Technician overcomes English jitters
Kayoko Nagahara / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
Oki Electric Industry Co. often invites guests from overseas for sales talks at its factory in Honjo, Saitama Prefecture. Masao Iwata, one of the company's technical specialists, does not hesitate to speak English when taking them on tours of the facility.
"This is our service menu," Iwata, 37, said one day as he was explaining the company's newly developed liquid coating product.
Iwata was trying to speak slowly and loudly enough for his guests to understand. At one point, he was at a loss for a word, asking himself in Japanese, "Etto, nandakkeka?" (Uh, what was I going to say?), but he did not seem flustered at all.
"I'm trying to say as much as possible as simply as possible because I'm basically a poor talker," Iwata said.
With an increase in overseas transactions, more and more companies in Japan are demanding their employees acquire better English skills. That means more and more people who believe they are not good at English find themselves making desperate efforts to study the language--and Iwata is one example.
Iwata began his career at Oki Electric Industry 14 years ago, spending most of it as a technician. He faced a sudden career change in March this year that threw him into English once again when he became a salesperson in charge of overseas clients.
Behind the transfer was the fact that the company faced a lot of overseas inquiries after one of its new products--a liquid coating material that helps release heat--had been featured in a speciality magazine. Iwata was thought to have a good command of English because he had worked at the company's U.S. factory for three years until 1998.
"However, I never dreamed that I'd find myself in the position of promoting sales in English," Iwata said, recalling that he felt upset at the time.
Four years ago, Oki Electric Industry set a goal for each of its employees to achieve a score of at least 600 on the Test of English for International Communication. Iwata just managed to reach this goal in autumn last year.
Iwata said he had a lot of trouble with English while living in the United States. Before moving there, he bought new dictionaries and took in-house English-language training programs offered by his company. However, these turned out to be of no immediate help for him, he said.
Iwata recalled one example of the troubles caused by his inferior language skills that occurred when he went to a restaurant with some of his colleagues. While they were waiting to be served, Iwata heard that the restaurant had a pool bar where guests could play billiards.
"I'd like to play," Iwata intended to say as he was about to leave his seat. This brought an unexpected reaction from his colleagues.
"Because of my poor pronunciation, they thought I was saying 'pray,'" he said. In fact, they suddenly began praying in their seats. "That really made me feel ashamed."
Nonetheless, Iwata said he became a little more comfortable with English after one of his superiors suggested he introduce himself with an English name.
"I called myself 'Mike' as my name is Masao," he said. "If I say, 'Please call me Mike' (when I introduce myself), people usually say, 'Hi, Mike," when we meet again, helping me get conversations started.
"I learned that I didn't have to feel timid (when speaking English) when I lived in the United States," he added.
However, Iwata is still building his own English skills, and has been trying to immerse himself in the language. He listens to tape-recorded English conversations every day while commuting to and from his workplace. on his days off, he watches Japanese movies dubbed and subtitled in English and repeats the lines for practice.
"I remain a poor talker," Iwata said. "But I don't feel ashamed about speaking English in front of others any more--I believe that's the most important thing (in using the language)."
* * *
This column features interviews with businesspeople who have to use English for their jobs, as well as with language experts, in the hope of offering insight into learning the language. The column will return on June 6.
Kayoko Nagahara / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
Oki Electric Industry Co. often invites guests from overseas for sales talks at its factory in Honjo, Saitama Prefecture. Masao Iwata, one of the company's technical specialists, does not hesitate to speak English when taking them on tours of the facility.
"This is our service menu," Iwata, 37, said one day as he was explaining the company's newly developed liquid coating product.
Iwata was trying to speak slowly and loudly enough for his guests to understand. At one point, he was at a loss for a word, asking himself in Japanese, "Etto, nandakkeka?" (Uh, what was I going to say?), but he did not seem flustered at all.
"I'm trying to say as much as possible as simply as possible because I'm basically a poor talker," Iwata said.
With an increase in overseas transactions, more and more companies in Japan are demanding their employees acquire better English skills. That means more and more people who believe they are not good at English find themselves making desperate efforts to study the language--and Iwata is one example.
Iwata began his career at Oki Electric Industry 14 years ago, spending most of it as a technician. He faced a sudden career change in March this year that threw him into English once again when he became a salesperson in charge of overseas clients.
Behind the transfer was the fact that the company faced a lot of overseas inquiries after one of its new products--a liquid coating material that helps release heat--had been featured in a speciality magazine. Iwata was thought to have a good command of English because he had worked at the company's U.S. factory for three years until 1998.
"However, I never dreamed that I'd find myself in the position of promoting sales in English," Iwata said, recalling that he felt upset at the time.
Four years ago, Oki Electric Industry set a goal for each of its employees to achieve a score of at least 600 on the Test of English for International Communication. Iwata just managed to reach this goal in autumn last year.
Iwata said he had a lot of trouble with English while living in the United States. Before moving there, he bought new dictionaries and took in-house English-language training programs offered by his company. However, these turned out to be of no immediate help for him, he said.
Iwata recalled one example of the troubles caused by his inferior language skills that occurred when he went to a restaurant with some of his colleagues. While they were waiting to be served, Iwata heard that the restaurant had a pool bar where guests could play billiards.
"I'd like to play," Iwata intended to say as he was about to leave his seat. This brought an unexpected reaction from his colleagues.
"Because of my poor pronunciation, they thought I was saying 'pray,'" he said. In fact, they suddenly began praying in their seats. "That really made me feel ashamed."
Nonetheless, Iwata said he became a little more comfortable with English after one of his superiors suggested he introduce himself with an English name.
"I called myself 'Mike' as my name is Masao," he said. "If I say, 'Please call me Mike' (when I introduce myself), people usually say, 'Hi, Mike," when we meet again, helping me get conversations started.
"I learned that I didn't have to feel timid (when speaking English) when I lived in the United States," he added.
However, Iwata is still building his own English skills, and has been trying to immerse himself in the language. He listens to tape-recorded English conversations every day while commuting to and from his workplace. on his days off, he watches Japanese movies dubbed and subtitled in English and repeats the lines for practice.
"I remain a poor talker," Iwata said. "But I don't feel ashamed about speaking English in front of others any more--I believe that's the most important thing (in using the language)."
* * *
This column features interviews with businesspeople who have to use English for their jobs, as well as with language experts, in the hope of offering insight into learning the language. The column will return on June 6.