下のスクリプトは事前提出されたものですので、ビデオの音声とは一部異なる場合があります。

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Are You the Invisible?

Toyota National College of Technology

Movie: You have to go now….
I don't even know where I am.
What do they mean? What kind of language are they speaking?
"Excuse me?"
"Everybody avoids him. Is he invisible?"

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our presentation. I'm Akihisa Ishida. This is Jun Kondo, and Minao Inaba from Toyota Kosen.

So, if you were the person in the movie, what would you do?
What would you do if you suddenly had to live in another country?

As a matter of fact last year, all three of us lived in the United States as exchange students. On the first day in the US, I got shortchanged at a hamburger joint. I couldn’t figure out how much to give the cashier. I handed him several dollars. He gave me some change, but I thought that he did not give me enough change. I didn’t know what to do.

If only I had known the language…

I joined a cross-country team. At the start of my first race, I heard, "Ready, Set, Go!” I thought I needed to get ready, but all the other runners had already taken off. I was confused and embarrassed.

If only I had known the language…
If you go abroad, you may have the same kind of experience.

If only I had known the language…

Well, let's go back to the opening movie and think about what was happening. Let me tell you more about this person.

He is 25 years old and works for a toilet paper company in Sri Lanka. He was sent to Japan to do market research for one year, but he can only speak his native language and a few English words.

He doesn’t know Japanese, so he cannot speak to anyone, cannot read anything and cannot adjust himself to his new way of life.

Nobody accepts him or even recognizes his existence. It seems he has become an invisible man; a man whose existence is not recognized by anyone.

On the other hand, languages are our greatest tools to understand others and to be understood. Speaking a certain language makes us “visible” to those who speak it.

Therefore, learning English is very important for us, because English is a universal language now.

When do we learn English? We learn it in junior and senior high schools.

Well, talking of English education in those schools, do you think that you’d be a better English speaker now, if you had studied harder in school?

In English classes in Japan, we learn writing and reading, but seldom do we have a chance to practice our conversational skills.

Suppose students of Tokyo University, a top-ranking university in Japan, go abroad and need to speak English. It is likely that many of them will not be able to effectively speak and be understood in English.

By contrast, the Egyptian people are said to begin learning English at the age of two, at the same time as they start learning Arabic, their native language. We also found in our research that people in several Asian countries, such as Thailand and Laos, have a stronger emphasis on English conversation skills than here in Japan.

So English education in Japan… How can we be better? What should we do?

The answer is very, very simple. Just talk.

When you meet people from other countries, speak to them. Read as much English as you can. Try to listen to English radio and TV programs. Today iPods and iPhones are everywhere. These are wonderful English learning tools.

So why do we have to speak English?

If lots of foreigners should immigrate to Japan, what would you do? If global warming ever got uncontrollably out of hand and if by any chance Japan were to sink into the sea, what would you do? And, if you lost important business opportunities, what would you do?

We will never know what kind of situations we might face in the future. In such cases, it is good to know English and be able to communicate in English.

In addition, you can talk in English about Japanese culture to people in other countries. There are many aspects of Japanese culture that are unique, such as, manga, samurai, and sumo. People from other countries have told me that they are fascinated by Japan.

"22.5"? What does this number mean?

Our school sends on average about 22.5 students to other countries each year. Some popular countries they choose to go to are the United States, Australia, Germany, Brazil, and Malaysia. No other kosen in Japan sends as many students to foreign countries as we do.

How about this number: "449” What does that mean?

Over the last two decades, our school has sent over 400 students to foreign countries. All of these students went abroad on their own accord.

Now, as the world economy is in recession, you need the ability to communicate in English more than ever if you want to get a good job.

Then, you would no longer be “invisible” like our friend from Sri Lanka.

So, believe in yourself, don't be shy and reach for the sky.

Thank you for listening.