Effective Methods for Teaching Technical English to Japanese Engineering Students: Case Study at School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Abstract

This paper describes our four-year experience in teaching technical writing in English to engineering graduate students at School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo. This graduate course lecture is a new attempt to teach and train graduate students how to write scientific and engineering papers in English so that their papers will be easily understood by native speakers of English. To get rid of the students' bad habits of directly translating Japanese original texts into English word-for-word, we pointed out that these translations will give an incomprehensible, funny, or incorrect impression on native speakers of English and introduced correction measures. For that purpose, differences in the writing styles and in the sentence structures of Japanese and English were discussed in detail. conclusions come first in English, but conclusions come last in Japanese, the three-step style of introduction, body, and conclusion in English versus the four-step style of ki-sho-ten-ketsu in Japanese. In addition, diferences in ways of thinking (mind-set) in Japanese and English were discussed and it was stressed that English way of thinking should be used when writing in English. The remaining lectures are devoted to the proper style of technical papers and related grammatical points that Japanese engineering students shouldfollow.Keywords. Direct translation from Japanese to English, English three-step style of introduction, body, and conclusion, Japanese four-step style of ki-sho-ten-ketsu, Leggett's trees.

English for Specific Purposes: Teaching English for Science and Technology

“…However, it is considered the most powerful and efficient resource in achieving goals in terms of learner needs (Ono & Morimura, 2007). The goals and objectives of main course syllabus are supposed to be reflected in the manual for professional language training.…”

“…When developing a manual it is also necessary to keep in mind that most of the learners do not like English classes: some have already become recognized and certified specialists who are usually not able to find a lot of extra time for visiting regular lessons and may leave the training course if the progress cannot be achieved immediately; others had a bad experience with learning a foreign language earlier or have not learned it at all. That is why at the initial phase of the ESP course teachers should value 'successful communication' more than 'grammatically accurate communication' (Ono & Morimura, 2007) and remember that academic journal articles are too difficult for learners, especially in terms of content, which ought to be simplified and customized. To motivate learners to master ESP the selected texts should be divided into three groups: general information about the subject, theoretical background, and applications.…”

“…Due to this fact we started our search for advanced language learning practices focusing on the development ESP manuals, enabling learners to improve and master their language skills within a relatively short-term training course. According to Ono and Morimura (2007) within an ESP course it is important learners acquire: -An English proficiency which will allow them to communicate with English-speaking specialists all over the world -A cosmopolitan, global outlook -Experiences which will enable them to communicate with other nations on equal terms outside their own country -Creative skills and self-motivation for exploring solutions to problems related to their professional domains -An appreciation of diverse cultures in the world. On this background it was decided to develop several ESP courses based on the fundamental principle that we can identify a set of core language needs of target learners, adopt teaching materials and practices that will facilitate learners to meet their needs.…”

English for Specific Purposes: Teaching English for Science and Technology

“…With the constant and rapid evolution in science and technologies no manual for professional language training is perfect. However, it is considered the most powerful and efficient resource in achieving goals in terms of learner needs (Ono & Morimura, 2007). The goals and objectives of main course syllabus are supposed to be reflected in the manual for professional language training.…”

ESP Based Genre Analysis of Lexico-Syntactic Structures of Medicine and Surgery Texts

“…Within an ESP course, it is pivotal that learners acquire the English skills which will enable them to communicate with English speaking specialists all over the world (Ono and Morimura, 2001). However, some learners in science and technology disciplines often believe that they do not need English language courses to improve on their academic work and profession.…”