日企業員工學英語(II)

Recently the Yomiuri News reported the following:

だが、景気の回復過程でアジアを中心に海外展開を図る企業が増え、英語が使える人材の確保を急いでいる。パナソニックは１１年度の新卒採用の約８割を海外で採用し、ファーストリテイリングも１１年度採用予定６００人のうち半数を外国人にする計画で、こうした動きが最近のビジネス英語人気につながっている。
　東京・渋谷の英会話学校に通う男性会社員（３５）は「海外の取引先とメールやテレビ会議が日常的に行われるようになり、英語ができずに業務が滞ることが怖い」と習得に懸命だ。
　学校側も企業経験がある講師を採用するなど、即戦力を培える英語の授業に力を入れている。ベルリッツでは会議や交渉の場面を想定したコースが人気で、駆け引きや難局打開の技法を学ぶなど仕事にすぐ生かせる実践的な内容が売りだ。大企業の役員が駆け込んでくることもあるという。
　
However, in the process of recuperation, the number of enterprises that had business centering in Asia yet attempted to expand overseas had increased, to secure talents who could use English became urgent. Panasonic in 2011 fiscal year would have about 80 percent of the new graduate employees from overseas, Fast Retailing also planned the schedule of 2011 fiscal year to have half of the 600 people to be recruited from foreigners, and such movement was connected to the popularity in business English recently.
A male company employee (35) who went to the English conversation school in Tokyo Shibuya was making an all-out effort to learn had said that "Mail and video-conferencing had to be done with overseas customers daily, and any business stagnation due to the inability to speak English would be scary".
The schools were also making efforts in English classes that cultivated skills by employing lecturers who had corporate experience. In Berlitz the course which the scene of the conference and the negotiation was assumed was popular, and to learn the technique of bargaining and breaking deadlocks which had practical content that could be made the best use in work soon was the selling point. It was said that directors of the big enterprises occasionally rushed into these courses.

My impression is that Japanese employers are making an effort to cope the the globalization. To learn English is an indicator of their keen determination in this respect.