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Center for Japanese language Education held a special seminar entitled "Non-native Japanese Language Teachers Across Borders: The Journey from Learner to Teacher" atHachioji Campus

On Friday, November 14, 2025, Center for Japanese language Education held a special seminar entitled "Non-native Japanese Language Teachers Across Borders: The Journey from Learner to Teacher" at Teikyo University's Hachioji Campus.
The seminar was held as part of the Introduction to Japan II class taught to international students by Hirata Yoshitaka, Head of Center and Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures, and was primarily aimed at international students and students interested in Japanese language education and Spanish-speaking culture.

On the day, Colombian native Ronnie Muñoz, Senior Assistant Professor at the Japan Foundation Mexico Cultural Center, spoke in fluent Japanese about what prompted him to start studying Japanese, his experience working as an interpreter at a local Japanese company, the establishment of a Japanese language school, and the state of Japanese language classes and teaching principles. Drawing on his experience as an interpreter at a local Japanese company, he emphasized that it is important not only to interpret what is heard, but also to understand the cultural differences between Japan and Mexico before interpreting. This taught us that language learning is not simply about acquiring knowledge, but is a process of cultivating intercultural understanding and practical communication skills.

Students who took the course commented, "I am also taking classes to become a Japanese language teacher, but when asked about the Japanese language itself it is difficult to explain, so I thought the non-native teacher was wonderful." "While I am learning Spanish, most of the class was about Spain, especially the northern part of the country, so it was a great opportunity to learn about the Japanese language education situation in South America for the first time."

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