The Japanese View on English - Literature review Example

Name: Institution: Date: Many people view English as the most viable choice for communication, both in social and business communication. As a result, English is universally used for global communication. Today, English is recognized as a global language and it is widely used both in business and the society at large (Riley, 2010; Sivasubramaniam, 2012). Functionally and structurally, English is considered to be a unique language distinct from other world languages. English has spread both among the native and non-native speakers and majority of countries, including ones in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific, have designated it as their official language. In addition, many companies around the globe have designated it as their official business language. According to Neeley (2012), English language represents the fastest-spreading language in history being spoken by more than 1.75 billion people around the globe. That figure translates to one in every four people. However, there are mixed feelings among different cultural groups and citizens from different countries. There are some groups that have questioned this assumption. According to the available estimates, more than 75 percent of the world population speaks English as their second or third language (Mufwene, 2010). In the case of Japan, English usage as a business language has often been controversial. To some, this assumption has often generated strong negative responses and the idea has never taken hold in this society. On the contrary, this society claims that studying English should be framed within Japanese culture. Specifically, they have argued that the only reason why English should be learned is for the purpose of promoting the Japanese language and culture to the other people and cultures. In their article, Stewart & Miyahara (2011) have described this attitude as deconstructing English – a process in which people adopt English as a tool so as the traditions and values embedded in the Japanese culture will be retained and cultural independence will be ensured. According to Miyahara (2014), the public view of English is currently in a transitional stage in Japan. The prestige and akogare (desire or longing) associated with English remain dominant in Japanese views on English. In his book, Emerging Self-Identities and Emotion in Foreign Language Learning, Miyahara (2014) has examined the historical Japanese views on English. Historically, English among the Japanese has been associated with a certain privileged status. In contrast to the Japanese, an association with the elevated status of the Western world, the Anglo-American and European cultures in particular, knowledge of American Standard English and British Standard English carries with it the prospect of belonging to a privileged sector of society. The young generation, in particular, consider English ‘cool.’ However, in Japan, this is not often the case. For example, in his article, Global Business Speaks English, Neeley (2012) examines a case in 2010, in which the CEO of Rakuten, which represents one of the largest online companies in Japan adopted English corporate language strategy. Every employee of the company was mandated to use English as the company’s official language of business. The main goal of Rakuten was to rise and become one of the most popular companies in the world in the provision of internet services. The company believed that the adoption of English was a good step towards achieving this goal. In its expansion strategy, the company had acquired several other online companies, including Play.com in the United Kingdom, FreeCause and Buy.com in the United States, PriceMinister.com, Kobo eBooks in Canada, and Tradoria in Germany. Also, the company entered into joint ventures with several other companies in Brazil, China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Taiwan. Suddenly, as Neeley (2012) discusses, language cafeterias in the company were changed from Japanese to English. In addition, employees were required to show a high level of knowledge of international English. The employees who failed to display this competence were at a risk of getting demoted or even dismissed. To display how English as a business language in Japan is viewed, Neeley (2012) observed that Rakuten’s move was picked up by the Japanese media where it was criticised. In a similar manner, the Japanese corporate organisations received Rakuten’s move with fascination and disdain. The article provides the example of Honda’s CEO, Takanobu Ito who viewed the move as ‘stupid’, indicating it as not only stupid to use English as a business language but also for a Japanese company to use English in a work environment where almost every employee is Japanese. This review shows that English is not well-received or accommodated in Japan as a business language. In addition, today, Japanese people are exposed to a variety of Englishes as a result of increasing number of foreign residents entering Japan in recent years. The diminution of the monolithic view of English has resulted in an ambivalent attitude towards the language to an extent that it has become problematic for the Japanese to find a common ‘English’ that is suitable as a model of application. In addition, in Japan it is difficult to equate English ability with good career and professional prospects (Miyahara, 2014). English is becoming more diversified and varied. The Japanese considered their lives as fine without the English language since they were very comfortable speaking the Japanese language; however, English language is taking over influencing most aspects of Japanese culture (Sutherland, 2012). In another study, majority of Japanese have been found to consider English language as either as a strategy in which local organisations show globalisation or as a marketing strategy which is considered exotic (Holmquist & Cudmore, 2013). According to the author of this study, the Japanese corporations are very important to the economy of Japan making it one of the richest economies in the world. However, not much literature has investigated or explained why and at what level English is accepted as a business language – language to be used both within the company and in activities outside the companies, including marketing. English has particularly found it hard to penetrate this rich market (Holmquist & Cudmore, 2013). However, despite poor reception of English in Japan, one study found out that there is a high level usage of English language especially in advertising. Holmquist & Cudmore’s (2013) study found out that 71.7 percent of the study participants communicate the name of their companies in English, 44.4 percent communicated the names of their products in English, and that 42.4 percent had their separate company logo written in English. However, lower usages of English language in other business-related aspects were found to be very low. For example, only 22 percent of these participants used English catchphrases. In addition, only 10.6 percent could effectively endorse another company in English, only 10.8 percent could use English in action words, and only 2 percent could give a location in English (Holmquist & Cudmore, 2013). Another area where the use of English language was found to be poor was ‘telling of an event in English.’ These findings were based on the 1598 advertisements reviewed among 30 Japanese magazines sampled. Similar low usage of English language was found among the 200 storefront photographs sampled. The study established that only a mere 44 percent storefronts display the name of their companies in English, 41.5 percent displaying their products in English, 32.5 percent using English in a catchphrase, and only 3 percent advertised in English. These findings were entirely different in the case of Philippines where the 1257 advertisements displayed high usage of English language. For example, 98.6 percent of the companies were found to communicate their company name in English, 99.3 percent communicating the names of their products in English, 99 percent having a separate company logo in English, and 99.8 percent using English in catchphrase in English. Other aspects were also relatively higher than those of Japan, such as, 43 percent using English for action words, 36.1 percent giving location in English, 11.5 percent giving endorsement of other companies in English, and 1.9 percent telling events in English (Holmquist & Cudmore, 2013). The data on English usage in the Philippines was found to closely resemble that of the United States. However, in Japan, the case of English usage was entirely different. Although the Japanese have accepted English as an international language, majority of them view it just as a marketing strategy. According to Holmquist & Cudmore (2013), they view the language as a means of attracting local companies and local consumers. The author provides an example of automotive companies which display their cars models in English. There are other studies that have had contrasting findings. For example, Yoneda (n.d.) has indicated that Japanese are continually recognising that English proficiency is required both in business and the society in general. In his article, The Importance of the English Language in a Cross-cultural Working Environment, Yoneda (n.d.) has indicated that a significant number of Japanese domestic companies have already established English as their in-house official language. The author has provided examples such as Proctor and Gamble Co. and Citibank which have been using English as their official business language. Other companies provided as examples include Nissan Motor Co. which implemented English as its official language in 1999 and Sumida Corporation which implemented English as its official language in 2002 (Yoheda, n.d.). This evidence shows that the Japanese companies are slowly accommodating English as their language of business. To display the importance of using English language in business, Yoheda (n.d.) has investigated Singapore in the same study to show the differences and show the importance of using English as a business language. One of the participants in the study observed that Japanese professionals do not recognise the important of having a good command in English. This participant indicated that, during his meeting with a senior Japanese manager in a Japanese organisation, the senior manager spoke in Japanese and had one of his juniors translate into English. The study found out that this is a common practice among the Japanese companies. The senior managers display reluctance in learning and practicing English language in their companies. Also, the study found out that the participants were reluctant to establish working relationships with their Japanese workmates because they are reluctant to accommodate English usage in a cross-cultural working place. Since the world is becoming more and more globalised, the researcher concluded that the Japanese should learn to accommodate English because it is the key to building relationships with other people in the workplace. One of the participants in that particular study observed that the Japanese colleagues do not get along well with other employees due to miscommunication or lack of communication. Another participant in that particular study argued that for the Japanese professionals and business people to improve their business opportunities, they have to improve their English and accommodate it as a business language. Another participant investigated in Yehoda’s (n.d.) study made an observation that Japanese companies show a high level of technological capability; however, these companies are only limited to the Japanese market because there exist a wide language barrier between the Japanese and people from other countries. The study observed that this situation makes Japanese companies lose most of their opportunities to market their products or merge with other companies. The author reviews the accounts given by one of the participants who indicated how she visited a Japanese electronics company where she was showed some very innovative products. After querying why the company does not sell its products to the other parts of the world, the response was that the company has a wide market in Japan. The Japanese sales person whom she was talking to was reluctant to engage in a conversation about the company engaging in business outside Japan. All the materials provided to her were in Japanese and nothing was written in English. According to the study, this makes most Japanese companies unable to share their or market their products with non-Japanese. Japanese companies that have ventured in markets outside Japan have been very successful (Kim, 2010). Nevertheless, despite low reception of English as a business language in Japan, Sherlock (2016) has examined how Japan has continued to spread its influence globally. The article argues that the Japanese people still harbour an ‘us’ and ‘them’ attitude. Japan is based on Confucian principles and philosophy. As a result, the country contains a well-ordered society where each citizen knows the position he/she is supposed to occupy. Japanese people have, therefore, strongly occupied this position. Conclusions In conclusion, English is considered to be the most important language in the globe. As indicated in the opening part of this review, English is universally used for global communication. Today, English is recognised as a global language and it is widely used both in business and the society at large. Functionally and structurally, English is considered to be a unique language distinct from other world languages. English has spread both among the native and non-native speakers. The studies reviewed have discussed different feelings that people have regarding English usage in their organisations. However, most of these studies have discussed a high level of non-reception of English as a business language in the Japanese organisations. One previous study has given an example of a senior manager in a Japanese company who prefers to speak in Japanese and have one of his juniors translate for him. That particular study has suggested that this situation is rampant in the majority of business organisations in Japan. This is a clear picture that English is not widely accepted as a business language in Japan. Another study has even conducted a comparison of English language reception in Japan and the Philippines. A huge correlation was established between English language usages in these sample countries with lower usage of English language in the Japanese organisations relative to English language usage in the Philippines. Most Japanese people even feel that where English is used in Japanese context, it should be framed within Japanese culture. Specifically, they have argued that the only reason why English should be learned is for the purpose of promoting the Japanese language and culture to the other people and cultures. Therefore, it is clear that English language is not well-received as a business language in Japan. References Holmquist, J. & Cudmore, A. (2014). English in Japanese and Philippine Advertising: An Exploratory Comparison. The Journal of Global Business Management, 9(1), 82-91. Kim, R. (2010). Value Innovation in Export Marketing Strategy: The Case of a Canadian Firm in Japan. Journal of Food Products Marketing, 16(4), 361-372. Neeley, T. (2012). Global Business Speaks English. Harvard Business Review. Miyahara, M. (2014). Emerging Self-Identities and Emotion in Foreign Language Learning. Multilingual Matters. Mufwene, S. (2010). Globalization, global English, and world English(es): Myths and facts. In The handbook of language and globalization. New Jersey: Wiley. Riley, R. (2010). What is Global English? Retrieved from http://www.english.ucsb.edu/faculty/rraley/research/global-English.html. Sherlock, Zelinda. (2016). Japan’s textbook inequality: How cultural bias affects foreign language acquisition. Power and Education, 8(1), 73-87. Sivasubramaniam, S.(2012). The journal of English as an international language. Retrieved from http://www.eilj.com/ Sutherland, S. (2012). Real English in Japan: Team Teachers’ Views on Nativeness in Language Teaching. Journal of English Studies, 10, 175-191. Yoneda, M. (n.d.). The importance of the English language in a cross-cultural working environment: views from English speakers who have Japanese business associates. Thesis, Chiba University. Read More