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The
Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) in association with the
Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC) are jointly holding the 8th
JETRO Business Japanese Proficiency Test in Mumbai, in October this
year. This announcement was made recently at a press conference
addressed by Akihiro Nagamori, the director general of JETRO Mumbai;
Malcolm F Mehta, the trade advisor of JETRO Mumbai and Shailesh
Haribhakti, the president of IMC.
This
test has essentially been designed for businessmen and professionals
whose first language is not Japanese. It is considered as a tool
to measure and certify the business communication skills of professionals
catering to the Japanese market. The number of companies wanting
to know the business communication ability of potential foreign
employees is growing. Over the years Indian IT companies have not
only been able to get work outsourced from Japan but have also successfully
set up their offices in that country. This is not only due to their
technical or business skills but also on account of their understanding
of the Japanese language.
According
to sources in JETRO, more than 60 IT companies are presently operating
in Japan. Indian IT companies having their employees certified by
the JETRO tests are at an advantage in doing business with Japan,
whether it be offshore or on-site. It also has a strong impact in
marketing in Japan.
JETRO
Bangalore and The Greater Mysore Chamber of Industry (GMCI) are
holding the test in Bangalore and JETRO New Delhi is also considering
it.
The
main feature of this year’s test is that unlike the previous
years, there will not be any levels or pass/fail structures. It
will be score-based, similar to the Test of English for International
Communication (TOEIC) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language
(TOEFL) exams.
This
new system will enable examinees to evaluate and compare their performance
in future tests by viewing their scores.
The
test application period is from May 26, 2003 to August 8, 2003.
More details can be obtained from JETRO Mumbai at 22842330.
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(From
left) Malcolm F Mehta, Akihiro Nagamori and Shailesh Haribhakti
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