TUFS Students Win First and Second Prizes in Malay Language Speech and Poem Recital Contest

January 5, 2022

On December 12, 2021, TUFS students ISHIKAWA Kaito (School of International and Area Studies Southeast Asian Region/Malay Language 3rd year) and MORITA Oga (School of Culture and Language Studies Southeast Asian Region/Malay Language 2nd year) won first and second prize respectively in the Malay Language Speech and Poem Recital Contest 2021. The contest, held at the Japan ASEAN Center, was organized by the Japan-Malaysia Association in collaboration with the Embassy of Malaysia in Japan and the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board.

Comments from the Prizewinners

Mr. Ishikawa

This was the second time I participated in the contest, following on from last year. My chosen topic was “Youth Entrepreneurship.” It was extremely hard to learn native-like pronunciation and how to use gestures in a natural manner, as these are not areas I focus on in my usual language-major studies. I cannot put into words how I feel after seeing that my hard work paid off and I was able to win this competition. I want to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Faridah for preparing me thoroughly since the beginning, my peers for motivating me daily, the judges, and the organizers for holding this event amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Morita

I gave a speech on the topic of biodiversity and how to recover what has been lost from the following three perspectives: extinction, natural environment, and education. I practiced hard with the help of Mr. Faridah and my seniors while also making use of the expression techniques I learned for this year’s Gaigosai foreign language play. I am happy that my work paid off and I was able to win a prize. I want to thank Mr. Faridah for helping me to the very last, my friends and seniors for encouraging me, and the organizers for making this event possible during these difficult times.