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

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S.U.R.F (Succinct, Reasonable and Fair):
A communication method to survive in a globalized society

Toyama National College of Technology

A: Good morning. We're very honored to be here today. We'll give you a presentation entitled S.U.R.F. The subtitle is ‘a communication method to survive in a globalized society. I'm Shusaku. Let me tell you my personal experience related to today's topic. On the first day when I arrived at the home of my host family in Canada last spring, I had to express myself with basic English because I was not a fluent English speaker.

B:. I'm Sae. I had the same experience in Australia when I studied English with Korean students. At first we had to use basic English to communicate with them in class, because we couldn't speak English well.

C: My name is Ayae. I often chat on the Internet with my friends from Taiwan, Thailand and or Mexico in English. You know, we live in a globalized society. That means English can be used by anyone you encounter. However, English is not our first language. Likewise, persons I will meet in the future may not use English as their first language. How can we communicate effectively?

B: Well, I think basic English is enough to communicate with people.

A: Yeah. But, is basic English enough to do business?

C: We did some research at my college to answer this question. Based on this research, we'd like to propose a new approach today.

A: Actually, according to our research, most students at my college say that they want to speak in English but they think their English is not good enough to communicate with people from other countries.

B: Oh, really? Is English a useful communication tool in a globalized society?

A: Japanese engineers have hi-tech products that they take to various countries in Asia or Africa. Their first language is not English. If English is the common language at the meeting, Japanese engineers give technical guidance, by explaining them in English.

C: So we should have enough language skill to express our key points and explain ideas clearly to others in order to do business in a globalized society.

B: In a globalized society? Could you give me evidence that we are living in such a society? I don't believe that companies in my hometown are connected with companies in other countries.

A: O.K. This is my hometown, Toyama. For example, YKK group trades with 70 countries or regions worldwide. The trading partners of Nachi Fijikoshi Coporation, which makes industrial robots, are in the US, Europe, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea and India. The web page of Sugino Machine Limited, famous for a water jet cutter, is written in 7 languages. The web page of Cosel is written in 5 languages.

B: It's amazing. So many companies in my hometown are connected with the world!!

C: Our senior student interviewed with Canyon company in the U.K. last year. They expect Japanese workers to have the ability to speak in English, to be reliable in attendance serious in their work, and to treat all employees fairly.

B: Wow. As soon as I am hired by Canyon company, I will need to speak in English fluently. I wonder if students at my college realize this.

A: So we had a survey at my college in July 2010. We asked 53 students in the fourth grade: “What level of English-language skill would you like to aquire”

B: We asked our parents to answer a question on a parent-teacher meeting day at our college in July, 2010. We got 38 answers from parents. Most of them are workers at manufacturing companies. So our parents' expectations are like those of companies. We asked: What level of English-language proficiency do you expect a new employee to have in your company?

C: We compared the results of 38 parents and those of 53 students at my college. These three skills were highly chosen by both of them. They are:

1 The skill to have daily conversation with people from other countries.
2 The skill to answer in English.
3 The skill to explain a product in English.

This survey suggests that they expect to communicate in English. However, as I mentioned before, students at my college say that their English is not good enough to communicate effectively.

A: Here's another survey we conducted through facebook. Facebook is a social networking system worldwide. We asked people in Canada and Japan to see if plain English is understandable or acceptable in working in a company. We got 15 replies. Most of them answered that plain English is understandable. However, it is not acceptable in business relationships.

B: What do you mean? I still don't believe that English is such an important tool for communication. Why can't I live without it?

A: Well, we are all connected with other parts of the world and cannot live by ourselves any more. Many people who use English in daily communication are not born with the language, you know.

C: For example, many people from Asia are taking various medical services at hospitals and buying many products and goods in Japan. Many companies go abroad to sell products such as the bullet trains, Smartphone, computers, cars and nuclear power plants.

A: Japanese people need to communicate with people from other countries. Most of them are not native English speakers, but they use English to do business.

B: O.K! You're motivating me to improve my English.

C: Given these circumstances, we have to develop skills for a fair level of communication with people who use English as their second or third language. We need to understand each other well even though our vocabulary is limited.
So, I'd like to propose a new approach for a fair level of communication.
1. Explain succinctly giving the basic gist of what you have to say.
2. Give clear reasoning, using examples.
3. Respect each other.

B: That's great. This approach will help us to communicate with confidence and efficiency even though our English is not perfect. According to our research, 40.5 % of students feel that their vocabulary is poor. Even though their vocabulary is limited, can they reach mutual understanding by remembering these three points?

A: Of course. Why not? If you create a new product, you should succinctly explain how to use it or how to operate it. When you sell it, you should bring out your point and give clear reasoning why your new product is much better, giving examples.

B: Here's an example. Look at the first scene. A Japanese college student is explaining how to use a Japanese product to four college students. They are from Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia and Mongolia. They look puzzled and nervous, because his explanation is not clear.

C: The second scene. The Japanese college student changed his method of presentation. He is explaining clearly, giving an example and telling a reason. The four students look happy, because they understand what he is explaining.

B: The points are: Explain clearly and concisely. Give the gist and examples. Build up trust. Then our communication will improve and we can survive together in a globalized society.

C: On top of that, you are able to work with high-quality technology as an engineer.
“Succinct, Reasonable and Fair” is the key!

A: Speaking fluently is not necessary for good communication. To have good communication, mutual understanding is important. Although economic competition is becoming harsh, developing trust is indispensable in business.

C: Explain succinctly.

B: Give clear reasoning

A: Respect each other for fair communication

These three points are the keys to survival in a globalized society.