Cardiff welcomes Japanese visitors for cultural exchange workshop

Practising with native speakers is a great way to improve your confidence when learning a new language. This month, students studying Japanese in Cardiff had the unique opportunity to practice their chosen language of study with a group of students visiting from Japan.

The Cardiff-Kyoritsu Cultural Exchange Workshop took place on 17 February and provided a platform for second year students from Cardiff and students from Kyoritsu Women’s University in Tokyo to present in Japanese about life and culture.

The students from Kyoritsu presented as a group on the subject of ‘Women in Japanese Society: Their Work and Marriage’ while the Cardiff students talked more broadly about cultures in Britain or the cultures in their country of origin.

The group of Japanese students were accompanied on their visit by their lecturer, Dr Hanno Terano who is an alumnus of Cardiff University where he studied his PhD. Since then Dr Terano has kept in contact with Masakazu Kudara, Senior Lecturer in Japanese and together they have set up annual cultural events at the university.

Student Zuzanna Bendiuł said after the event, “Meeting and presenting in front of the guests was a great opportunity. Not only did it help me gain more experience of speaking in front of an audience it  also gave me the chance to talk to and exchange information about our cultures with very interesting people.”