On October 7th, the "Japanese Speech Contest for International Students" was held with the aim of improving the Japanese language skills of international students and promoting interaction between international students studying at the Konodai Consortium Ichikawa Participating Schools and Japanese Language Schools.
Five students from our university, one from Takushoku University, one from Ichikawa Japanese Language Institute, and one from Edogawa International Academy participated and gave speeches of about six minutes on various topics. The students were from different countries, including China, Korea, Mongolia, India, Sudan, Nepal, and Afghanistan, and spoke about the attractions of Japan that they wanted to introduce to their home countries, the differences in thinking between Japan and their home countries, and what they felt and learned from their experiences.
Scene from the event (video)
Award Results
Chiba University of Commerce Award (Grand Prize)
- "Failed"
Chiba University of Commerce Tanzaire Assidig Assam Ahmed (from Sudan)
Excellence Award
- "Learning a foreign language"
Ichikawa Japanese Language Institute Bawakar Madura Vijay (from India) - "Don't compare yourself to others, just do your best!"
Chiba University of Commerce Altansuguts Munkhtogor (from Mongolia)
Encouragement Award
- "MY DREAM"
Chiba University of Commerce Hussaini Farida (from Afghanistan)
Overall
I am very happy that we were able to hold the second conference with the cooperation of many people involved. I was impressed by the high level of Japanese language ability and the richness of the content, which was even higher than last time. I was moved by how everyone practiced and put their own experiences and thoughts into words and made presentations despite their busy schedules with studies and part-time jobs. I think they once again demonstrated the power of verbal communication. Thank you very much to all the participants for your wonderful presentations.
Yuriko Takahashi, Chairperson of the Judging Committee
It was very difficult to present my thoughts in Japanese, which is not my native language. I was so nervous when I presented that my legs were shaking, and I was worried about whether I had been able to convey my thoughts properly, but I am very happy to have received the top prize. Since I was entering the competition, I spent a lot of time writing my manuscript so that I could receive an award. By putting my experiences and thoughts into words again, I was able to look back on my life and realize that what I have been doing was not wrong. I will continue to take on various challenges in order to achieve my dreams.
Tanzer Assidig Attum Ahmed
Participating in Chiba University of Commerce of Commerce speech contest was a very valuable experience for me. It was my first time participating in a contest like this, and it's not something I'll be able to do often again. The preparation and practice were hard, but it was a fulfilling experience. I also learned a lot from listening to the thoughts of students from various countries through the speeches of other international students. It was an experience I'll never forget, and it gave me confidence in myself. I think the comments from the judges will be useful in my life going forward.
Bawakar Madura Vijay
When I told my part-time coworkers that I was going to participate in the speech contest, they told me, "You'd make more money working part-time instead of participating in a contest like that." Because I couldn't continue studying abroad without a part-time job, there was a time when I was jealous of people who were in a more fortunate environment and had better things than me and lived a better life than me. When I was writing my manuscript for the speech contest, the advice of my teachers and staff helped me sort out the feelings I had that I had been comparing myself to others, and I felt lighter. I didn't earn any money by participating in the speech contest, but it gave me the opportunity to think again about what I should do in the future, and it was a great experience.
Altanzguts Munftgo