A Task-Based Needs Analysis for US Foreign Service Officers: The Challenge of the Japanese Celebration Speech

Foreign language classes for diplomats must equip them to handle a variety of important tasks in their work overseas. A needs analysis (NA) was conducted for Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) assigned to the US embassy and consulates in Japan. In Stage 1, use of multiple sources and methods identified 68 target tasks for FSOs in Japan (and presumably, with some modifications, diplomatic postings elsewhere). In Stage 2, an analysis of target discourse (ATD) was carried out for one of the most complex of the target tasks, ‘Delivering a celebration speech’. The celebration speech was selected because of the challenge it