Tourism and language

Press, 15 January 1986, Page 16

Tourism and language

Sir,—Mike Mbore identifies “evidence that employers are having real difficulty obtaining Japanese speaking staff’ (“The Press,” January 10). Most of the evidence I have seen is the employers’ own refusal to contribute, refusing to employ and train staff themselves. It has always been cheaper and easier to import Japanese nationals, although as your paper reported recently, many tourists are unhappy with their Japanese guides. Until Mr Moore actually encourages firms to employ Japan-ese-speaking New Zealanders the incentive will never exist for locals to seek linguistic excellence in large numbers, and Mr Moore will continue to find such evidence. What is Mr Moore going to do about it? Encourage Kiwis arid employers to linguistic self sufficiency or confound our unemployment problem by ignoring them in preference to importing even greater numbers of, often unskilled, Japanese? Many locals are playing their part. Many more would, if allowed. — Yours, etc.,

A. McLAUCHLAN. January 11, 1986.