Table 2.
Japanese proficiency of respondents (n = 182)
| Characteristics | Respondents | % |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese speaking ability | ||
| S1: Can make speeches and debate | 9 | 4.9 |
| S2: Can do simultaneous and conference interpretating | 10 | 5.5 |
| S3: Can hold daily conversations | 52 | 28.6 |
| S4: Can hold simple conversations | 73 | 40.1 |
| S5: Cannot speak it at all | 35 | 19.2 |
| Japanese reading ability | ||
| R1: Can understand newspaper editorials and reviews | 8 | 4.4 |
| R2: Can understand general newspaper articles | 11 | 6.0 |
| R3: Can understand an overview of information from newspaper headlines | 15 | 8.2 |
| R4: Can read simple Japanese characters | 100 | 54.9 |
| R5: Cannot read it at all | 43 | 23.6 |
| Japanese proficiency | ||
| Advanceda | 32 | 17.6 |
| Intermediateb | 39 | 21.4 |
| Beginnerc | 104 | 57.1 |
a Advanced: (S1 + S2 + S3) and (R1 + R2 + R3)
b Intermediate: except advanced and beginner
c Beginner: (S4 + S5) and (R4 + R5)