Shifting Voices

Joey Brown and I met in August of 2021 in Osaka, Japan. We were fellow teachers in an intensive English language program at a university in Osaka. Joey also acted as an assistant academic director during this time, assisting teachers and learners as necessary. We would often stay late into the evenings, reflecting on lessons and brainstorming ideas for future lessons. It was during these brainstorming sessions that Joey and I really got to know each other. Joey is an excellent mentor and I learned so much about putting theory into practice in the language learning classroom from him. Joey completed his undergraduate work in Iowa at Grinnell, majoring in anthropology and minoring in education. Joey later returned to the Bay area (where he grew up) and completed his masters in education at the University of San Francisco before coming to Japan, where he has lived and taught English for 3 years. Joey is also a musician and has been writing songs since he was in middle school. His recording career has been established since coming to Japan.

Please check out Yoshi Kazu's music on the following platforms:

Apple Music

Spotify

Bandcamp

Instagram

Episode 5’s special guest is Mizuki Hashimoto. Mizuki and I work together in an intensive English Language Program at a university in Osaka, Japan. I am an instructor of English there and Mizuki works in the administration department, supporting learners and teachers. Mizuki speaks Osaka-dialect as her first language. English is her second language. While Mizuki uses English in her current role, she has also studied and worked in New Zealand and Australia. In this episode, we learn about Mizuki’s experience learning and applying English in her life, a little about the Osaka dialect, and how speaking in English can enhance honesty.

Episode Four's special guest is Sae Mino. Sae and I met in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 2007. We were neighbors and shared a language exchange every Tuesday night while enjoying home-cooked meals together. Sae was my first Japanese tutor, helping to make signage in Japanese for all the essential items in my apartment and patiently introducing me to the basics of the writing system. Sae has also lived in Grande Prairie, Vancouver, and now resides in Montreal, Quebec, where she is a dental technician.

Episode 3 features a conversation with Jorge Alberto Galué Piqueras, an Outbound Student Support Specialist at Kobe City University.  Jorge shares insights on shifting between four languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and English, explaining the importance of language learning in context, how his identity changes from language to language, and among other excellent insights, contrasting honorifics used in Japanese to hugs.

On Episode Two of Shifting Voices we head over to Valencia, Spain for a conversation with writer and multilingual Daniel Shvartsman.  We discuss what it was like growing up in a family who had recently immigrated to the United States.  We also weigh in on a variety of language learning strategies, how travel can lead to inspiration for language learning, and how your accent may get you a less expensive admit-one ticket to a museum in Russia.

Qi Ji is our special guest for Episode One of the Shifting Voices Podcast.  Ji and I met in Edmonton, Aberta, Canada in 2007, having both moved there two years prior.  Ji came to Canada from Shanghai, China and myself from Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Our mutual love of the Beatles and adventure instantly connected us and we would spend many nights playing guitar and philosophizing our future dreams. In today’s episode, we uncover more about Ji’s experience moving to Canada at age 19, how the Beatles and the cinema helped him learn English, and how living abroad provides a dynamic view of the world.

The Shifting Voices Podcast pilot episode features Xin Zhang, an accomplished intercultural entrepreneur working in the financial sector. Xin has successfully maneuvered through four languages and has lived in China, Hawaii, and Japan.  We met many years ago on the island of Oahu and immediately became great friends.  We both loved two things: Japanese language study and golf.  We will let Xin share the rest of his story.