Knowledge transfer via Japanese language: Mechanism for innovations

Malaysia-Japan economic partnership has been secured for the last three decades. However, the knowledge transfer process between these two countries is difficult due to language and cultural differences. For successful knowledge transfer, Malaysian workforce has to learn the Japanese knowledge from the Japanese perspective as the purpose of Japanese language is vital for innovation process. This can be done starting from the tertiary level where the Japanese course are offered to undergraduate students. Thus, this paper reports on a study aimed to determine students´ perception on internet surfing using Japanese language to elevate their academic performance. Two groups of Malaysian students participated in this research. Group 1 comprised students enrolled in Basic Level Japanese Language course while Group 2 had eight students who enrolled for the Intermediate Level. Their perception on using Japanese language in acquiring information in the internet was investigated using two sets of questionnaire. The quantitative results show that students´ awareness in using Japanese language for academic purpose is discouraging. This research continues with more in-depth questions from two respondents (students A and B) from Group 2, that have experienced utilizing Japanese language for academic purpose. The qualitative data sought from these respondents is discussed in detail using Debowski´s framework. The respondents´ feedback has given an empirical evidence that knowledge transfer process using Japanese language can be a mechanism for innovation. This study suggests new perspectives on Japanese language learning objectives that can be aligned with science and arts discipline education in nurturing new innovations. Japanese language can serve as a mediating tool for knowledge transfer to accelerate industrial needs for nation development.