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Home > Asia News > Friend of Japanese Tourists Returns
Friend of Japanese Tourists Returns
Robert T. Wood continues to bridge the communication gap between English and Japanese with new e-book version of a time tested language guide.
TOKYO, JAPAN (PRWEB) January 18, 2006 -- Robert T. Wood continues to contribute to bridging the language gap for Japanese tourists – only this time, he has gone beyond just Japanese tourists visiting the U.S. After being in use for over 30 years under the title of “Bridging the Gap: Police – Japanese,” Robert T. Wood revived his original hard copy version with an all new CD/e-book version in conjunction with Lulu (www.lulu.com), the world’s fastest-growing provider of print-on-demand books. Because of the book’s versatility, Robert T. Wood has re-named the new version to “Bridging the Gap: English – Japanese.” The original title, explained Wood, seemed to narrow the audience for the book, when in fact the book was used by many who interact with Japanese tourists and business personnel such as hotel workers, tour coordinators, hospital staff, etc.
“Bridging the Gap: English – Japanese” is a non-verbal communication guide. Although originally geared for law enforcement and was department issue to all patrol officers of the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) from its original debut in 1973, the book was found to be a valuable tool in a wide variety of situations. The original, hard copy version went through three editions, each with improvements to the previous edition. However, the original works were designed for one-way use: English speakers toward Japanese speakers. The new electronic version is designed for bi-directional use. That is to say that it can be used by Japanese speakers dealing with English speakers, as well as by English speakers dealing with Japanese speakers. The language guide includes chapters for obtaining specific information from finding out what type of problem an individual may have, to identifying information, and details about problems such as criminal incidents, illness, injuries, etc.
Robert T. Wood wrote the original book in 1973 while he was a police officer with HPD. At the time, Japanese tourism was beginning to take off in Hawaii and other than Wood there were only one or two other officers who spoke Japanese well enough to handle cases involving Japanese tourists. After writing the book on his own time and printing and publishing the original version at his own expense, Wood made the book available to HPD. Wood was subsequently put on special assignment to distribute the book to all HPD officers and give an orientation on how to use it. The book is still in use today by HPD officers, including some retired officers who still have their originally issued books and who now work for security at the Honolulu International Airport.
When the book was first written, there were no personal computers or the Internet. Now, after the technology explosion, computers are even in patrol cars. Wood re-wrote and designed the book for use on computer systems. Through the magic of hyperlinks it is much easier and quicker to use, without having to flip through pages to look up specific sections.
Wood came to Lulu because he wanted to be in control of the publishing process and found Lulu’s print-on-demand tools to be fast, easy and, most importantly, free.
About the Author:
Robert T. Wood has spent over 40 years studying the Japanese language, history, and culture. He has a BA in Japanese language and an MA in East Asian Languages and Literature, specializing in teaching Japanese as a second language, from the University of Hawaii. He has worked and resided in Tokyo, Japan for over the past 21 years. He has over 36 years as a law enforcement professional, over 18 years of experience in teaching Japanese, and has written several papers and other works on the Japanese language. His most recent work is “Object Marking in Japanese, a Self-Study Programmed Lesson"
About Lulu
Founded in 2002, Lulu is the world’s fastest-growing print-on-demand marketplace for digital do-it-yourselfers. Please see lulu.com for more information.
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