Theodore Nze, known as Kuma (which is the Japanese translation of the second part of the word 'teddy bear' first encountered Japanese pop music at the age of 11. He quickly realized that the English translations of the lyrics were often incomprehensible, which sparked his ambition to one day translate the songs himself. Determined to learn Japanese, he began studying independently using online resources. When choosing a secondary school, he specifically selected one that offered a Japanese club during lunchtime. Later, his parents successfully persuaded the school to provide him with free formal Japanese lessons after school.
On Saturday, March 1, 2025, Kuma competed as a finalist in the 20th Japanese Speech Contest for University Students UK, held at King’s College London. The contest, organized by the Japan Foundation and the British Association for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language, is sponsored by numerous companies, including Japan Airlines and Uniqlo. Kuma was one of five finalists, with the other contestants representing universities from London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Lancaster, and Keele. He was impressed by how friendly they were when they met at the contest hall. The event was attended by an audience of over 100 people. His speech, titled "International English: The Challenges and Future of Teaching English as a Lingua Franca," explored the complexities of global English. (Contestants are not allowed to discuss topics related to Japan.)
In his speech, Kuma questioned what kind of English should be taught in schools worldwide. With a Nigerian father who speaks Nigerian English and having been born and raised in southern England, he often found himself wondering what constitutes "correct" English. His curiosity deepened when he began teaching English and French as a volunteer to students with special needs. One day, a Jamaican student pronounced "ask" as "aks," which Kuma initially assumed was a mistake—only to later discover that it is a common pronunciation in Jamaica. Drawing on these experiences, he concluded that the world should embrace "Globish," a simplified form of English proposed by Jean-Paul Nerrière.
This was not Kuma’s first time delivering a speech in Japanese. At the age of 15, he participated in the Nihongo Cup, a Japanese speech contest for secondary school students, where he won second prize. Determined to improve, he entered again the following year and secured first place. Now, after winning second prize at the university level, he is already setting his sights on the Business Japanese Speech Contest in the near future. For him, failure is the key to success, and he believes that there is always room for learning. His advice to future contestants is:
"There is always someone better than you. You don’t need to win first prize—just do your best."
As the results were announced, three Japanese language lecturers and a visiting student from Kobe University anxiously awaited the outcome. When Kuma’s victory was revealed, they erupted in joyful cheers! His achievement was a source of immense pride for his teachers and classmates, as well as an inspiration for his kōhai (juniors and future students).
Omedetō, Kuma-san! Congratulations, Teddy!
Kuma extends his heartfelt thanks to Ms. Hagiwara, Ms. Nishizawa, and Miss Furukawa for their invaluable support.
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