Tag - english

 
 

ENGLISH

If we let writers and translators be replaced by AI tools such as ChatGPT, we lose control over language and how it shapes us.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 30, 2023
When we abandon language to AI, we abandon our humanity
Not only does AI threaten writers' and translators' jobs, giving it control over how we shape and are shaped by language is detrimental to who we are.
As technology and politics increasingly force society to determine truth from fiction, Merriam-Webster's dictionary has selected the word "authentic" as word of the year.
WORLD / Society
Nov 28, 2023
Merriam-Webster crowns 'authentic' as word of the year
The winner beat "deepfake," "rizz" and "coronation" for honors as the word that most often sent people to the dictionary.
Yogendra Puranik, the first person from India to win elected office in Japan, at the Indian cultural center he manages in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward in October 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 6, 2023
Japan needs Indian migrants. How can it attract them?
India can help fill the domestic labor gap, but for migrants to succeed, Japan must embrace a genuinely intercultural approach.
Small-cap shares listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange are undervalued because many don’t have enough information in English, according to a top-performing Japanese small-cap fund.
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2023
Top Japan fund bets on English disclosure to lift small-cap shares
An improvement in transparency may help revive foreign demand that drove Japan’s stock market to multi-decade highs earlier this year.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 16, 2023
In her own words: A Hiroshima bomb survivor learns English to tell her story
While talks by hibakusha have become a regular feature of Hiroshima's memorial sites, Teruko Yahata stands out for her presentations in English.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 11, 2023
BOJ adjusts English translation under Gov. Kazuo Ueda, hinting at new policy era
The bank has adopted a new word in English to describe its stance of continuing with large-scale monetary easing, while the original Japanese word remains unchanged.
Japan Times
CARTOONS / ZERO GRAVITY
Apr 22, 2023
Roger Dahl on giving a hand
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2023
Junior high pupils take first online English speaking test in nationwide assessment
In the new online speaking test, some 54,000 third graders at roughly 500 junior high schools used their own personal computers to take the test.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 23, 2022
'Armed with English': Ukraine soldiers take language lessons
Lessons are practical — giving soldiers words like 'wounded,' 'semi-automatic' and 'cache' as well as phrases such as 'killed in action.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Nov 26, 2022
Leg booty? Panoramic? How TikTok is changing language
A new vocabulary — a little fun, a little dystopian — has emerged on the social video platform, as creators try to get around algorithms and strict content moderation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 15, 2022
The new geopolitics demands a new vocabulary
Terms such as 'the West' and 'the East' are lazy, awkward and inaccurate geopolitical signifiers in the Post-Cold War era.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 9, 2022
Can sex, gender and language live happily ever after?
Politicizing language adds to polarization and compromises elegance. There's a better approach, if we're capable of it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / SPELLING BEE
Mar 12, 2021
Winner of Japan Spelling Bee looks ahead to U.S. contest
Yugen Padhye won the 12th Japan Spelling Bee on March 6, after correctly spelling the winning word — 'dodecahedron.'
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 21, 2020
Japan plans hub for foreign brokers to file paperwork in English
The one-stop venue could start operating as soon as next spring, with English-language filing to begin before that in early 2021 via the Financial Services Agency.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 6, 2020
'This is a pen': Taking a preposterous COVID-19 hypothesis to another level on social media
Social media users clamor to produce parodies of pronunciation re-enactment.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 16, 2020
Bad English in Japan: A conspiracy theory
There is no rational reason why Japan's English-language education should be so woeful. Could something sinister be going on?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 12, 2020
Let's discuss the pandemic economy
Do you agree with the state of emergency extension? An article looks at the impact it could have on the economy in a COVID-19-themed English lesson.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 28, 2020
Let's discuss the state of emergency
Talk about Japan's state of emergency and what the government is doing to help in this Morning English lesson.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 14, 2020
Let's discuss memes
This Japan Times article looks at a recent meme spawned by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent mask policy, but what's a meme?
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 11, 2020
COVID-19 spurs debate over loanwords
During her March 25 news conference, which was held to address a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases in the capital, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike used visual aids and a script filled with foreign loanwords to convince residents that they should stay at home so as to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Koike’s...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji