Beginning Japanese for Professionals: Book 1

1 Before We Begin 1. For whom is this textbook designed? This textbook is designed for beginning learners who want to learn basic Japanese for the purpose of living and working in Japan. Unlike textbooks written primarily for students, whose content largely centers on student life, this book focuses more on social and professional life beyond school. This textbook can be used for self-study, as part of an online course, or as a traditional college course. As a beginning level textbook, this book includes many elementary grammar patterns (Japanese Language Proficiency Test Levels 5 and 4), but the vocabulary and situations are selected specifically for working adults. Explanations are kept concise so as to only cover key points. The main focus is on oral communication. This textbook was originally written for the first term (ten weeks) of the beginning Japanese course in the graduate program of Masters of International Management in the School of Business Administration at Portland State University. The goals of the Japanese courses are to provide students with a foundation for acquiring future business language skills and to increase students’ knowledge of Japanese culture. This is the first edition that has been piloted in the program and will be replaced with revised editions in the future. 2. What kind of things can you do in Japanese after finishing this book? Based on ILR (Interagency Language Roundtable) estimates, we assume that in order for an English-speaking learner with average language aptitude to achieve the proficiency level of ILR Proficiency Scale 2: Limited Working Competence in Japanese, over one thousand hours of instruction will be required. The MIM program at PSU provides 150 hours of instruction in total. So, what can we expect our students to be able to do at the end of the program? It is not likely that they can negotiate business in Japanese or handle many professional interactions. However, it is possible that they can handle many everyday interactions, avoid well- known taboos, answer routine questions about themselves, and network for business purposes. The topics to be covered in this textbook are: • Greetings and Ritual Expressions • Meeting People and Self- Introductions • Exchanging Business Cards • Schedules and Calendar • Shopping • Eating and Drinking • Locations and Directions • Public Transportations • Family and My Profile • Leisure and Hobbies • Manners and Customs