instant business japaneseby giles murray
TRANSCRIPT
Instant Business Japanese by Giles MurrayReview by: Yoshiko SaitoThe Modern Language Journal, Vol. 83, No. 3 (Autumn, 1999), p. 455Published by: Wiley on behalf of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers AssociationsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/330281 .
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Reviews Reviews Reviews
can be effective; otherwise, a collection of activi- ties for entertainment purposes, no matter how learner oriented they may be, is not going to help students acquire Japanese effectively.
MASAKAZU WATABE Brigham Young University
can be effective; otherwise, a collection of activi- ties for entertainment purposes, no matter how learner oriented they may be, is not going to help students acquire Japanese effectively.
MASAKAZU WATABE Brigham Young University
can be effective; otherwise, a collection of activi- ties for entertainment purposes, no matter how learner oriented they may be, is not going to help students acquire Japanese effectively.
MASAKAZU WATABE Brigham Young University
MURRAY, GILES. Instant BusinessJapanese. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1997. Pp. 253. $17.00, paper.
MURRAY, GILES. Instant BusinessJapanese. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1997. Pp. 253. $17.00, paper.
MURRAY, GILES. Instant BusinessJapanese. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1997. Pp. 253. $17.00, paper.
Instant Business Japanese has the potential to be a
very useful resource for the teacher of intermedi- ate or advanced Japanese language. Although few, if any, Japanese language teachers have had signifi- cant real-world business experience in Japan, they may be called upon to offer a Business Japanese course. Such an assignment usually leads to a mad scramble to find teaching resources. Instant Busi- ness Japanese is not a stand-alone text, but teachers and students will find it a useful addition to their BusinessJapanese materials.
Instant Business Japanese is organized by a sto-
ryline scenario: the real-world case of restructur- ing a small technology company (Suzuki Denki), facing collapse because its overly conservative management has failed to recognize the trend away from dedicated word-processing machines and towards PC-based Windows word-processing software. To solve Suzuki Denki's problems, the founder comes out of retirement, a consultant is hired, and management must face its responsibil- ity for the firm's present position and take steps to find a survival strategy.
Instant Business Japanese offers its content in three languages: Japanese, Romanji, and English. By doing so it serves the largest possible number of users. Even intermediate-level students ofJapa- nese and those who have studied only (Roman- ized) conversation can access the content. There are 11 chapters that yield a rich variety of situ- ation-based linguistic and cultural information related to the Japanese business world. Each chapter offers an English-language briefing to set the stage, then sample sentences in thematic groups, followed by dialogues that present the situations of the storyline and, finally, notes in English andJapanese that provide additional use- ful information.
The author's obvious real-world experience lends credibility and timeliness that add greatly to the book's value. Instant Business Japanese is essen-
Instant Business Japanese has the potential to be a
very useful resource for the teacher of intermedi- ate or advanced Japanese language. Although few, if any, Japanese language teachers have had signifi- cant real-world business experience in Japan, they may be called upon to offer a Business Japanese course. Such an assignment usually leads to a mad scramble to find teaching resources. Instant Busi- ness Japanese is not a stand-alone text, but teachers and students will find it a useful addition to their BusinessJapanese materials.
Instant Business Japanese is organized by a sto-
ryline scenario: the real-world case of restructur- ing a small technology company (Suzuki Denki), facing collapse because its overly conservative management has failed to recognize the trend away from dedicated word-processing machines and towards PC-based Windows word-processing software. To solve Suzuki Denki's problems, the founder comes out of retirement, a consultant is hired, and management must face its responsibil- ity for the firm's present position and take steps to find a survival strategy.
Instant Business Japanese offers its content in three languages: Japanese, Romanji, and English. By doing so it serves the largest possible number of users. Even intermediate-level students ofJapa- nese and those who have studied only (Roman- ized) conversation can access the content. There are 11 chapters that yield a rich variety of situ- ation-based linguistic and cultural information related to the Japanese business world. Each chapter offers an English-language briefing to set the stage, then sample sentences in thematic groups, followed by dialogues that present the situations of the storyline and, finally, notes in English andJapanese that provide additional use- ful information.
The author's obvious real-world experience lends credibility and timeliness that add greatly to the book's value. Instant Business Japanese is essen-
Instant Business Japanese has the potential to be a
very useful resource for the teacher of intermedi- ate or advanced Japanese language. Although few, if any, Japanese language teachers have had signifi- cant real-world business experience in Japan, they may be called upon to offer a Business Japanese course. Such an assignment usually leads to a mad scramble to find teaching resources. Instant Busi- ness Japanese is not a stand-alone text, but teachers and students will find it a useful addition to their BusinessJapanese materials.
Instant Business Japanese is organized by a sto-
ryline scenario: the real-world case of restructur- ing a small technology company (Suzuki Denki), facing collapse because its overly conservative management has failed to recognize the trend away from dedicated word-processing machines and towards PC-based Windows word-processing software. To solve Suzuki Denki's problems, the founder comes out of retirement, a consultant is hired, and management must face its responsibil- ity for the firm's present position and take steps to find a survival strategy.
Instant Business Japanese offers its content in three languages: Japanese, Romanji, and English. By doing so it serves the largest possible number of users. Even intermediate-level students ofJapa- nese and those who have studied only (Roman- ized) conversation can access the content. There are 11 chapters that yield a rich variety of situ- ation-based linguistic and cultural information related to the Japanese business world. Each chapter offers an English-language briefing to set the stage, then sample sentences in thematic groups, followed by dialogues that present the situations of the storyline and, finally, notes in English andJapanese that provide additional use- ful information.
The author's obvious real-world experience lends credibility and timeliness that add greatly to the book's value. Instant Business Japanese is essen-
tially a "what I learned after I got to Japan" brain dump, and that is both its strength and weakness. Students who have not yet been to Japan or worked in a real business setting may have trouble projecting themselves into the story's sce- narios without help from the teacher.
The author has considerable respect for the business scene in Japan and its members. Accord- ingly, Instant Business Japanese goes beyond the
typical BusinessJapanese text in that it provides a believable story to connect the content and gives the student a framework to understand the world of business in Japan. For the teacher with little business background, Instant Business Japanese will
help fill that void. Instant Business Japanese is not a grammar or a
language textbook, because it assumes that the reader has some knowledge of Japan and the Japanese language. For this reason it should not be used at the introductory level. However, at $17.00 it can be a supplemental text or resource book, and for that use it is a good choice.
YOSHIKO SAITO California State University, Monterey Bay
tially a "what I learned after I got to Japan" brain dump, and that is both its strength and weakness. Students who have not yet been to Japan or worked in a real business setting may have trouble projecting themselves into the story's sce- narios without help from the teacher.
The author has considerable respect for the business scene in Japan and its members. Accord- ingly, Instant Business Japanese goes beyond the
typical BusinessJapanese text in that it provides a believable story to connect the content and gives the student a framework to understand the world of business in Japan. For the teacher with little business background, Instant Business Japanese will
help fill that void. Instant Business Japanese is not a grammar or a
language textbook, because it assumes that the reader has some knowledge of Japan and the Japanese language. For this reason it should not be used at the introductory level. However, at $17.00 it can be a supplemental text or resource book, and for that use it is a good choice.
YOSHIKO SAITO California State University, Monterey Bay
tially a "what I learned after I got to Japan" brain dump, and that is both its strength and weakness. Students who have not yet been to Japan or worked in a real business setting may have trouble projecting themselves into the story's sce- narios without help from the teacher.
The author has considerable respect for the business scene in Japan and its members. Accord- ingly, Instant Business Japanese goes beyond the
typical BusinessJapanese text in that it provides a believable story to connect the content and gives the student a framework to understand the world of business in Japan. For the teacher with little business background, Instant Business Japanese will
help fill that void. Instant Business Japanese is not a grammar or a
language textbook, because it assumes that the reader has some knowledge of Japan and the Japanese language. For this reason it should not be used at the introductory level. However, at $17.00 it can be a supplemental text or resource book, and for that use it is a good choice.
YOSHIKO SAITO California State University, Monterey Bay
SHOJI, KAKUKO. Basic Connections: Making Your
Japanese Flow. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1997. Pp. 152. $13.00, paper. SANSEIDO. Common Japanese Phrases (J. Brennan, Trans.). Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1997. Pp. 143. $13.00, paper. RUBIN, JAY. Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You. Tokyo: Kodansha Interna-
tional, 1998. Pp. 136. $13.00, paper.
SHOJI, KAKUKO. Basic Connections: Making Your
Japanese Flow. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1997. Pp. 152. $13.00, paper. SANSEIDO. Common Japanese Phrases (J. Brennan, Trans.). Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1997. Pp. 143. $13.00, paper. RUBIN, JAY. Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You. Tokyo: Kodansha Interna-
tional, 1998. Pp. 136. $13.00, paper.
SHOJI, KAKUKO. Basic Connections: Making Your
Japanese Flow. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1997. Pp. 152. $13.00, paper. SANSEIDO. Common Japanese Phrases (J. Brennan, Trans.). Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1997. Pp. 143. $13.00, paper. RUBIN, JAY. Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You. Tokyo: Kodansha Interna-
tional, 1998. Pp. 136. $13.00, paper.
These three books are new additions to the "Power Japanese" series of Kodansha Interna- tional that covers a wide range of topics (e.g., Japanese Verbs at a Glance, Kanji Idioms, All about
Particles). This series is not written as classroom textbooks, and each book has a specific focus and goal. In light of the nature of the books, I will examine the three books from the following four perspectives: (a) Does the content of the book provide useful and relevant information for learners of Japanese language as supplementary material? (b) Does the book present its content in an effective manner? (c) What are the strengths and possible areas of improvement of the book? (d) How can students and teachers of Japanese utilize the book effectively?
Shoji's Basic Connections: Making Your Japanese
These three books are new additions to the "Power Japanese" series of Kodansha Interna- tional that covers a wide range of topics (e.g., Japanese Verbs at a Glance, Kanji Idioms, All about
Particles). This series is not written as classroom textbooks, and each book has a specific focus and goal. In light of the nature of the books, I will examine the three books from the following four perspectives: (a) Does the content of the book provide useful and relevant information for learners of Japanese language as supplementary material? (b) Does the book present its content in an effective manner? (c) What are the strengths and possible areas of improvement of the book? (d) How can students and teachers of Japanese utilize the book effectively?
Shoji's Basic Connections: Making Your Japanese
These three books are new additions to the "Power Japanese" series of Kodansha Interna- tional that covers a wide range of topics (e.g., Japanese Verbs at a Glance, Kanji Idioms, All about
Particles). This series is not written as classroom textbooks, and each book has a specific focus and goal. In light of the nature of the books, I will examine the three books from the following four perspectives: (a) Does the content of the book provide useful and relevant information for learners of Japanese language as supplementary material? (b) Does the book present its content in an effective manner? (c) What are the strengths and possible areas of improvement of the book? (d) How can students and teachers of Japanese utilize the book effectively?
Shoji's Basic Connections: Making Your Japanese
455 455 455
This content downloaded from 128.235.251.160 on Wed, 10 Dec 2014 03:39:56 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions