New App Teaches Japanese Expats
How To Adapt To Tennessee Life
By EMILY SINER
•
JAN 24, 2017
One Apto module teaches users how to pick out regional dialects during a work
meeting.
SCREENSHOT OF APTOGLOBAL.COM
Tennessee's business community has long linked itself closely to Japan. The
state is home to nearly 200 Japanese companies, and prominent Tennessee
businessman Bill Hagerty is poised to be the next U.S. ambassador to the
country.
So when one Nashville-based startup decided to launch a language app that
helps foreigners adapt to Tennessee, it started by targeting a clear audience:
Japanese immigrants and expats.
The idea behind Apto, which means "adapt" in Latin, is to simulate realworld situations that aren't taught in a language class — like registering your
kids for school, going to the doctor or getting a drivers license.
In one video module, a speaker in an orange t-shirt ushers the camera
through a school. On the side, text pops up, explaining a cultural difference
from Japan: "In America, sports are a dominant part of culture, but
especially in public school systems. Do not be surprised to see children and
even teachers in 'sporty,' casual clothing and brightly colored t-shirts and
jerseys."
"Alright, so welcome to the hallways of Knowledge Academies," the speaker
says, referring to a real charter school in Nashville. He walks backward as if
he's giving a tour. "What age group are your kids, ma'am?"
A sample script pops up to practice out loud.
It was these kinds of experiences that Traci Snowden found to be hang-ups
when she taught English to foreign expats in Tennessee, before she
launched Apto in November.
"A lot of times they were learning British English or learning overly formal
language, and they weren't really prepared for the cultural and language
scenarios that they'd face on a day-to-day basis," she says.
Her company already has powerful endorsements: The Tennessee
Department of Economic and Community Development is helping Snowden
network with Japanese firms in the state, and Nissan North America has
committed to testing the app on its foreign employees.
Headquartered in Franklin, the company brings a rotating group of about 80
Japanese nationals and their families to Tennessee each year.
"When they move here, the language barrier would be probably one of the
most challenging (things)," says Misato Brown, who works in HR for Nissan
and helps with these employees' relocation.
The company already pays for their language tutors and classes, Brown
says, but she thinks Apto will complement what they're learning. Brown is a
Japanese immigrant herself, and she thinks she would have found the app
helpful when she moved to the U.S. two decades ago — for example, by
exposing her to real voices she might hear.
"When I moved to Tennessee, I had a really hard time with the Southern
accent," she says. "It's just so different."
Brown says Nissan will try out Apto when the next batch of Japanese
employees comes to Tennessee in March.
Meanwhile, the app is already expanding: It's developing modules for
Mandarin speakers this year, and it will add more examples of regional
dialects, including Northeastern accents.