese-language education programs, and staff from the University of Bucharest, including the Specialists, also gave speeches.

Speech by Focşeneanu, Head of the Japanese Language Department, at the Japanese-language education symposium

It wasn’t just university staff who spoke; teachers who teach Japanese at upper secondary schools and elementary schools in the city of Bucharest also gave presentations, making this a symposium that gave a sense of the spread of Japanese-language education in Romania.

Symposium for Japanese Studies

The University of Bucharest’s Japanese Language Department also holds a symposium for Japanese studies in March each year. This symposium covers more than just the field of Japanese-language education; it also includes a variety of areas related to Japanese studies, such as Japanese literature, linguistics, theater, and sociology. Its speakers gather from different countries, including Japan, Germany, Hungary, Poland, France, and the Czech Republic.

Specialists support the hosting of this symposium, and also give presentations—for example, in the 2018 symposium for Japanese studies, I gave a presentation on the theme of “Japanese-language education for young people.” In the symposium, I introduced the attempt on Japanese-language education in elementary schools which was done mainly by students in Japanese studies that I explained in last year’s report on this website. It was a great chance to think about teaching materials and activities with the participants for further development.

The symposium for Japanese studies is a forum for learning that stimulates the intellectual curiosity of both the teachers and the learners as they listen to presentations on many different research themes, rather than just on Japanese-language education, and is a good opportunity for Japan researchers from Japan and Europe to create and deepen connections.

The Japanese-Language Education Network in Central and Eastern Europe

The Japanese-Language Education Network in Central and Eastern Europe (hereinafter the “Network”), held by The Japan Foundation, Budapest in February each year, is an example of an activity held outside of the country; participants attend from different countries in Central and Eastern Europe, as do Specialists and Assistants dispatched to the Central and Eastern European region.

The theme for the Network which was implemented in February 2019 was “Perspectives and tricks for improving lessons,” and Mr. YOKOMIZO Shinichiro of Seinan Jo Gakuin University gave the keynote speech. Two teachers were invited from Romania—Ms. Ruxandra Raianu of the University of Bucharest and Ms. Alexandra Baranyi of the Romanian-American University—and both gave their own presentations.

Ms. Ruxandra Raianu giving a presentation at the Network

The participants that gather at the Network come from a region centered on Central and Eastern Europe that covers more than a dozen countries; while the participants obviously learn through the keynote speeches, their respective presentations, and question-and-answer sessions, they also learn a lot from each other via the discussion periods, and this is playing a major role in the formation of a network for Japanese-language education in the Central and Eastern European region.

I would like to actively support and participate in this kind of opportunity in the future, and this will lead to the spread of Japanese-language education, the formation of a network, and mutual learning.