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Why learn a foreign language? Current British research
Reasons to learn a second language
LOTE (Languages Other Than English) has been identified as one of the Key Learning Areas and is currently a compulsory unit of study up to Year 10 in many state and private schools.
- Japanese, spoken by over 125 million people, has been identified by both the Commonwealth and State Governments as a language of economic importance to Australia. For Queensland, the study of Japanese is especially important, given the strong cultural, economic and political ties with Japan.
- Because of the links in tourism and commerce between Australia and Japan, Queensland learners have many opportunities to meet Japanese-speaking people within the school context and in the general community. Japanese lifestyle, culture, art and sport are becoming increasingly familiar to Australians through the media and personal contact.
- LOTE is a very marketable commodity in the workplace and the job market in conjunction with other professions. The extra dimension of language skills opens up more possibilities. Most university courses can be studied in conjunction with a language.
- Learning to communicate in Japanese deepens understanding of Japanese culture and society. Students who learn Japanese learn about why Japanese people bow and why they do not like to be too direct when giving opinions for example. Students who learn a LOTE develop “cultural sensitivity” which is a valuable skill in the world of today where companies have branches all over the world.
- St Joseph’s College has an excellent relationship with Konan Boys’ High School in Kobe, Japan and students who learn Japanese have the opportunity for real language exchange via the Terramoo chat site and through the Exchange Program that offers opportunities for both long and short term exchanges.
- Terrace’s Exchange Program in partnership with its sister-school, Konan Boys’ High School, now offers a comprehensive range of Exchange experiences from Short Term (2 weeks) in September of Year 10 (offered to all Year 10 students) to Long Term Exchange experiences extending from 3 months to 1 year for Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 students of Japanese language. A GAP year of exchange which allows Terrace students to work as a part-time Assistant English Teacher with the opportunity to attend Konan University courses is also offered to exiting students of Year 12 Japanese.
- Undergraduate courses in Japanese may be combined with a degree in Law, Architecture, Commerce, Economics, Information Technology, Engineering or Science. By combining courses, students are able to achieve fluency in Japanese, at the same time as they are acquiring other professional skills, thus greatly expanding their career opportunities.
- The University of Queensland offers Australia’s only Japanese-English conference interpreting course, one of only three in the world. It also offers the Master of Arts degree in interpreting and translating Japanese, producing graduates trained to act as interpreters and translators at high level conferences.
- Japanese may be studied as part of the Diploma of Education, in preparation for language teaching, and many Management Degree and Diploma courses include a Japanese Studies component. The study of Japanese is indispensable to those who wish to enter the tourism or hospitality industries, and this is recognised by the inclusion of Japanese in many of the Degree and Diploma courses, which lead to careers in those areas.
Australia - Japan - Why studying a foreign language is critical
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