Japanese Affiliate Kickoff - July 25, 2013
The Japanese Affiliate had their Kickoff meeting on July 25, 2013 with Masa Hasegawa, Affiliate director for the Japanese Globish Institute. Also in attendance were associates Frank Otsubo, Tad Kaneko, Hiromi Imai, Kenny Takesue, Fumi Nakamura, and Aliya Abdurakhmanova, and Henry Konno. David Hon, one founding director of the Globish Foundation, offered a keynote talk in person. Jean-Paul Nerriere and Liddy Neville, also founding directors joined Kickoff on Skype to greet the audience. Guest of Honor was Fumiko Jomura, editor for IBC and Kadokawa publications, who is editing two Affiliate books and requesting more. The Japanese Affiliate has been active in working with Japanese companies exploring Globish and offering it to worker groups. In addition to the two books that the Japan Affiliate is completing for IBC publishers, IBC is also considering two other books, Globish Grammar in Action by Kriztina Dlugosz and Globish Letters for International Trade by Norimichi Arao and Hon, for publication in Japan, and other countries.
Prior to the Kickoff, Hon and Hasegawa, along with Frank Otsubo and Henry Konno, made 10 video tutorials about Globish subjects in Globish. Each is about 5 minutes and can provide Globish listening practice as well as information about Globish:
1.What is Globish?
2.Globish Rules
3.The Globish Foundation
4.Globish Affiliates
5.1500 Globish Words
6.Globish Pronunciation
7.Globish Grammar
8.Listening
9.Speaking
10.The Globish Communications Test
These tutorials are being edited and will be available for all Affiliates to use. Other interested groups should contact the Globish Foundation.
On the next evening, July 26th, Victor Ozawa and Aliya Abdurakhmanova of Lingua Franca, the first school to teach Globish in Japan, brought together many of its students for a Friday evening presentation. One of the highlights of the evening was a visit by Dan Harris, a Sony America executive who, with Hon, introduced the first Sony Videodisc player to the United States.
-- David Hon