The Reading / Listening - Japanese English - Level 1

Chinglish is Chinese English and Singlish is Singaporean English. Professors in Japan are worried about Japanese English. They say the government uses too many computer translations. These create strange expressions, which confuse English speakers. The professors worry this could harm Japan's tourism industry. They say the increasing amount of strange, translated words is becoming an "embarrassment" to Japan.

Computer software often gives bad translations of Chinese characters used in Japanese. One example of this is job centres being called "Hello Work". The professors say English speakers could check and correct the strange English. A Christmas message being used by a Japanese department store has also worried people. It says "Stay Positive." Many people think this is the wrong thing to say during coronavirus.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Japanese English - Level 0 Japanese English - Level 2   or  Japanese English - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/18/hello-work-or-job-centre-language-experts-japan-english
  • https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20201116/p2a/00m/0dm/006000c
  • https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/english-ad-in-japan-has-some-seeing-a-command-to-stay-infected-with-coronavirus-this-christmas


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Chinglish is
  2. worried about
  3. They say the government uses
  4. These create strange
  5. confuse English
  6. harm Japan's tourism
  7. the increasing amount of strange,
  8. an embarrassment
  1. industry
  2. expressions
  3. to Japan
  4. Japanese English
  5. translated words
  6. Chinese English
  7. speakers
  8. too much

Paragraph 2

  1. Computer
  2. bad translations
  3. job
  4. check and correct the
  5. being used by a Japanese
  6. Many people think
  7. the wrong thing
  8. during
  1. strange English
  2. to say
  3. department store
  4. coronavirus
  5. software
  6. of Chinese characters
  7. this
  8. centres

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Chinglish (1) ___________________ and Singlish is Singaporean English. Professors in Japan (2) ___________________ Japanese English. They say the government (3) ___________________ computer translation. These (4) ___________________, which confuse English speakers. The (5) ___________________ could harm Japan's tourism industry. They say the increasing amount of strange, (6) ___________________ becoming an "embarrassment" to Japan.

Computer software (7) ___________________ translations of Chinese (8) ___________________ Japanese. One example of this is (9) ___________________ called "Hello Work". The professors say English speakers could check and (10) ___________________ English. A Christmas message being used by a Japanese department (11) ___________________ worried people. It says "Stay Positive." Many people think this is (12) ___________________ to say during coronavirus.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ChinglishisChineseEnglishandSinglishisSingaporeanEnglish.Profess
orsinJapanareworriedaboutJapaneseEnglish.Theysaythegovernme
ntusestoomuchcomputertranslation.Thesecreatestrangeexpressio
ns,whichconfuseEnglishspeakers.Theprofessorsworrythiscouldhar
mJapan'stourismindustry.Theysaytheincreasingamountofstrange,t
ranslatedwordsisbecomingan"embarrassment"toJapan.Computers
oftwareoftengivesbadtranslationsofChinesecharactersusedinJapan
ese.Oneexampleofthisisjobcentresbeingcalled"HelloWork".Theprof
essorssayEnglishspeakerscouldcheckandcorrectthestrangeEnglish.AC
hristmasmessagebeingusedbyaJapanesedepartmentstorehasalsow
orriedpeople.Itsays"StayPositive."Manypeoplethinkthisisthewrongt
hingtosayduringcoronavirus.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You