The Reading / Listening - Japanese English - Level 2

There are many types of English. Some well-known ones in Asia are Chinglish in China and Singlish in Singapore. Some professors in Japan are worried about how the government uses English. In particular, they say the government uses computer translations too much. Many translations create strange and confusing expressions. Many of these are even confusing to English speakers. The professors worry this could have a negative impact on Japan's tourism industry. They say the increasing amount of strange, translated words is becoming a "national embarrassment" in Japan.

The professors say computer software often gives bad translations of the Chinese characters used in Japanese writing. Examples of this are job centres called "Hello Work" and a plan to help tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic called "Go To Travel". The professors say the strange translations could easily be corrected if they were checked by an English speaker. A Christmas message being used by a Japanese department store has 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 1   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. There are many types of
  2. Some well-known
  3. professors in Japan are
  4. the government uses computer
  5. Many of these are even confusing
  6. The professors worry this could have
  7. Japan's tourism
  8. a national embarrassment
  1. to English speakers
  2. worried
  3. industry
  4. in Japan
  5. a negative impact
  6. English
  7. translations
  8. ones in Asia

Paragraph 2

  1. computer software often gives
  2. Chinese
  3. job
  4. a plan to
  5. strange translations could easily be
  6. checked by
  7. Many people think
  8. the wrong thing to say
  1. this
  2. help tourism
  3. during coronavirus
  4. an English speaker
  5. bad translations
  6. centres
  7. characters
  8. corrected

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

There are (1) ___________________ English. Some well-known ones in Asia are Chinglish in China and Singlish in Singapore. Some professors in Japan (2) ___________________ how the government uses English. In particular, they say the government uses computer (3) ___________________. Many translations create strange and confusing expressions. Many of these (4) ___________________ to English speakers. The professors worry this could have a negative impact on (5) ___________________. They say the increasing amount of strange, translated (6) ___________________ a "national embarrassment" in Japan.

The professors say computer (7) ___________________ bad translations of the Chinese characters used in Japanese writing. Examples of this (8) ___________________ called "Hello Work" and a plan to (9) ___________________ the COVID-19 pandemic called "Go To Travel". The professors say (10) ___________________ could easily be corrected if they were checked by an English speaker. A Christmas (11) ___________________ by a Japanese department store has worried people. It says "Stay Positive." Many people think this is the (12) ___________________ say during coronavirus.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TherearemanytypesofEnglish.Somewell-knownonesinAsiaareChin
glishinChinaandSinglishinSingapore.SomeprofessorsinJapanarewo
rriedabouthowthegovernmentusesEnglish.Inparticular,theysaythe
governmentusescomputertranslationstoomuch.Manytranslationscr
eatestrangeandconfusingexpressions.Manyoftheseareevenconfusi
ngtoEnglishspeakers.Theprofessorsworrythiscouldhaveanegativei
mpactonJapan'stourismindustry.Theysaytheincreasingamountofstr
ange,translatedwordsisbecominga"nationalembarrassment"inJapa
n.Theprofessorssaycomputersoftwareoftengivesbadtranslationsoft
heChinesecharactersusedinJapanesewriting.Examplesofthisarejob
centrescalled"HelloWork"andaplantohelptourismduringtheCOVID-
19pandemiccalled"GoToTravel".Theprofessorssaythestrangetransl
ationscouldeasilybecorrectediftheywerecheckedbyanEnglishspeake
r.AChristmasmessagebeingusedbyaJapanesedepartmentstorehas
worriedpeople.Itsays"StayPositive."Manypeoplethinkthisisthewron
gthingtosayduringcoronavirus.

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.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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