On November 7, the Japanese Section of University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM)’s Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures held its annual Nippon Culture Day, welcoming over 300 students from UHM, two busloads of high school students (from Kapolei H.S. and Moanalua H.S.), and several visiting students from Kapi‘olani Community College. New to the mix of traditional Japanese crafts, games, and exhibitions was the Careers and Future Employment Table, presented by the Hawai‘i Language Roadmap Initiative. The table was staffed by UHM alumni who had majored in, and current students majoring in, Japanese, who have found employment in diverse occupations where their Japanese language skills are valued. Invited presenters included Dane Nakama, President, The Imaginate Group; Alan Graves, Recruit/RGF Japan; Alexandra Roth (Miss Kaua‘i 2013), Singer, Atlantis Adventures’ Navatek Cruise Line and Sheraton Makana Chapel; Yumiko Tateyama (Assistant Professor, EALL), freelance interpreter and translator; Tomoyuki Miyura, freelance interpreter; and Richard Akina, manga translator, YKS Services. More than 50 students took advantage of the opportunity to learn about current and future job opportunities where Japanese language skills can make a difference, and to get pointers from the experienced cohort of UHM students and alumni who have firsthand experience using their language skills on the job.
Hawai‘i Language Roadmap Initiative
Bringing Employers and Educators Together to Shape Hawaii’s Future Multilingual Workforce
