The event started around 9:00 am in front of the Yusentei Garden in Fukuoka and the arrival of the students and their teacher around 9:45 am. The group then proceeded to the main building where the seminar was scheduled to start at 10:00 am. The seminar started with a short introduction by the tour guide and an introduction of the staff. The introduction included the explanation of complicated English terms related to the garden. The presentation was given by the staff in Japanese and simultaneously translated into English by the tour guide as an English comprehension exercise for the students. The event continued with a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, an origami exercise and finally a tour of the garden. The objective of the event was to give the Japanese students an understanding of their own culture, also with regard to later tourism activities.
Event Objectives
The purpose of the event was to familiarize the students with their own culture and also to teach them the English terminology associated with it. Since the students are aiming for a tourism career, this information and exercises are of practical use for their future careers. Especially the participation in the traditional tea ceremony is a useful knowledge, which is interesting for both foreign and domestic tourists.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The small size of the group and the fact that it was a closed group was positive. The students had noticeably more fun at the event and participated actively in the program points. Furthermore, all students had at least a basic level of English and could follow the translations of the tour guide. In general, it was an open and interested group of students, who even occasionally initiated a conversation in English, out of interest or to test their own English skills. Weaknesses were therefore hardly noticeable, the group behaved in a disciplined manner and the seminar could also be held on time without any difficulties. Only the temperatures were a bit strenuous, since it is an open building and the temperatures at lunchtime were very warm and humid.
Conclusion
The seminar was a great success, all students enjoyed the program and participated actively. The place itself is a wonderful, quiet traditional place and is perfect for such events with small groups of people. Also, during the presentation and the tour through the garden the students followed the staff and tour guide without any problems. At the end of the seminar, the students showed interest and asked questions to the tour guide and tried to talk to me as a foreign observer in English.
The seminar started at 9:00 AM with preparations for the arrival of the students at 9:30 AM and the subsequent start of the event at 10:00 AM. The duration of the event was scheduled for 2 hours (10:00-12:00 AM). This was the second event, with a similar structure and with a few changes due to earlier feedback. The seminar itself started at 11:07 AM and lasted 45min until approx. 11:52 AM. The goal of the seminar was to prepare the student volunteers for their work at tourist information tables and similar information points during the Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships. The event started with a general presentation of M.I.C.E. (Travel Association), a presentation of K-iTG (Tour Guide/Translation Association), the K-iTG Seminar and English Roleplay and ended with a short presentation by M.I.C.E.
Event Objectives
The objective of the event was to prepare students to work at information desks, sports facilities and railroad stations during the World Aquatics Championship. The students should be able to offer information and help in English to the tourists (English-natives and non-natives) arriving at the event. In addition, during the seminar, possible cultural differences and problems with which the students may be confronted should be pointed out. Finally, English communication should be practiced during a Roleplay with a native and a non-native English speaker.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The biggest strength of the seminar was that the students were volunteers who were interested in the above-mentioned activities. Therefore, the general English skills were good to very good and the students were also able to follow the English parts of the presentation. In addition, the students actively participated in English roleplay among themselves and practiced the given conversations. Furthermore, it was very useful to have a native English speaker on stage who could explain and demonstrate native English. The only drawback was that no student came forward to present their skills on stage for a live roleplay. Roleplay partners could only be found after explicitly asking some randomly selected students who could nevertheless answer all questions.
Conclusion
In summary, the seminar was a success. The students actively participated in the event and followed the presentations attentively. But their behavior was reserved on the stage, often none of the students dared to speak or showcase their skills on stage. At the end of the seminar, a queue of interested students formed with questions/comments to the speaker. Interest and curiosity were therefore definitely present among the students present.
近年、日本でも耳にすることが多くなっている性的少数者を表す『LGBTQ』という言葉。海外ではパートナー関係を法的に承認する国が増えてきています。コロナ禍が終わり海外からお迎えするお客様の中に当事者がいらした際、どのようにご案内すればいいのでしょう。そこで普段何気なく使っている 「Mr./Ms.」、「husband/wife」、「Ladies and Gentlemen」などの英語表現が適切なのかどうか、悩むことがあるかもしれません。
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