On Monday, October 30, 2023, Professor Masaki Ono of the University of Tsukuba, the deputy director of the NipCA project, delivered a special lecture titled “Diversity and Japanese Language Education” via Zoom to students at Oguz han University of Technology in Turkmenistan.
Oguz han University of Technology has gained recognition for its enthusiasm in Japanese language education, even producing the winner of a recently held Japanese speech contest. Professor Ono’s seminar attracted students from 11 different countries, including those from Turkmenistan, where the number of Japanese language learners has been on the rise.
With 8 billion people living in the world today, foreign language education plays a significant role in global communication. In the lecture, Professor Ono emphasized the importance of three key points: thinking (listening to others’ opinions), sharing (verbalizing), and giving consideration (guiding).
For instance, in situations where a meeting is delayed, it is important to inquire about the reason for the delay, mutually confirming the cause. Additionally, sharing cultural behaviors and expressing consideration are vital for maintaining relationships.
Dr. Ono also discussed the prospects for a new Japanese Language Education Center within the University of Tsukuba to further enhance the focus on Japanese language education.
The special lecture was followed by two presentations on “A Contrastive Study of Japanese and Turkmen Requests” by Dadayev Esenmurat, a student in the Master’s Program of the International Japanese Studies Degree Program at TUFS, and on “Collocation in Japanese” by Dr. Rachin Grudova, a lecturer of Japanese at Oguz han University of Technology.
Given the anticipated growth in relations between Japan and Turkmenistan, the University of Tsukuba is committed to sustaining and expanding educational and research exchanges with Oguz han University of Technology in the future.
