Californian eyes making English studies easier
Katie Adler hopes to create conversationalists 'one day at a time' via interactive website
by Louise George Kittaka
Special To The Japan Times
Visitors to Katie Adler’s interactive website, English with Katie, are greeted with Adler’s sunny smile, her mellow California accent and a wealth of hints to make using the language both easier and more enjoyable. She aims to help language learners in Japan take charge of their English, building confidence in their ability to have real conversations.
While her website was launched in June last year, Adler’s dulcet tones have been gracing the airwaves in Japan for considerably longer. In addition to her work as an announcer and newscaster for NHK Radio, Adler has lent her talents to everything from TV shows and commercials to educational materials and video games.
Although Adler came to her main career as a voice artist quite by accident in Japan, she was in love with the idea of being a teacher since she was very small. “I used to think, ‘Wow, teachers get presents from their students and a paid summer vacation!’ ” The reality for teachers in Japan may differ somewhat from her starry-eyed childhood vision, but Adler says she enjoyed her time working for a major language school in Osaka.
“I was finishing up my degree in communication at the University of California and I found that Sony was coming to a job fair, interviewing teachers to work at their school in Japan. I remember sitting at their booth, right next to the one for recruiters from the FBI!” Adler landed the position and was soon teaching adult English language learners.
more..http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/08/23/our-lives/californian-eyes-making-english-studies-easier/#at_pco=tcb-1.0&at_ord=3
= new reply since forum marked as read
in California, in Spanish. Never mind. 
