第２８１回 Workshop報告（６月２１日）

≪FIRST HALF≫

<Agenda>

How and why do you study English?

My history of English study starts from junior high school. I grew up in a relatively rural area and I almost had no chance to talk with foreigners. So, I had regarded English just as a subject of study. But once, I got a chance to talk with the assistant language teacher (ALT) in English and I was very excited that I could communicate in English for real communication. This experience made me realize that English is a tool of communication and motivated me to study English harder than before.

In high school, I found a personally efficient way to study English, and my vocabulary greatly increased. I didn’t spend much time studying English grammar, but I focused on reading English sentences aloud. This greatly helped me using English without translating it into Japanese.

In university, I got a chance to study abroad for a while and this strengthened my English listening ability. I didn’t have much difficulty in understanding formal English such as lectures and TV news. But it was very difficult to catch up with the casual conversation of native speakers because their speaking speed was very fast and they used slang a lot. But gradually I got used to the fast speed of native speaker’s English. Immersing myself into an English language environment was a great experience to improve my English skill.

Now I’m working as an engineer and English is an essential skill to understand technical papers and communicate with foreign coworkers and customers. I can’t spend much time studying English like a student, but I keep studying English by listening to radio English programs while I’m commuting to work.

I will keep studying English for my interest and career development. I like traveling abroad and communicating with people having different backgrounds in English. English is a doorway to the world and expands my horizon. Also, English is becoming an essential skill for business people and high English ability enhances the value of ourselves in the labor market. That is why I keep studying English.

 <Questions>

1. Please share your history of English study and explain your impressive memory related to English.

2. What was the most effective way to acquire your English skills?

3. What is your motivation to study English? Why do we need to study English?

Neither a presenter nor a chair is needed.

≪LATTER HALF≫

Beyond the pursuit of quality

What kind of image do you have of products made by Japanese companies? You would probably think of qualities such as “high quality,” “durability,” “long-lasting,” “safety,” and “reliability.” And you may already know that these images are held not only by Japanese people but also by people around the world.

However, in recent years, terms like “excessive quality” and “over-performance” have also become more common. These terms refer to situations where the relentless pursuit of quality and performance leads to increased costs—economic, temporal, and psychological—placing a burden on both manufacturers and consumers. It is also said that the fear of producing defects makes it difficult to adopt new technologies.

Electric vehicles (EVs), which have been growing in popularity in recent years, are often cited as an example of this trend. Japanese automakers now face strong competition from Chinese manufacturers, who move more quickly and adopt emerging technologies more aggressively—even if it means accepting minor defects. Of course, it should also be noted that the quality of Chinese products has improved significantly in recent years.

This contrast raises a broader question: How much quality is “enough”? With this in mind, let’s explore the value of quality through the following questions.

<Questions>

Q1. Have you ever felt that the quality of a product or service was “more than enough” or even “excessive”? Was it a Japanese product, or was it made overseas?

Q2. Have you or people around you ever spent more time, money, or energy than necessary because of placing too much emphasis on quality?

Q3. How should companies approach quality in order to improve customer satisfaction and be chosen by consumers? Should they always strive for the highest possible quality? Conversely, should consumers always expect companies to provide the highest quality?

Q4. In the case of electric vehicles, do you agree with the idea that Japanese manufacturers should compromise on quality in order to speed up development and better compete with Chinese manufacturers?

Please be prepared to share your answer to Question 3.

If you have some spare time, please discuss Question 4 as well.

<Reference >

「完璧主義」が招く日本の過剰品質 | 日経クロステック（xTECH）

「安かろう悪かろう」だった中国製　いつの間に日本は席巻されたのか：朝日新聞

中国車サプライヤー“爆速”開発で海外へ、専門家が指摘の不安材料 | 日経クロステック（xTECH）

EV競争を牽引する中国企業の強さは業界の常識を覆す「開発工程」にあった | クーリエ・ジャポン

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私たちと一緒に英語コミュニケーション能力を鍛えませんか？

ご興味を持たれた方は、

入会申込フォーム

ご入会申込みフォーム

よりお申し込みください。お待ちしています。

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