Specialists in English training for corporations.

- Tell me a little about your company.

ETG has offered English training services to corporations since 2000. We offer customized programs to meet their various needs. Popular courses are Negotiations, Presentations, and Inter-Cultural Communication Skills. To talk about myself, I have an MA in TESOL from San Francisco State University. Before ETG, I worked at Intel for 10 years as an independent English and business skills trainer.

More Japanese companies are aiming to globalize.

- Please give me an overview of your English training programs.

We have beginner to native level English training programs including Presentation Skills, Persuasion Training, etc. These days there is a high demand in courses such as Global Meetings, Tele-conferencing and Team Building. Our business focus is changing from multi-national corporations to local Japanese companies that want to globalize.

You do not need perfect pronunciation but a big vocabulary.

- Tell me how you view the study of vocabulary.

Vocabulary is one of the most important skills at all levels of language learning. Even native speakers need it. I myself benefited from studying vocabulary. I believe that I was able to get a very high score on my college entrance exams because I read a lot and studied vocabulary. I think the existence of building executive vocabulary courses in the USA demonstrates how important vocabulary is for success at the executive level. You do not need perfect pronunciation but you do need a big vocabulary to succeed.

Proven pedagogy. That's the reason we chose the WordEngine.

- Why did you choose the WordEngine and how does it meet the vocabulary needs of your students?

The primary reason I chose the WordEngine is that it contains proven pedagogy for transferring vocabulary from short to long term memory. In addition, it rewards regular study of vocabulary; I mean, they can see their progress and their ranking among other users. Lastly, it takes the pain out of studying vocabulary and makes it fun. Especially for students who have to take the TOEIC, the WordEngine meets their needs and the Japanese interface is great for lower level students.

Short but regular study is important.

- How do you use the WordEngine in your program?

I tell every student to use the WordEngine at least 3 times a week for 15 to 20 minutes but not longer. I want them to do short regular study. I just direct them to complete their daily target. I currently do not closely monitor what they are doing. I simply look to see if they have studied or not. If they have not, then I remind them to do it. I frequently ask if they find the WordEngine useful, if it is fun to use and if they have learned something from using it.

Game-like and a nice interface. Study during break times at work.

- What has been the reaction to the WordEngine from your students?

I have received very positive feedback from my students especially from beginner to intermediate level students. Some students really seem to like it. I think this is because the WordEngine is game-like and has a nice interface. Lastly but most importantly, my students say that they can do it when they need a break during the day which they find extremely helpful.

WordEngine makes our services different from others.

- What has the reaction been from your clients to the WordEngine?

I believe the WordEngine helps us sell our services because the WordEngine supplies metrics that HR people like to see. In other words, the WordEngine provides progress data such as the number of words learned which is easy for them to understand and manage. From ETG's point of view, the WordEngine gives us something that we can use to distinguish ourselves from other training companies. We will continue to provide superior quality programs to our clients in c