Japanese Language
Career
Prospects Employment Opportunities
The Japanese language is used to communicate by 129 million
people in Japan as well as in communities in Hawaii, the west
coast of the U.S. and Brazil among others. Japan has long
been Australia's major trading partner and, in recent years,
Australia has increasingly become a destination for Japanese
tourists of all ages. Today, it is important for people in
a wide range of fields to have a knowledge of Japan's culture
and language.
Australia's physical proximity to Asia and our growing ties to the region politically and economically and, more recently culturally, make this an interesting and exciting time, especially for those with cross-cultural communication skills. Opportunities exist both in Australia and Asia in a variety of fields including teaching, administration, diplomacy, business and trade, journalism, marketing, management, defence, aid agencies, community and social work, immigration and ethnic affairs.
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Japanese
Seen as Third Most Essential Language for Global Communication |
How
Difficult is Japanese?
The
pronunciation of Japanese is relatively straightforward. However,
the difficulties in mastering Japanese lie in its socio-cultural
features such as the honorific speech system and the distinction
between male and female speech styles which reflect the hierarchical
structure of traditional Japanese society. In addition, the
three syllabaries that make up written Japanese, Kanji, Hiragana
and Katakana, can pose difficulties for the learner. Having
said that though, there are enough examples of Australians
who have mastered Japanese to show that it is not prohibitively
difficult, that you do not have to be a genius and that it
might even be fun!
What
are the Special Features of our Courses?
Our graduates possess a high level of cross-cultural communication
skills, including language skills. Speaking, listening, reading,
writing and non-verbal communication skills are addressed
in an integrated fashion using a variety of media from interactive
web-based activities and CD-Roms to more traditional audio-visual,
audio and print-based teaching materials. Many of the CD-Roms,
audio-visual and audio tapes are original materials developed
at UNE to conform to our teaching program. Our long-standing
expertise in distance education has led to this focus on high-tech
delivery methods which enrich the learning experience of both
our external and internal students.
Another feature of Japanese study at UNE is the opportunity our students have to study in Japan. UNE currently participates in vigorous exchange programs with three universities in Japan. Through these programs several UNE students of Japanese each year study at one of our sister universities in Japan for one academic year on full scholarships. Even students who do not attain a scholarship may still study at one of UNE's sister universities in Japan with tuition fees waived. Also, students do not need to be majoring in Japanese to be eligible. Please go toEXCHANGE for more information on UNE's Japanese exchange program.
At the University of New England, students may study the Japanese language as:
- A single subject for students from other faculties or universities
- A major in an undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor
of Languages, Bachelor of Asian Studies)
- Part of a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Asian
Studies
- Part of a Master of Arts or Master of Asian Studies
For more information, contact Helen Creagan
