October 2018


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The Embassy of Japan and the Centre for Language Learning jointly mounted the first Japanese Language Speech Contest to be held in T&T on Friday, August 24, 2018. The contest was held at the CLL Auditorium and had three objectives: to offer Japanese language students an opportunity to express their thoughts using the target language; to improve participants’ Japanese language proficiency by guiding them through the process of drafting and delivering a speech; and to promote and increase public recognition of Japanese language education in T&T.

Thirteen participants each prepared and delivered a speech in Japanese on the contest theme: “What Japan means to me” and responded in a short question-and-answer period with the contest judges Mr Yoshinori Yakabe, Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Japan and Ms Misato Noto.

The participants were: Akelia Wilson, Sabrina Morgan, Aidan Roberts, Adanna Simon, Michelle Rattansingh, Analecia Charles, Terrell Pinto, Sheron Legall-Dixon, Christian Jalim, Tevan Z. Mclean, Aneeqah Ghany, Emily Forde and Daniel Gordon.

ach speech was judged on linguistic competence, content and performance. A small but enthusiastic audience was on hand to hear the language enthusiasts talk about what inspires and sustains their love for Japan: its cuisine, art, history, culture, technological prowess and distinctive world view. Perhaps unsurprisingly, anime and manga featured heavily in the evening’s offerings. All participants were heartily congratulated for their contributions.

There was unanimous approval for the first prize winner, Christian Jalim, who with the kind sponsorship of Caribbean Gas Chemical Limited, is off to the Dominican Republic this October to compete in a regional speech contest for the chance to win a sponsored trip to Japan. More Vino sponsored the second place prize.

The community of Japanese language learners are among the most dedicated of CLL learners and it is planned that the speech contest will become a staple in CLL’s annual schedule of events. The CLL remains committed to language learning that holds cultural exposure and eventual competence high on its list of priorities.