Uniting two nations

THE Faculty of Languages and Linguistics in Universiti Malaya (UM) will be receiving an award from the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in recognition of its efforts and contributions to promoting the Japanese language and culture locally.

The university’s Bachelor of Japanese Language and Linguistics is a Japanese language course offered in Malaysia where students specialise in the language from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Cool weather: Muhammad Imran among the autumn leaves in Yamanashi.

UM also offers student exchange programmes with varsities in Japan as well as the opportunity to conduct industrial training (internships) in Japanese companies, both in Malaysia and in Japan, to provide exposure to students as well as strengthen relations between the two countries, the varsity said in a statement last week.

Faculty dean Assoc Prof Dr Surinderpal Kaur Chanan Singh said the programmes resulted from the hard work of former UM deputy vice-chancellor (Academic) Prof Datuk Dr Osman Bakar and former Faculty of Languages and Linguistics dean Prof Emeritus Dr Asmah Omar.

“Their objective was to provide exposure (to students) so that the experience gained can enrich their lives, global partners as well as the entire community, ” she added.

This is the second time UM is receiving this recognition from Japan.

In 2017, UM was recognised by the Japanese government for its efforts to provide study preparation programmes to Japan.

Benefiting from this long-time cooperation is Muhammad Imran Shaharuddin, 24.

The Bachelor of Japanese Language and Linguistics student went on exchange programmes to the Land of the Rising Sun three times.

In 2017, he participated in the five-day Chiba Prefecture Monitor Class Tour and was also awarded the JAL Scholarship to Tokyo and Ishikawa for a three-week exchange programme

He went on another exchange programme to Hosei University, Tokyo, from September 2017 to July 2018.

“Besides studying the Japanese language there, I also got to immerse myself in local folklore and ghost stories, current issues and societal problems.

“I also joined a fieldwork class where I did a study on Japanese dialects, ” he told StarEdu.

During his time there, Muhammad Imran said he embraced Japan’s strong work ethics by working part-time collecting garbage in Shibuya during spring break.

Describing the experience as his favourite, second only to travelling around the islands, he said working allowed him to earn money during spring break.

Hard but fun work: Lee harvesting cabbages at a Yoshinoya farm in Fukushima.

“I also got to learn more about the life of elderly men in Japan because the majority of workers there are senior citizens.

“I really enjoyed talking to them and learned new things every day, ” he shared.

Muhammad Imran has been practising the new work ethos he developed there since his return to Malaysia.

“I have been applying the invaluable lessons I learnt during my current internship at a multinational logistics company.”

Like Muhammad Imran, Lee Hui Wern, 25, has had many opportunities come her way thanks to the close collaboration UM has with its Japanese counterparts.

Lee already has plans to further her postgraduate studies in Japan after completing her Bachelor of Japanese Language and Linguistics in UM.

She has the strong partnership between the university and Japan to thank as she has had many opportunities to visit the country, particularly because of her course.

The Penangite has been on a one-year exchange programme under the MEXT Scholarship for Japanese Studies to Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, and interned at Yoshinoya Holdings and Nikkei Asia Recruiting Forum in Tokyo.

She said the recruitment drive was an eye-opener with three Japanese companies interested in her resume.

But, she added, it was difficult to ace the interviews.

“I learned from my mistakes and I realised that I need to be very confident in my future plans to get accepted.

“There are a lot of opportunities like this and I plan to apply again after I completed my postgraduate studies, ” she said.

On Dec 2, the Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that UM would be receiving the award.

The presentation ceremony, however, would only be held at a later date.

Expressing his delight, UM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Hamdi Abd Shukor said: “This recognition is a testament to the strong support from the Japanese government for UM’s continued commitment (to promote the Japanese language and culture).”