Japanese schol winner puts Trinidad on the map in academic research

eaching English to non-native speakers is a vibrant area of employment and research for many native English speakers.
Programmes like JET (The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme) and the Teaching Assistant Programme in France are the initiatives of the respective governments to open their countries to young, eager persons for temporary employment while allowing them the opportunity to immerse themselves in the language and culture of the country.
Oftentimes, however, regardless of the candidates’ level of education, it can be expressly stated that UK and American accents are preferred for instruction, given their wider appeal. Caribbean accents are sometimes viewed with scant regard and even derision, seen as less legitimate than those from Europe and the US.
Researcher Anastasia Ramjag has been on the receiving end of such sentiments and has recently embarked on a project to investigate the attitudes towards Caribbean English speakers teaching the language overseas.
The certified English teacher, translator and Japanese language instructor at the University of the West Indies’ Centre for Language Learning (CLL), has herself taught and travelled extensively in Japan and was recently awarded a scholarship by the Japanese government to pursue postgraduate studies in linguistics.
Ramjag spoke with Loop News about how she plans to apply her combined passion for her country and for her second home, along with her love for foreign language education to create interesting academic research.
“I was 22 the first time I stepped foot in Japan,” she said, recalling her stint as a JET shortly after graduating from the Spanish programme at the UWI. “Every time I worked abroad, [staff] would kindly or not-so-kindly ask, ‘Can you adjust your accent?’”
Though Ramjag resisted, she was made to teach from a mostly American-based curriculum, which was customary at the school. She said that often, the schools’ preference is that the assistant teachers use an American accent when delivering lessons.
The JET Programme is designed more for cultural and linguistic exchange and immersion than it is for forming educators, so many of the selected candidates take up the positions for the experience more than anything else. “A lot of the people who go aren’t teachers,” Ramjag said. “I want to see how that shift into teacher mentality is made, if at all.” The researcher plans to contact new JETs to gain an understanding of how they develop their self-perception as Caribbean instructors overseas and the messaging communicated to them regarding their cultural and linguistic identity.
Ramjag aims to use her interests to boost the country’s profile on the academic scene. With the Japanese embassy having a relatively visible local presence through its development projects, scholarship programmes, film and other cultural festivals, Ramjag aims to extend this synergy of Japanese and Trinbagonian collaboration through her research.
It was this same visibility that played a role in Ramjag’s desire to apply for the JET Programme after completing her undergraduate degree, and although she ended up working in diplomacy for a number of years, she feels a certain pull toward teaching.
She considers her work at the UWI her most satisfying job to date and sees her students as her pride and joy. “I feel like education is my path,” she affirmed.
Even after her stint in international relations, Ramjag would always be led back to working with Japan or the Japanese. After completing her master’s in translation in the UK, she began as a Japanese language instructor at the CLL in 2015, before heading back to Japan four years later. The following year, she returned to take up a position at the Japanese Embassy and resumed her teaching at the UWI.
“The opportunities kept arising and I just kept saying yes,” she said. “It wasn’t until I started working for the Embassy that I realised Japan was going to be part of my career.”
While she is certainly fulfilled by teaching, Ramjag’s curiosity about language learning and developing a deeper understanding of how students learn drew her in as well. “The research aspect was always very interesting,” she said.
She was able to satiate her interest in academic research through the UWI’s participation in the annual seminars coordinated by the Central American and Caribbean Network for Japanese Language Teaching.
These experiences further stoked Ramjag’s interest in research and led her to realise that she needed to pursue independent projects, which would mean going back to school.
Although she is ultimately excited and grateful, Ramjag admitted her misgivings about going back to school in her 30s. “[There were] a lot of mixed feelings,” she said. “Society expects us to settle down.”
Due to the pandemic, she can attend classes–which began last month–virtually for now; this is somewhat of a challenge in itself as the lectures run according to Japan time (13 hours ahead), leading her to becoming quite the night owl. Eventually, she intends to join her peers in Japan.
For students considering a foreign language path, Ramjag advises them to “ground [themselves] against the naysayers,” and added that foreign language learning brings with it a “higher consciousness,” referring to the capacity for compassion needed in learning to communicate with and understand others. This, she said, is particularly necessary in humanitarian work, an area in which foreign language skills are highly prized. “If you have the language, you have the tools to unite with communities, with other worlds.”
Passion for teaching and the Japanese language and culture aside, Ramjag feels deeply called to undertake this work she had embarked on, not only for her own satisfaction, but to add to the body of academic research from Trinidad and Tobago and for the good of her students. “We don’t get enough credit,” she said, “[so] I’m very much looking forward to bringing recognition to our region.”  Source:  the Loop, Nov 5, 2021