【Global Leader Interview】Ms. Miwa Seki, Associate Professor and Translator of Entrepreneurial Books

1. Please describe your typical day as an associate professor and a translator.

　I teach at Kyorin University every day from Monday to Thursday and am primarily responsible for the junior students’ mandatory English courses, as well as other English-related and career development classes. On most other days (Friday to Sunday), I use my spare time working as a translator. During the university’s spring and summer breaks, I work on translating tasks from dawn to dusk, around 8~10 hours per day, completing daily quotas to keep consistency in the amount of pages translated. I try to take 7 hours of sleep per night.

1. After graduating from Keio University and entering the workforce, you went on to study at Harvard Business School. What made you want to study there?

　I’ve always had interest in matriculating at a graduate school in the United States. During my time at an investment bank, my then-colleague enrolled at Harvard Business School (HBS) and the fact that someone rather close to me applied immediately inspired me to do the same.

1. You have studied at Harvard Business School to obtain Master of Business Administration. What was the most important thing you have learned? Further, please share with us the most fun and the most difficult experiences had during your time at Harvard.

　A major hardship I encountered was speaking out in English. HBS’s MBA program consists of 90 students per class, and each student’s contributions during class discussions are taken into account for grade evaluation. The grade evaluation system is composed of three Categories; I, II and III. The top 10 percent are given Category I grades, the bottom 10 percent, Category III grades and the rest, Category II grades. Students with Category III grades are not given credits, which means that at least 9 students per class do not earn the course credit. Consequently, students have no option but to participate in class to earn the credit. I was extremely hesitant to speak up at first, but by the time I became accustomed to verbalizing my thoughts, I realized that, rather than my English proficiency, the content of my opinions was the key to achieving a high grade evaluation. This conception heavily impacted my career development after graduation.

1. What is the most important thing you value in your profession?

　Hospitality: who my clients are, what their demands are and how my strengths contribute to their needs and expectations are some of the questions I take into consideration. Even during my time at an investment bank, I treated my supervisors and subordinates as though they were my clients. As a professor, I now consider my students and their family members as my clients. As a translator, my clients are the readers and editors. No matter what role I play, I prioritize providing solutions to my clients.

1. What were some of the difficulties (if any) that you have experienced when working overseas or dealing with people from overseas?

　To this day, I still struggle with choosing the right words to get my point across in English. This problem also exists when using Japanese (due to my profession of translating). No matter what language, conveying messages in simple, understandable and persuasive manners is rather a difficult task!

2017年9月24日(日)の「彼らは世界の高校生とハーバードで何を学んだのか？
～GCYS報告会2017～」にて、ゲスト講演をしていただきました。

1. What are some of the issues or strengths as a Japanese when dealing with people from all over the world?

　I believe there are neither strengths nor weaknesses with the distinct fact of being Japanese; even if there are cultural or linguistic differences, on an emotional level, there is much more similarity among people. In my opinion, differences between individuals create a much larger gap than differences between cultures.

1. What is your definition of ‘global’?

　Having the competence to live, work and thrive anywhere in the world.

1. Who do you respect as a global leader?

I have the utmost respect for Kathy Matsui. She is humble, kindhearted and quick-witted. She is one of the global leaders I look up to.

1. In your opinion, how do you think we could increase the number of global leaders from Japan?

　We should read more, and focus on world history and philosophy on a deeper level. Textbooks in Western secondary schools are around 4 times as thick as those in Japan! I would advise the Japanese education system to provide more opportunities for students to read and write both in English and Japanese. And although Japan’s public education system is the world’s best in the realm of the natural sciences, it misses out on giving its students the full benefits that come with experience in the social sciences.

1. In what ways do you think Japan should approach education in English?

　As mentioned previously, a large quantity of input is vital to a certain extent. Usually, English curriculum in Japan is constrained by small input, utilizing only thin English textbooks that are completed gradually. I recommend Japanese students to read their entire textbooks in a few weeks and then challenge themselves by reading at least four English novels per year. Another key factor is nurturing English listening skills. The only way to better your listening skill is to hear a great deal of English. For the purposes of efficiency, I would suggest Audible Audiobooks for simultaneous listening and reading. These kinds of practices provide quantity and speed, the two components that need to be taken into account if we are to improve the education of English in this country.

1. A message to future potential ‘global leaders’:

　I advise future “global leaders” to search for their strengths – especially those they can expand to a global scale. At first, no one has a clear sense of how their skills can be applied, but by taking the time to think globally, you may see that there are many areas where your skills could be unmatched. But it is not easy; success in our current era demands a huge investment of time and effort!