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Recently I commute to a rural area so I can sometimes find wild animals such as a rabbit and a squirrel. I was really surprised to come across them even on a national route.

A rabbit tends to take a rest and sit tight on the sidewalk. A squirrel tends to across the road just quickly.

By the way, in Japan, sometimes we tried to have wild animals as a pet, but it is illegal to keep them as pets in Canada, as they are considered wildlife and protected under Canadian law.

So today, I wanna talk about Canadian Animals. This is where we can see some characteristic animals. 

Let’s start with Canada goose, which is a large waterbird that is native to North America and is one of the most recognizable birds in Canada. They are quite photogenic but according to rumours, it is quite violent. You will definitely be surprised because of the size, typically these are around 90-100 cm in length, with a wingspan of up to 1.7 meters, and can weigh up to 6.5 kg. Quite big than expected.

The other animal, Beaver - a national symbol of Canada, is known for building dams and lodges in rivers and streams. Beavers are found all over Canada, but the largest population of beavers can be found right here in British Columbia. You can check it out online. Looks so cute.

The last one is the Moose - the largest member of the deer family, found in forests throughout Canada. The Canadian moose, also known as the Eastern moose, is the largest member of the deer family and is found in forests throughout Canada. They can grow up to 2.4 meters tall at the shoulders and can weigh up to 700 kg. I have never seen the Moose, but it seems quite famous. Moose have a distinctive appearance with long legs, a humped back, and a large, bulbous nose. They are herbivores and eat a variety of vegetation, including leaves, twigs, and aquatic plants.

Canada has lots of wild animals due to a combination of factors, including its vast size, diverse landscapes, and relatively low human population density in many areas. With the world's second-largest land area, Canada offers a wide variety of habitats for animals to thrive, from temperate rainforests on the west coast to Arctic tundra in the north.

Do you like animals? Hope this episode reminds you of your lovely animals.

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Welcome to  “Lost in translation a Japanese life in Vancouver”. In this podcast, Charlie, an introverted, friendless Japanese woman living in Vancouver, talks about life in Vancouver in order to improve her English. I hope you enjoy listening.

One very useful way to study English is to watch TED. Recently, I enjoy imagining what I would talk about if I were to appear on TED. This "TED-like" is a project to talk about my fantasy of being on TED. Anyway, let's just get started.

TED-like episode 1 - The true meaning of Diversity

When I was immersed in Japanese culture, I understood "diversity" to mean creating a company or team that was adaptable to different individuals with various ideas and backgrounds. My understanding was to focus on developing each individual's strengths and creating a robust team through a layered approach of distorted skill charts, rather than a team with a high average score by improving weaknesses. In my previous team in a Japanese company, I noticed that sociable individuals who were easily liked by clients made the best salespeople without any opportunities to write proposals, while I excelled at writing proposals despite being unsocial. Despite my inability to communicate with clients, I was confident in writing up and presenting my projects and was given a role in the team. I admired, "Everyone is different therefore everyone is good," like we were told in our childhood and that made me feel "Teams are great. Diversity is here."

In Canada, in my opinion, diversity means totally different.

When we use the word “diversity” in Canada, it means hiring individuals regardless of their nationality, race, gender, age, or disability. I have seen various company recruitment guidelines that state this principle, although I cannot confirm its truthfulness. Nevertheless, I sense that society is making efforts to achieve this goal.

On the other hand, the soft skills required are not completely diverse. Most companies are looking for people with the same skills as follows: Excellent communication skills, strong team players, self-starters, fast learners, and able to multitask under pressure. Education and experience are vital to apply for even general workers, besides, it is really common to be asked “Can you speak Chinese or French in addition to English?” Companies want individuals who are sociable, sincere, and hardworking, rather than people who are unsociable but can do exactly what they are told.

It is essential to demonstrate that you can talk, understand, and perform your job well. If you fail to show this, you will be perceived as someone who is not doing anything. Managers who determine your continued employment do not assess your work but instead, ask your colleagues how you are doing. Since your colleagues are often highly skilled, they are not good at teaching at all unlike most Japanese. It is easy to remember your tasks if you understand the purpose and priority, but they just teach you how to do various tasks one after another. At my previous job, I found that it was better to make excuses when I failed, rather than honestly apologizing. This was to fulfill the essential sense of diversity, to not discriminate against individuals from different countries with various cultures, backgrounds, and ideologies. Soft skills that are overwhelmingly correct, without discriminating against anyone, are necessary to achieve justice that even five-year-olds can understand.

Personally, Japan's unique perception of "diversity" is certainly due to its status as an island nation. 

We have only one nationality, it is easy to work with people from the same country because we are sharing same values to some extent. Once you dive into a melting pot, like Canada, although you will be accepted whoever you are, you know, you truly need to understand the meaning of “Diversity”.

いつか友達をジャパレスに連れて行ってどや顔でお箸の使い方を教えたい

Transcript↓

Welcome to  “Lost in translation a Japanese life in Vancouver”. In this podcast, Charlie, an introverted, friendless Japanese woman living in Vancouver, talks about life in Vancouver in order to improve her English. I hope you enjoy listening.

It's been a while since my last podcast upload, that's because I was unwell and struggling with a persistent cough. However, I'm back now and ready to resume my regular posting schedule!

One day when I was working at the restaurant, I saw something interesting. A certain Canadian showed another Canadian how to use chopsticks. I had completely forgotten that some people cannot use chopsticks because there are so many people who can use chopsticks well. At the moment, I was wondering if I can explain how to use chopsticks to others in English. What if I had a friend who cannot use chopsticks and brought them to a Japanese restaurant?  It seems difficult to explain. So I am going to practice explaining how to use it today. Let’s get it together.

The article says, With a little practice and guidance, most people can learn how to use chopsticks!

Okay! You guys should be ready to teach how to use chopsticks. Let’s try it out!

AIとポッドキャストのタイトルを一緒に考えた話

Hello everyone! I’m Charlie. Today I changed my podcast’s title from Charlie doesn’t like chocolate to Lost in translation -A Japanese life in Vancouver-

This is because I will graduate from my school in 1 month hopefully, I will not be a student anymore and now it is a totally different situation and feeling from when I started the podcast. So I just wanted to change my outlook on life and work. But Don’t worry. I am not going to change the structure here I will keep the Japanese translation episode after the English one.

Actually, in order to decide on my new name for the podcast, I consulted with ChatGPT which is now famous for being an AI-powered language model that can answer a wide range of questions on various topics, literally anything. Recently I love to talk with her whenever I have time.

Today let me introduce the conversation between us to decide on a new name.

I began with the question “Hey Please name my podcast regarding Vancouver life with Japanese women”

She said, How about "Vancouver Diaries: A Japanese women's Perspective"? This title incorporates both the location and the perspective of the podcast's host, which could attract listeners interested in learning about life in Vancouver from a unique point of view.

And I said, I do understand what you say, we have to be clear the concept but I feel it is kind of boring and too common. so I said in Japanese もうちょっと陰キャの感じほしい. Then she said,

How about "Life in Vancouver as an Introverted Japanese"? This title captures the essence of the podcast in English, while also incorporating the term "introverted" to give a sense of the host's personality. It is straightforward and easy to understand, and could appeal to a broad audience interested in learning about the experiences of an immigrant in Vancouver.

I was like, Life in Vancouver as an Introverted Japanese. Hey It is tooooo straightforward! By the way, this was the first time in my life that I had ever done ツッコミ to an Artificial Intelligence. And then she said,

How about "Navigating Vancouver: A Japanese women's Experience" or "Lost in Translation: A Japanese Life in Vancouver". These titles give a better idea of what listeners can expect from the podcast and could pique their interest.

At that time honestly, I couldn’t understand what “Lost in translation” means so I looked up it. Lost in translation means “to fail to have the same meaning or effectiveness when it is translated into another language.”

That’s when it hit me! Because that’s what I had been feeling all year.

To be more specific, I can communicate with Canadian in English but I still cannot tell them what I thought in English. Not even half of what is thought in Japanese is conveyed. Therefore, I have no choice but to simplify what I want to convey and say it in a simpler, more stripped-down way in every conversation.

What’s more, I got to know about the movie named “Lost in translation” which was a 2003 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Sofia Coppola. The story is about an American who comes to Tokyo to work and has a hard time understanding the context. I feel some sympathy for him now.

As a result, I said to ChatGPT “Lost in translation -A Japanese life in Vancouver- would be great! Thank you!“

Finally She concluded the conversation as follows; I'm glad you like the title "Lost in Translation: A Japanese Life in Vancouver"! It incorporates the idea of cultural differences and the challenges of communication, which is a great way to highlight the unique experiences of a Japanese living in Vancouver. This title is also memorable and catchy, which could help attract new listeners. Good luck with your podcast!

I was like UUUU That is impressive. Finally, the time has come for AI to move people. Thank you ChatGPT! I hope you listeners also like it and enjoy my podcast going forward!

日本の合同企業説明会的なやつに行ってきた