Perspectives on the role of English

7
Implications for ELT professionals in Japan

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What implications do the issues raised in this paper have for ELT professionals in
the Japanese context ?
Despite borrowing many words from English (McArthur, 1987, cited by Kaplan,
1987: 139), and even some grammars (Kachru, 1994: 143), there seems no realistic
chance of English making serious inroads into the Japanese language. The biggest issue
here therefore seems to be that of cultural, rather than linguistic imperialism, i.e.
imposing the Centre’s values upon Japanese citizens. To safeguard against such charges,
ELT professionals in Japan may need to review both the materials they use and the ways
in which they are deployed. Materials which rely heavily upon Centre-based contexts,
characters and cultural values and assumptions minimise their relevance to students and
are likely to be poorly received (Adaskou et al, 1990: 7-8; Prodromou, 1992: 47-48).
Activities which require students to perform in ways contrary to their cultural norms also
seem inappropriate. For example, Japanese are generally very uncomfortable with any
activity requiring them to draw attention to themselves, as it goes very much against their
cultural values to do so. Uemichi’s admonition reinforces this point:
.....foreign teachers of English.......should pay more heed to the realities of Japanese
society and the opinions of Japanese teachers and students.
(Uemichi, 1984: 5-6).
That is not to say that teaching the Centre’s culture is taboo. Cultural knowledge
is generally accepted as an important part of increasing overall communicative
competence, but if foreign ELT professionals here are to maintain credibility among their
colleagues and students, it needs to be done in a way which is sensitive to, and respectful
of Japanese culture, just as Adaskou et al (1990) and Hyde (1994) demonstrated in the
case of Morocco.
Finally, in common with other Periphery nations such as Malaysia (Kennedy,
2001: 95), what occurs in the classroom often bears little resemblance to the official
language plan. There is in Japan the unstated, but socially accepted supposition that the
sole purpose of formal English education is to prepare students for higher education
entrance exams. That these (language knowledge) tests serve only to nullify the
(language use) plans outlined by central and local government is a major source of
conflict between Japanese and foreign ELT teachers here. How one resolves this conflict
is a matter of personal preference, but a successful outcome is likely to require the
cultural sensitivity outlined above.

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