Leutze Hall Rm 134

The ability to speak multiple languages is a large boost to resumes, especially when applying to positions in international or multinational companies. There are over 250 Japanese-owned companies with offices in North Carolina, and while many of them hire monolingual English speakers, the ability to speak Japanese gives you an advantage over other, otherwise equally qualified candidates. When there are 20 accountants or chemists or software engineers applying for a position, each with similar degrees, the ability to communicate in Japanese is not only of value for company relationships, but it also shows that you are able and willing to put in the time and effort to acquire a difficult skill, train your brain, and overcome challenges. Very few people would say that learning Japanese as an English-speaker is an easy task, and if you can prove that you have done that task, it makes your degree in accounting, chemistry, software engineering, and so on even more valuable because it shows that you are not the type of person who got their degree by relying on AI. 

Still, putting that you minored in Japanese on your resume does not translate directly into a specific proficiency level, and many Japanese companies are particularly conservative and prefer external, "objective" measures of language ability. What tests and certifications exist? How can you access them? What level is approachable, and what kind of studying or preparation should you do beyond coursework to get there? 
Prof. Ryan Lidster from the UNCW Japanese program will provide an overview of the language testing landscape with take-home guides. We'll then have an informal Q&A where you can have your questions about Japanese testing answered. The event is open to the public, including those that have no yet started their Japanese-learning journey.
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Monday, September 29th at 5:00pm-5:45pm
Held in-person in Leutze Hall 134 or online via Zoom at https://uncw.zoom.us/j/86860600515?pwd=HLnSZRZ7s8JveSEQmrIhTeEpIYHInQ.1 

Hosted by: Department of World Languages & Cultures

Additional Information can be found at: https://uncw.campuslabs.com/engage/event/11579634

ThoughtfulLearning, Academic & Professional, Healthy Hawks- Occupational, HRL: Career-Readiness