VIDEO: CLS Alumna Hopes to Start a Japanese Language-Learning Company

CLS alumna Loretta Scott (Kyoto, Japan ’10) wants other people to have the opportunity to learn Japanese like she has.

“When I applied to the CLS Program, I had already studied Japanese for 9 years but wanted to be more professionally proficient,” Loretta said.  “Specifically, I wanted to strengthen my command of business-related Japanese so that I could launch a Japanese language-learning company. This company would create opportunities, tools, and resources similar to those I had experienced, for students who otherwise would not have access to Japanese studies.”

In 2010, Loretta studied advanced Japanese at the CLS institute in Kyoto, Japan.  Afterwards, she received a grant through the CLS Alumni Development Fund to take private classes, which she used to develop her professional proficiency in Japanese.  These classes helped transform her advanced language skills into the ability to work in business settings.

Loretta plans to use those professional language skills to launch her own Japanese language-learning company next year.  In August she partnered with a certified teacher and voice actor and began the process of starting her company.  Since then, she has written a business plan that she used to apply for grant funding and has identified other partners and employees necessary for the operations of the business.

“Through the CLS Program and further studies that the Alumni Development Fund enabled, I was able to continue my studies of professional Japanese and use these language skills to conduct business for my Japanese company.  This was financially possible only by the generosity of the CLS Program, and I hope this generosity will soon be translated into new opportunities for a wider scope of Japanese students with the company I develop,” Loretta said.

Loretta is not new to helping others learn Japanese.  For five years she has been creating online videos to teach others about Japan and Japanese.  To see videos she has created in English and Japanese on topics such as how to sound more like a native speaker, using books to study Japanese, and more, visit Loretta’s YouTube channel, Kemushichan http://www.youtube.com/user/kemushichan.