The Islamic University of Malang (Unisma) held an international seminar with the theme 'Strengthening Indonesian as an International Language Through Language, Literature and Cultural Diplomacy' in the Oesman Mansoer Seminar Room, Building C, 3rd Floor, Unisma, Monday (28/9).
This international seminar was attended by the Director General of Culture of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Kacung Marijan, Ph.D, Head of the Department of Southeast Asian Languages, Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS) Japan Prof. Kyoko Funada, Ph.D, and from the Association of Indonesian Language Teachers for Foreign Speakers (APBIPA) Indonesia Dr. Widodo HS, M.Pd.
Prof. Kyoko Funada, Ph.D. revealed that one of the reasons Japanese people learn Indonesian is because of the increasingly close economic and cultural relations between Japan and Indonesia.
“Actually in some university In Japan, there are quite a lot of people interested in this Indonesian language major. Not studying in university "Also, many Japanese citizens also study directly in Indonesia," he added, Monday (28/9).
Kyoko said many Japanese people visit and live in Indonesia to work in trade, study the language, arts, or as members of NGOs. So there are many motivations that make Indonesian widely studied in Japan.
The Japanese government itself has several teaching methods that are suitable for Japanese people. Kyoko said, it is necessary to prepare a place or provide an opportunity to communicate with Indonesians who use standard Indonesian. In addition, it is also necessary to provide opportunities for presentations and discussions for those who want to learn Indonesian.
Meanwhile, Ambarwati as Head of Public Relations of Unisma explained that this seminar invited several main speakers and participants from various professions such as teachers, lecturers, researchers, students, and language observers, both domestic and foreign. "There are a total of 250 participants consisting of speakers and non-speakers. They come from various regions in Indonesia and abroad such as Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, and Myanmar," she explained. (rum/yon)
