Foreigner for hire Evaluation of Jordon, a language teacher, from the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period (late Edo period to early Meiji period)
The case of Jordon, who was in charge of English language education at the Foreign Ministry's Language Office, and who was highly praised by the student progress mo progress mo Tori-hou and government documents, shows that language education was extremely important in modern Japan as a foundation for diplomacy. From the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period, Japan faced a serious shortage of language skills for treaty negotiations, legation work, and the collection of overseas information, and the system of relying on foreigners for interpretation was also a diplomatic weakness. To overcome this weakness, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Language Institute was positioned not as a mere educational institution, but as a place for training diplomats directly related to practical work.
The reason why Jordon's education was highly regarded is thought to be that it did not focus on grammar and reading comprehension, but rather cultivated in a short period of time language skills that could be used in actual diplomatic situations, such as conversation and document comprehension. The expression "student progress mo progress hou" is not an abstract praise, but a practical evaluation that indicates that the results of the program were confirmed to be immediately effective. The fact that the achievements of the teachers were clearly stated in the internal documents of the government office itself indicates that language education was recognized as a core element supporting the nation's ability to negotiate with the outside world, rather than a peripheral, auxiliary task. The evaluation of Jordon, a hired foreigner, quietly conveys the process by which modern Japan became aware of language as a weapon supporting its sovereignty and institutionalized its cultivation
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