Special Feature

We sat down with Mr. Kajiura, CEO of Alpha Language Institute, to talk more about how the way people study Japanese is changing.

What makes Alpha different?

With courses available at all levels, Alpha offers a unique service to its students in providing tailor-made programs. It is unrealistic to expect learners to be aware of just how good they are. In fact, most people will underestimate themselves and sign up for courses that don't really challenge them and only serve to reinforce skills already possessed. At Alpha, before taking a course, students are counseled on their learning aims and their abilities thoroughly assessed to ascertain what they can and can't do - with what the student can't do being targeted as the area to build on during their studies.

As well as aims and abilities, the time students have available to study and the amount of money they wish to spend are also discussed during counseling. This thorough understanding of goals, weak points, commitment and budget is at the heart of Alpha's ability to create learning programs that really satisfy their students' needs.

Through counseling and the appropriate selection of teaching methods, materials and instructors, courses are designed so that each lesson instills a sense of progress and achievement in the students, providing skills that students want and are relevant to their jobs and lives. This factor really sets Alpha apart from other schools that undoubtedly help students improve but not in the direction they wish to move in, often providing exposure to structures, styles and vocabulary that the student couldn't or even wouldn't ever use outside of the classroom.

Doko made nihonjinka suru?

According to Mr. Kajiura, Alpha Language Institute title/name of interviewee?, this question (How Japanese do you want to become?) is a really important one to ask yourself when considering learning Japanese. Obviously this is not a matter of physical or mental change, but recognizes the fact that culture and language are inexorably linked and any learning of a nation's language will bring with it insight and understanding into that country's culture. Learning the Japanese language alone won't turn you into a native but it will make you more of a local.

Mr Kajiura illustrates this point by supposing that a foreign resident of Japan with little or no Japanese ability was thinking of traveling out of town for a weekend trip. Compared to a Japanese person, their ability to resource information is inevitably limited to sources in their native language. However, by adding language skills, they will become more "Japanese", able to resource information from local sources and consequently their trip will most certainly be a lot smoother, allowing them to stay in a higher quality hotel, eat at better restaurants and see more of the sights - at a much cheaper price too.

My boss speaks no Japanese. Will learning really help my career?

While the nature of your job will undoubtedly make a difference to the level of Japanese required, language ability will be of more relevance to someone working directly with customers and suppliers than to a colleague in more of a back-office role. However, there is no doubt that for those wishing to further their career beyond their current role, adding improved Japanese to one's skills set is a huge difference maker. Improved Japanese promotes a deeper understanding of Japan, helping you develop both work and social networks and gets you and your skills noticed by more of your peer group.

Mr Kajiura tells the story of an IT engineer who joined Alpha as a student with the goal of learning Japanese in order to lower the language barrier and make more friends outside of work; his improved Japanese ability led him to getting a better job, with more responsibility and higher salary - outside of work his circle of friends grew, he met and married his wife and he remains much happier today both at work and in his marriage having exceeded his initial goal many times over.

The tangible sense of genuine pleasure that marks Mr Kajiura's voice when he tells the story is matched when pushed for further success stories and he reels off another about how studying at Alpha helped another student leapfrog up the corporate ladder. Much improved Japanese fluency allowed him to communicate directly with more peers and generated an increased industry-wide awareness of his professional skills. This recognition lead to him being head-hunted to his current role heading up Japan-based operations for a multi-national corporation.

Alpha Language Institute with its proven track record of helping students improve their Japanese abilities and reach their work and life goals has made the difference for innumerable students both past and present. For more information, please visit the Alpha Language Institute website.