June 14, 2022

HANOI — As pandemic-related border restrictions are eased, an increase in the number of Southeast Asians is expected to enter Japan under a government program for so-called “technical trainees”. – actually foreign workers who can gain experience in Japanese companies for a period of time. certain period before returning to their country of origin.

However, concerns have been raised about some trainees’ Japanese fluency, with the coronavirus pandemic limiting the amount of in-person language instruction they receive in their home countries before traveling to Japan.

Accordingly, employers accepting interns are urged to arrange additional language lessons after arriving in Japan.

Usually, interns study Japanese for several months before traveling to Japan through organizations accredited by the governments of the respective countries.

In some countries, interns take Japanese lessons while living in dormitories. However, some dormitories closed when Japan banned the entry of non-resident foreigners in January last year, and in-person classes were canceled.

Some organizations sending interns to Japan held online classes, but issues such as poor internet connection and poor sound quality prevented some interns from practicing Japanese conversation.

An official from an organization in Indonesia said that students who were not motivated showed little progress.

Even though in-person classes have resumed in most countries, it’s unclear if interns will be able to learn the language skills needed to live and work in Japan before they arrive.

At a language school in Hanoi affiliated with one such organization, Nhat Thanh, some trainees even confused the Japanese words with “yes” and “no” shortly before their scheduled departure for Japan.

“After a long absence, I forgot a lot of what I learned,” said a 25-year-old intern.

Interns are supposed to continue receiving language lessons in Japan for a certain period of time, but whether or not they do beyond that depends on employers who accept them.

“I hope employers will make efforts such as speaking slowly to trainees to help them improve their language skills,” said Manabu Kaneya, director of the Nhat Thanh Japanese language school in Hanoi.