We are proud to announce that students Michael Hashemi, Arianne Brandt, and Zachary Jaggers who took the WDLG 496 Workshop course to prepare for this test during the fall quarter 2009, successfully passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) last December, Brandt and Hashemi at Level 4 and Jaggers at Level 3.

The Japanese Language Proficiency Test is a worldwide certification test of Japanese language ability.  This test was developed by the Ministry of Education in Japan and has been administered by the Japan Educational Exchange Services and the Japan Foundation (http://www.jflalc.org/) since 1984.  In the year 2007, over 500,000 people took this test in 51 countries and 159 cities.  In the United States, there are eight cities where students can take this test (the closest one to LSU is in Los Angeles).

This test is only given once a year on the first Sunday of December.  Currently, there are 4 different levels: Level 4, for those who have completed 150 hours of Japanese language study; Level 3, for 300 hours of study; Level 2, for 600 hours of study; and Level 1, for 900 hours of study.  Yoshimitsu Mineyama, Japanese language class instructor, is encouraging students to try for this test, because the JLPT is the most widely-recognized certification test for the Japanese language, much like the TOEFL for the English language.  Doors of opportunity in graduate studies, licensing, and careers are open to students with this certification. Dr. Lourdes Morales-Gudmundsson, the World Languages Department chairperson, is very pleased with the success of the Japanese language program at La Sierra University.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010