Kirk here with a little update on the water summit currently being held in Kumamoto. Thanks to my friend Yuka Ogata, who is a member of the Kumamoto City Council, the issue I raised the other day was addressed; the website now features a link to an English-language video on Kumamoto’s groundwater:
https://www.4apws-kumamoto2022.jp
Thanks again, Yuka!! I can’t be sure, but I suspect that my calling City Hall (the Shiyakusho) to tell them about the problem wouldn’t have been enough; I needed a friend with connections. The thing I often have trouble understanding, though, is the apparent lack of interest in such feedback. I would think that it would be to the advantage of institutions who put out information in English (especially for major international events) to get feedback from native speakers. Such feedback, however, is rarely requested and frequently ignored when offered. At my university, for example, there have been several instances of strange English being put in a sign or a publication or something without consulting any of the native speakers of English that the university employs.
When taxpayer money is being spent, a period is sometimes set aside for public comment. In fact, Kumamoto City has a “public comment” section on their website:
https://www.city.kumamoto.jp/hpkiji/pub/list.aspx?c_id=5&class_set_id=2&class_id=126
I am not aware, however, of an early version of an English-language website being subjected to such public comment. For major events of this sort, I don’t think I’m the only native speaker of English who would be willing to offer a comment or two, such as those you see in the image.
From my perspective, the mistakes are not the problem. As you all know, I make plenty of mistakes, both in English and, naturally, in Japanese. What bothers me is an apparent lack of interest in the perspective of people who might be able to point out such mistakes. :( It’s all well and good to tell students not to be afraid of making mistakes when they converse in English; preparing a document or website that will be placed on an international stage is another matter.
P.S. My previous post about the summit is here: https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/7180901071983263