Bilingualism/multilingualism in Japan. please help me

[Zauriel]

I'm told Japanese people are somewhat bilingual. I wonder how many Japanese people are bilingual or multilingual. So please tell me any information you know.

What foreign languages are taught in pre-college schools and cram schools?

What foreign languages are taught in colleges and universities?

What percentage of Japanese population speaks English fluently?

What percentage of Japanese population speaks French fluently?

What percentage of Japanese population speaks German fluently?

What percentage of Japanese population speaks Italian fluently?

What percentage of Japanese population speaks Spanish fluently?

What percentage of Japanese population speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently?

What percentage of Japanese population speaks Latin fluently?

What percentage of Japanese population speaks two languages fluently?

What percentage of Japanese population speaks three languages fluently?

[Maciamo]

What foreign languages are taught in pre-college schools and cram schools?

Only English. Maybe some classical Chinese, but only written.

What percentage of Japanese population speaks English fluently?

It depends what you call fluently. Do you mean just be able to hold a basic conversation, or talk about any subjects, or speak almost like a native speaker ?

If that is the last one, then I'd say less than 1% for English, and even less for other languages.

I don't think the Japanese government has made a survey regarding the exact percentage for each language, like the EU has done here (http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/lang/languages/index_en.html)

What percentage of Japanese population speaks Latin fluently?

This one is easy. 0%

[Nosferatu1022]

Might want to add in that, even though Japanese children are schooled for about 12 years in English, they were primarily schooled in Writing and Reading and most likely cannot speak English in a conversation.

Also, some Japanese do not speak english with Gaijin because they do not wish to make a mistake and look foolish. I should emphasize some, so as not to generalize.

[blade_bltz]

Only English. Maybe some classical Chinese, but only written.

At the high school I attended during my homestay, students had the option of taking French, Korean, Chinese, and Russian along with English.

[mr.sumo.snr]

Might want to add in that, even though Japanese children are schooled for about 12 years in English, they were primarily schooled in Writing and Reading and most likely cannot speak English in a conversation.

Yeah - can't really agree with this statement. Compulsory English language study is just for three years (junior high school). If, and 95% do, the students then move on to high school then they WILL have to study English for another three years.

So on average the typical Japanese graduating high school student has studied English for six years.

Certain elementary schools do have English classes, but the emphasis placed on them is almost totally at the discretion of the head-teacher. Visiting AETs from the JET program will more often than not find themselves team-teaching with the same elementary school teacher each year - this is the teacher who answers in the affirmative when the deputy head asks during meetings who would like to 'deal' with the visiting 'gaijin'.

There is no requirement of the national curriculum, prior to junior high school, for students to study any language other than Japanese.

Many university courses, other than language courses, include a compulsory or optional English 'minor'. For example teachers will study English as will nurses and doctors (indeed they often study German too).

Also, some Japanese do not speak English with Gaijin because they do not wish to make a mistake and look foolish. I should emphasize some, so as not to generalize.

Yeah - I wholly support this opinion.

[Zauriel]

Thanks so much, Maciamo, Nosferatu1022, blade_bltz and mr.sumo.snr



This one is easy. 0%[latin]


But Japan has to use Latin, German and or French as part of the school curriculum if they are teaching Western medicine and chemistry.

My Austrian friend who's studying medicine told me she has to study Latin because it is requirement for her medical course in Austria. She's studying to be a doctor.

When I was studying in college in U.S., I learned that Chemistry majors are required to take French or German language classes.

[PopCulturePooka]

At the high school I attended during my homestay, students had the option of taking French, Korean, Chinese, and Russian along with English.
Yeah.
Two girls who attended my NOVA were doing French in high school, even did a homestay in Paris.

[Ewok85]

But Japan has to use Latin, German and or French as part of the school curriculum if they are teaching Western medicine and chemistry.

They dont here....

When I was studying in college in U.S., I learned that Chemistry majors are required to take French or German language classes.

ditto again. Never heard of that happening :S

[Maciamo]

Might want to add in that, even though Japanese children are schooled for about 12 years in English, they were primarily schooled in Writing and Reading and most likely cannot speak English in a conversation.

Yes, it's a bit the same way as Westerners learn dead languages like Latin or Ancient Greek.

[Maciamo]

At the high school I attended during my homestay, students had the option of taking French, Korean, Chinese, and Russian along with English.

Then it must have been a private school, because I have asked like 30 people about it, including people working at the Ministry of Education, and there are no other languages than English in the Japanese curriculum.

[Maciamo]

Many university courses, other than language courses, include a compulsory or optional English 'minor'. For example teachers will study English as will nurses and doctors (indeed they often study German too).


I wouldn't rely on these minors too much. I have met over 30 people who told me they had studied French or German at university but couldn't even make a sentence like "yesterday I went to the supermarket". That's a sharp contrast to my business school, where all students had 3 compulsory foreign languages on the side, and were expected to speak fluently each of them to graduate.

[Mike Cash]

Yeah - can't really agree with this statement. Compulsory English language study is just for three years (junior high school). If, and 95% do, the students then move on to high school then they WILL have to study English for another three years.

So on average the typical Japanese graduating high school student has studied English for six years.



But since Japanese schools don't really fail students or hold them back for lack of academic achievement, the number of years students warm a chair in a classroom really tells us nothing about their level of study or achievement.

[blade_bltz]

Then it must have been a private school, because I have asked like 30 people about it, including people working at the Ministry of Education, and there are no other languages than English in the Japanese curriculum.

It was actually a public school in Sapporo, but since those classes are definitely electives, it makes sense they wouldnt be on the curriculum. I should have made clear that the option to take these languages is only available to, or at least is only taken advantage of by, students on the 国際文化科 "course," which is the strongest course of study of the five offered at the school. (I don't know the Japanese word for this "major" or "concentration" type deal you see in colleges/universities) The school is (relatively? fairly? extremely?) unique in that it places so much emphasis on multiculturalism, and I suppose that shows in the schools name: Sapporo Intercultural and Technological High School.

[Zauriel]

They dont here....



ditto again. Never heard of that happening :S

Well, Basic French or German is a requirement for Chemistry majors at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C.

[Maciamo]

Well, Basic French or German is a requirement for Chemistry majors at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C.

That depends a lot on the university itself. How many universities do you know that require all students of economics & management to take 3 foreign languages and reach a fluent level in each of them ? Mine was like that (not in the States) although few other have such requirements.