What are the uses of learning the Japanese language in India?

Japanese is an East Asian language spoken by about 128 million people, primarily in Japan, where it is the national language. It is a member of the Japonic (or Japanese-Ryukyuan) language family, and its relation to other languages, such as Korean, is debated. Japonic languages have been grouped with other language families such as Ainu, Austroasiatic, and the now-discredited Altaic, but none of these proposals has gained widespread acceptance. Japanese is an agglutinative, mora-timed language with simple phonotactics, a pure vowel system, a phonemic vowel and consonant length, and a lexically significant pitch accent. Word order is normally subject–object–verb with particles marking the grammatical function of words, and sentence structure is a topic–comment. Sentence-final particles are used to add emotional or emphatic impact, or make questions. Along with kanji, the Japanese writing system primarily uses two syllabic (or moraic) scripts, hiragana (ひらがな or 平仮名) and katakana (カタカナ or 片仮名). Latin script is used in a limited fashion, such as for imported acronyms, and the numeral system uses mostly Arabic numerals alongside traditional Chinese numerals.

In recent years, the economic relationship between Japan and India has steadily expanded and deepened. The 14th India-Japan Annual Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe under the framework of “Special Strategic and Global Partnership,” further intensified cooperation on an entire gamut of strategic issues that are of mutual concern. The summit was aimed at creating major breakthroughs in enhancing bilateral defence production, intelligence sharing and strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific maritime corridor that interfaces security and trade concerns of both New Delhi and Tokyo.

During the 13th summit the two leaders also recognized urgency to accelerate maritime security cooperation, high frequency of bilateral naval exercises and deepening level of the Malabar exercises coupled with expanding maritime domain awareness (MDA) in the Indo-Pacific region besides several other critical key points such as boosting the ongoing strategic approach encompassing enhanced defence, security, technological and economic cooperation with concrete action framework for peaceful Indo-Pacific maritime corridor, enhance initiatives on New Delhi-Tokyo joint military and naval exercises on a regular basis in the Indo-Pacific and greater Indian Ocean region as prioritized by the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting, enhanced synergy would be embodiment for collaborative projects between India and Japan in the Indo-Pacific region, boost economic ties with massive investment of Japan in India’s manufacturing sector along with technology sharing consistent with “Make in India” initiative, promote the “India-Japan Act East Forum” or strategic “Act East Policy” wherein Japan is a key partner in expanding New Delhi-Tokyo ties towards shared economic growth and prosperity in greater Indian Ocean region with special focus on maintaining peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific.

There are multiple reasons to learn Japanese such as: 

A Japanese language learner can easily secure a job in Japanese Companies in India coupled with the other requisite qualifications.

Other than several Indian companies, multiple MNCs from US, and Europe, hundreds of Japanese companies and groups located in India are operating in almost every sector. Japan is the leader in many sectors like automobiles, animation, consumer electronics, computers, optical media, semiconductor manufacturing, infrastructure, shipbuilding, and many more, with ‘Made in Japan’ being synonymous with high quality and technologically advanced products. Japan is also one of the leading nations in patent filings. Statistical intellectual property data from around the world indicates that Japan’s total patent application in 2018 alone was over 300,000! 

Prominent Japanese brands such as Uniqlo, Sony, Honda, Panasonic, Hitachi, Toshiba, Sanyo, Casio, Canon, Minolta, Pioneer, Nikon, Fujitsu, Suzuki, Toyota, Mitsubishi, and hundreds of more continue to infiltrate the markets world over in a wide range of sectors. So it’s but natural that they prefer fluent candidates to head their Indian offices and communicate with Japanese counterparts frequently. In most cases, companies who look for specific field specialists with the ability to communicate in Japanese usually given a language premium on top of the basic salary to the successful candidate. And, if the company plans to expand, your knowledge of the Japanese language will put you ahead of others considering any post in the company, with high earning potential such as.  

Interpreter

Interpretation is a job that requires you to be proficient in two spoken languages at a minimum and with appropriate knowledge and certification, one can apply for a job at the foreign embassy office, or work as a freelancer. It is interesting to note that simultaneous interpretation is the most lucrative of the lot. While the demand for Japanese interpreters is high, the supply and thus, the competition is relatively low due to the lack of Japanese proficient people available. 

Translator

Language translation is another one of the lucrative jobs on the internet, that requires proficiency in two written languages. Several private translation agencies employ people having good knowledge of written Japanese. A person can work free-lance after gaining a few years experiences. One can opt for translation from a language into Japanese or vice-versa. It is a well-paying career option if you are good at your work and possess enough experience to deliver results. While Japanese learners can seek proofreading, editorial, content writing, research, media & advertising kind of jobs in different domains, interpretation and translation remain the most sought-after career choices in India and abroad.

Teacher and Trainer

Skilled Japanese language teachers are high in demand. Japanese speakers can seek jibs as a corporate trainer, freelance instructor, trainer in language institutes, teacher in a private school or an ESL teacher in Korea or abroad! Even though you might not find the pay very attractive, it is an excellent place to start your career as an instructor. And from there, you can move to higher opportunities after harnessing your language skills.

Travel and Tourism

With thousands of Japanese visiting India now and then, the requirement for Japanese speakers remains at a record high. Japanese tourists hire bilingual guides who are proficient in Japanese to have a secure, and enjoyable experience. Thus, one could choose to be a tour guide at historical museums, monuments, art galleries, be a tour operator or start their own travel agency.

Hospitality industry

Apart from this, multiple options are available in the hospitality sector.

The Hospitality industry is known to be an evergreen industry world over, which looks for multilingual people to work for them in a variety of roles from the receptionist to manager, depending on their qualifications and prior work experience. Japanese language learners can secure a well-paying job at Casinos, resorts or at star hotels!

Aviation

Japanese may add a feather to your cap, should you fly on a flight to or out of Korea as a flight attendant or a pilot.

Call Center, IT, BPO and KPO

Japanese language speakers can utilize their Japanese Language skills to act as a call center to handle call center business for overseas clients. Jobs could involve speaking skills, email writing, customer support, or data processing.

Import Export 

Japanese language speakers can also add value by increasing the potential of export & import business when employed with companies trading with Japanese companies. Thanks to the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have enjoyed cordial relations since 28th April 1952. As a result petroleum product, chemical elements, fish and fish preparation, non-metallic mineral ware, metalliferous ores and scrap, clothing and accessories, iron and steel products, textile yarn/fabrics, machinery, feeding-stuff for animals and more. Knowledge of Japanese could land you a plum job in a plethora of Indian export companies.

The volume of trade between the two countries has increased. India was the 21st largest trading partner for Japan, and Japan was the 12th largest trading partner for India in 2019. Also, direct investment from Japan to India has been increased, and Japan was the 4th largest investor for India in FY2019. Japanese private sector’s interest in India is rising, and, currently, about 1,454 Japanese companies have branches in India.

Whether it’s designing electronic gadgets, inventing innovative, beautiful products, or designing high-end fashion clothing, the Japanese value craftsmanship, quality, and pleasing the consumer.

Learning Japanese will enable you to secure jobs in Indian Companies and other MNCs

Apart from Japanese companies in India, many Indian companies that have invested in Japan, such as Apollo, Bajaj, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Cadila Healthcare, Ceat Limited, Crompton Greaves, Dr Reddys Labs, Finolex, Glenmark, Hawkins, HCL, HMT, Indian Oil Corporation, Infosys, Kirloskar, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra & Mahindra, Mindtree, MRF, NIIT, Panacea Biotec, Polaris Financial, Reliance Communications, Steel Authority of India, Suzlon Energy, Tata, TVS Motors, Usha Martin, Wipro, Wockhardt, Zensar Technologies have branches offices in Japan. Knowing the Japanese language will make you a more valuable asset to the company and you would be able to see yourself working in Korea through these companies. But of course, your salary would be dependent on the language proficiency, the nature of the job, the technicality involved, your relevant qualifications and experience.

Japanese could help you secure an edge over others due to bilingual or multilingual proficiency. Companies world over are trying to increase their client base in Japan with progress in their bilateral relationship. Such partnerships between nations substantially increase job prospects for a job seeker in Japan.

Improving relationships 

Japanese language learning can enable you to break the ice with professional colleagues with Japanese-speaking friends or family members. Being able to communicate with potential clients, customers, and colleagues can open doors for a successful beginning. The ability to speak Japanese offers many jobs that require bilingual or multilingual skills. Today, many companies are searching for Japanese language specialists. With a better understanding of the Japanese work ethic, business etiquette, and knowing which cultural faux pas to avoid one can bag outstanding projects, negotiate appropriately and clinch critical deals.

Students aspiring to study in Japan can now have the odds to their benefit

Japan has been known overages to have one of the best education systems in the world. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) an international organisation that works to build better policies for better lives, ranks the country’s high school students number one globally for maths and number 2 for scientific literacy. Thus, studying in Japan will always significantly improve your employability. It could prove to be your greatest career asset.

Japan proudly holds the title of being a leader in education owing to its outstanding academic tradition, pioneer research, hardworking culture and innovation. It houses approximately 780 universities, specialized vocational institutions, and 100’s of junior colleges.

Learning a new language improves your brain functionality, and increases the size of the brain 

One of the major benefits of learning a second language is that it stimulates intellectual growth and enhances mental capabilities, keeping you healthy and at bay from mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s!

Japanese learning will help you enjoy, Japanese music, movies, manga and anime without subtitles 

Many of those who study Japanese mostly do so because of their interest in Japanese anime , manga, movies, music and drama. So learning Japanese will help you watch these without interruption, wait or delay. The language can better equip you with a deep understanding of all of these. 

Learning Japanese can help you know about their historical background, architecture, cuisine, socio-economic, and political life.

Little is known of the language’s prehistory, or when it first appeared in Japan. Chinese documents from the 3rd century recorded a few Japanese words, but substantial texts did not appear until the 8th century. During the Heian period (794–1185), the Chinese had considerable influence on the vocabulary and phonology of Old Japanese. Late Middle Japanese (1185–1600) included changes in features that brought it closer to the modern language and the first appearance of European loanwords. The standard dialect moved from the Kansai region to the Edo (modern Tokyo) region in the Early Modern Japanese period (early 17th century–mid-19th century). Following the end of Japan’s self-imposed isolation in 1853, the flow of loanwords from European languages increased significantly. English loanwords, in particular, have become frequent, and Japanese words from English roots have proliferated.

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