Japanese Language Support for Foreign Employees in Japanese Enterprises:

From the Perspective of Pattern Language for Creating Collaborative Communities

Abstract

This study reports the Japanese language support for foreign employees available in Japanese companies by the identification of the pattern language used to create a collaborative community. Pattern Languages are the descriptions of the methods used to achieve a specified goal. 26 Interviews were conducted with employees who were interacting with non-Japanese employees from 11 companies. As a result, 31 patterns were obtained using the KJ method. Three of the patterns were related to the use of Japanese in the work environment. These will be described in detail.