Sponsored by the Japan Foundation Sydney and the Japanese Language Teachers Association of South Australia, the 2018 Japanese Language Speech Contest was held on Saturday, 8 September at the Education Development Centre in Hindmarsh.
The contest provides a unique opportunity for students of Japanese to showcase their language proficiency to a wider audience. Public speaking is one of the most commonly reported social fears. To present a speech in Japanese in front of an audience is a wonderful achievement which should not be underestimated. The SA contest has been running since 1976 and holds a very special place in the calendar of events organised by the JLTASA.
Although the registration numbers were low this year, the quality of all the speeches was extremely high. The two judges, Mrs Narumi Babirat from Immanuel College and Ms Barbara Smith, South Australian School of Languages had a very tough job. The judges praised the content and presentation of the speeches and encouraged the contestants to enter the contest again next year.
Congratulations go to the following contestants:
High School Senior Division:
Amrit Kumbhar (Norwood Morialta High School)
Noah Glass (Glenunga International High School)
Jocelyn Chan (Immanuel College)
Open Division:
Alfred Tay (TAFE SA)
Gary Yau (University of South Australia)
Hamish Thomson (University of Adelaide)
Our congratulations go to the two winners: Amrit Kumbhar and Alfred Tay who will represent South Australia at the National finals in Sydney on Saturday 6 October.
We would like to thank the contestants and their supporters, including teachers, families and friends, the judges, the JLTASA volunteers who assisted in the organisation of the contest and who attended on the day, and the staff at EDC who made the event a “quiet achievement”.
Special thanks to Mr Hiroshi Haga, whose experience, advice and ongoing support in the organisation of the contest this year was invaluable.
With Special thanks to
