Comments on: Multilingual Tokyo https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/ Multilingualism, Intercultural communication, Consumerism, Globalization, Gender & Identity, Migration & Social Justice, Language & Tourism Thu, 30 May 2019 03:26:37 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 By: steven https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/#comment-2202 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 23:26:33 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/?p=3131#comment-2202 It has taken many years, but the japanese government has finally recognised the benefits of international inbound tourism and are taking steps to reform/upgrade the industry. Apparantly one of the biggest challenges they face in boosting tourism is changing the attitude of many resident japanese who percieve foriegners as dangerous. I am not sure if it is true, but a japanese tourism agency survey a few years ago claimed that nearly 40% of locals dont even want foreign tourists in the country…. the agency itself said that this was a big problem for them in expanding the industry…

]]> By: Mike https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/#comment-2195 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:31:43 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/?p=3131#comment-2195 I remember once taking a domestic flight from Tokyo’s Haneda airport to the west of Japan. All of the announcements on the plane were in both Japanese and English – and yet as far as I could tell I was the only non-Japanese person there. I felt so privileged that JAL would go to all this effort just for me!

]]> By: Kimie Takahashi 高橋　君江 https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/#comment-2192 Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:24:08 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/?p=3131#comment-2192 Tokyo is probably much more space challenged than any city in Australia. This seems to have helped Japanese people to become creative and well organised in terms of using their limited space for signs (I’m planning to blog about multilingual electronic signs soon;-). However, the real issue here is not a matter of space per se, but the ideology of languages that inform the decision of government officials, business reps and tourism authorities in terms of the provision of language services for residents and tourists. When the majority of tourists in Japan come from non-English speaking countries, Japanese tourism organisations are well aware of the limitation of English, a reason behind Tokyo’s increasingly quadrilingual landscape.

]]> By: Ingrid Piller https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/#comment-2176 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 13:36:42 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/?p=3131#comment-2176 In reply to Mr Sands.

You cater to your target population, obviously. As Angela suggested in her comment, language-neutral signage is also worth considering.

]]> By: Mr Sands https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/#comment-2172 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 03:25:11 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/?p=3131#comment-2172 Yes but if English is the “international language”, what other languages should you pick for the signs of Sydney?
Languages from neighbouring countries? Largest amount of foreign travellers? There is only so much space available.

]]> By: Kimie Takahashi https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/#comment-2170 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 01:08:17 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/?p=3131#comment-2170 Thanks, Ingrid, for the update! It’s really amazing how much more multilingual Tokyo gets every time I go back there. I have plenty of photos to back your observation and will write more soon. Particularly interesting to me was multilingual signs on the ground and those in hidden spots 😉

]]> By: Angela Turzynski-Azimi https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/#comment-2162 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:42:00 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/?p=3131#comment-2162 The subway in Tokyo goes a step further than multi-lingual signage by using a combination of letters, numbers and colours to denote stations, enabling people from a wide range of language backgrounds
to identify stations on signs or maps and thereby navigate the transport system. M-08 with a red circle around it denotes station no. 8 on the Marunouchi Line (coloured red on maps), which is Shinjuku Station.

]]> By: steven https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/#comment-2161 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 07:43:16 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/?p=3131#comment-2161 the signage is very helpful. The local Japanese residents of Tokyo must certainly have the impression that they live in an international city…

]]> By: cba https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/#comment-2160 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 03:04:27 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/?p=3131#comment-2160 Yes, I really enjoyed the multilingual signage while in Tokyo. It made me feel so privileged as an English speaker, so fortunate that the Tokyo officials had been kind enough to explain themselves in ways that I could decipher…and so embarrassed that the world felt the need to bend to my pathetic English language monolingualism. But after only a week in Tokyo, I now find myself wanting to say arigato gozaimus after every Australian service encounter!

]]> By: Khan https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/#comment-2158 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 07:07:41 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/?p=3131#comment-2158 Dear Ingrid

Thanks for your post. I also had the same perception about Japan, out-and-out monolingual place but of your post tell a different story. Please allow me to share an interesting observation regarding Macdonald language practices in Pakistan.
When the chain opened its outlets in Pakistan, they hired locals who were relatively fluent speakers of English for food services counters. These boys and girls used to be of white complexion, dressed in Macdonald international dress code and would only speak in English. This language practice gave rise to a class of McDonald’s goer Pakistanis because they could easily place their orders in English. The company, it seems to me, realized the financial implications of English-only and soon reverted to multilingualism with English, Urdu, Punjabi etc. Now Macdonald thrives as it is swarmed with people who are comfortable in placing their orders in their local languages. I also realize the presence of brown skins working there.
As you have rightly pointed out in your post that for a country which aspires to become an international tourist resort, should have sensible official signage practices.

I look forward to listening to your keynote.

Best wishes

Khan

]]> By: Angela Turzynski-Azimi https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/#comment-2156 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 22:38:46 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/?p=3131#comment-2156 Looking at the following, I see that the population figures are swelled by including those of neighboring prefectures:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Tokyo_Area

To think that we spent all those years living in these neighboring prefectures and commuting into “Tokyo” without realising that we were actually included in these statistics. It would never have occurred to us to say that we lived in Tokyo.

By the way, the cartoon baby being used in an official capacity did not even register as being in the least bit odd!

]]> By: Ingrid Piller https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/#comment-2155 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 22:03:02 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/?p=3131#comment-2155 In reply to Angela Turzynski-Azimi.

Thanks, Angela! Tokyo is just such an amazing, weird and wonderful place! No matter how you do the counting … the 35 mio were quoted in a poster at the demographics exhibition I went to and where I took the picture with the stats for the foreign residents. Maybe I should have wondered about stats that are presented by a cartoon baby in diapers … anyway, I’m not a specialist but Wikipedia, too, says 35-39 million for the metropolitan area.

]]> By: Angela Turzynski-Azimi https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-tokyo/#comment-2153 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 09:52:44 +0000 http://www.languageonthemove.com/?p=3131#comment-2153 Hi Ingrid

Welcome back! I am just wondering about your population statistics for Tokyo. Do you mean the Kanto Region? I think the population of Tokyo is closer to 11 million.

Angela

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