Community Interpreting Research Seminar Students Interact with Fuchu Residents on the Theme of “Home and Family Around the World”
July 10, 2023
As part of their internship program, students of the Community Interpreting Research Seminar in the Faculty of Language and Culture at TUFS collaborate with Fuchu City and the Fuchu International Exchange Salon to hold exchange events on a variety of themes each year. The exchange event is a joint project of the three organizations and is mainly aimed at Fuchu residents, including foreign residents of the city, and provide an opportunity to think about intercultural community-building.
This year, the exchange meeting was held on Friday, July 7. The topic was “Let's Go Play in the World’s Homes: A World Journey of Families and Homes.” The event opened with students from China, Indonesia, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Argentina, and other countries introducing their respective countries and presenting information on regional family and housing in “easy” Japanese. Since the exchange meeting was held online (ZOOM), the participants were later divided into groups for breakout sessions in which they exchanged their opinions and impressions of the presentations. Many participants from inside and outside of the university participated in the event’s lively discussions.
In the fall semester, the theme will be “Resident Registration” and the students plan to work on the creation of a Useful Living Guide for Foreign Residents.
Below are some comments from the participating students.
Ms. Misa EBATA (3rd year, School of Language and Culture Studies)
The theme of the project was “housing and family,” which is deeply rooted in daily life, so we were able to learn about the thinking and culture of the people living in various regions covered by the presentations which was very interesting. All the students had worked hard on their research and had a lot to talk about, so I was worried about whether we would be able to fit it all in within the time allotted. I am relieved that we were able to successfully finish the event within the scheduled time. The “Let's talk together” portion of the event was a very valuable opportunity for me to talk not only with people on campus but also with people outside the university.
Mr. So MISAWA (3rd year, School of Language and Culture Studies)
Through this project, I had a very valuable opportunity to think deeply about what “easy” Japanese means to foreigners learning Japanese, including visits to international exchange salons and presentations. By putting myself in the shoes of Japanese language learners, I was also able to better approach the issues they face. I would like to make use of these experiences in future seminars and in my classes in the fall semester. Finally, I would like to thank Ms. Matsumoto and Ms. Inoue of the Multicultural Society Section, Diversity Promotion Division, Fuchu Shimin Kyoryoku Promotion Department, and the Fuchu International Salon for their cooperation in organizing the exchange event.
