NOTICES

[MELSA Café 2025 Special Seminar]

Dear All,

We will be holding a special public seminar with a guest lecturer on-site, "Skills Training for Medical English Interpreters." 

This will be MELSA Café's first public seminar since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The venue will be the Kanagawa Prefectural Civic Center.

This public seminar is open to non-members as well as MELSA members.

We look forward to seeing you.

• Guest Lecturer: Satoko Higuchi (ICM Certified Medical Interpreter)

• Date and Time: Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM (90 minutes, including a 10-minute break)

• Venue: Kanagawa Prefectural Civic Center (5 minutes walk from Yokohama Station (West Exit/Nishi-Nishi Exit))

Meeting Room 707

• Target audience: MELSA Café members and non-members.  *Maximum 8 participants (first come, first served)

• Participation Fee: ¥1,500 for MELSA Café members / ¥2,000 for non-members

• Purpose: Review of medical English and improvement of medical English interpreting skills

• Course Contents: Excerpts from the textbook used in MELSA Café courses

* The lecture will be held on the day only. Watching the recording will not be available. 

*Advance registration is required. 

*Participation fees are to be paid on the day of each session.

To apply: Please fill out the application form on our website or submit it to the address below.

e-mail: melsa@outlook.jp

MELSA（新）website: https://www.melsa-japan.jp/

☆Introducing the Guest Lecturer for the MELSA Café 2025 Special Seminar

Name: Satoko Higuchi (ICM Certified Medical Interpreter)

Hometown: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture

Education: 

• Graduated from the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Yokohama City University

• Master's Program in Healthcare and Welfare, International University of Health and Welfare, Graduate School

• Completed a Master's degree in Healthcare and Welfare Management, Specializing in Medical Interpretation and International Healthcare Management

Work Experience: 

• Public junior and senior high school English teacher, private adult English instructor,

• Part-time English instructor in the occupational therapy department at a vocational school, and over 30 years of experience as a port guide at Yokohama Port.

• For the past eight years, she has worked as an administrative staff member at a medical institution, handling patient reception, in-house interpretation, translation, and medical administration.

☆MELSA Café, Online Course, and On-site course “Off-kai” Participants

Dear All,

Reviewing is key to effective learning!

Re-inputting vocabulary you've learned will help you retain it.

This special seminar will provide in-person interpreting training using the textbooks covered in each MELSA course from the previous month as a review.

Increase your familiarity with useful medical terms while cultivating the listening and retention skills necessary for interpreting.

It will also be useful for preparing for the medical interpreter exam and various medical English proficiency tests.

If you're interested in learning medical English, please try this special seminar!

It's sure to be a great opportunity. 

[Written by: Satoko Higuchi]

[July 2025 Newsletter]

Dear All,

We are pleased to inform you that the following courses have been successfully completed:

• July 10 (Thursday) Afternoon: Course ② with Mr. Shishikura

• July 15 (Tuesday) Evening: Lecture ① with Mr. Shishikura

We have distributed the URL for the recorded sessions via email. Please feel free to review the session. The viewing period will be available until Monday, Aug. 4th (inclusive).

• July 30 (Wednesday) Afternoon: On-site Lecture (also known as "Off-kai") @Iidabashi Borasen with Ms. Omori has been completed.

Thank you for your continued support.

[May 2025 Newsletter]

Dear All,

We are pleased to inform you that the following courses have been successfully completed:

• May 8 (Thursday) Afternoon: Course ② with Mr. Shishikura

• May 20 (Tuesday) Evening: Lecture ① with Mr. Shishikura

We have distributed the URL for the recorded sessions via email. Please feel free to review the session.

• May 28 (Wednesday) Afternoon: On-site Lecture (also known as "Off-kai") @Iidabashi Borasen with Ms. Omori has been completed.

Thank you for your continued support.

[Change in March online lecture ① date]

Due to an urgent matter concerning Mr. Shishikura, we regret to inform you that the session scheduled for Wednesday, March 18th, will be canceled. The session has been rescheduled to Wednesday, March 11th, with the time remaining the same, from 20:00 to 21:30.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

Changes in MELSA Cafe Annual Lecture Fees

At the board meeting held on December 23 last year, it was decided that the lecture fees will be revised as follows from April 1, 2025:

• Course fee (annual): 12,000 yen/year ⇒ 18,000 yen/year (Installment payment: 9,000 yen for the first half of the year / 9,000 yen for the second half of the year)

• Mid-way registration (monthly): 1,000 yen/month ⇒ 1,500 yen/month

• Payment deadline: Please make payment by the end of March or by the day before your first course in April.

• Payments should be transferred to the MELSA Japan Post Bank account. The account number remains unchanged.

• The lecture fee provides access to two or three online lectures per month offered by Mr. Shishikura, their respective recorded sessions, one monthly in-person lecture "off-kai" facilitated by Ms. Omori, and the social gatherings held online or at a Café in Tokyo.

We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of all members.

MELSA Secretariat,

Representative Director, Atsuko Omori

January 9, 2025

Customized Private Lesson

Customized private lessons are available for MELSA Cafe members who wish to take lessons at their preferred days and times. These lectures are held online via Zoom (instructor: Omori) and are tailored to each individual's learning needs in medical English. The maximum number of participants is approximately 10.

Contents: Basic anatomy and physiology in English, common expressions of medical English. 

Targets: MELSA Cafe members who pay the annual lecture fees in full, or those who prepay the first and second half tuition fees (installments). 

Start date: October 2024. 

• Free trial lessons are available. 

Materials: A commercially available textbook will be selected based on the participant's needs. 

• Participants are responsible for purchasing and paying for their own textbooks. 

Number of lessons: In principle, once a month. 

• Two to three times a month can be booked if desired. 

• Schedules will be arranged individually (transfers can also be arranged if necessary). 

Charges: Customized private lesson fees must be paid in addition to regular annual fees. 

Price system: Ticket system, one ticket (1,000 yen) is used for one class (25 minutes).

[Example] 25-minute class (1 ticket) – 1,000 yen

50-minute class (2 tickets) – 2,000 yen

75-minute class (3 tickets) – 3,000 yen

If the lecture time is extended due to the instructor's circumstances, the extension will be free of charge.

How to purchase tickets: Transfer to MELSA postal savings account. Please buy in bulk.

[Example] 6 tickets – 6,000 yen, 12 tickets – 12,000 yen, 15 tickets – 15,000 yen, up to 20 tickets – 20,000 yen

• When paying, please enter your full name and inform us of the number of tickets by email.

• Physical “paper tickets” will not be issued. Participants are responsible for managing the number of tickets themselves. 

• Additional tickets can be purchased during the period (first half or second half year).

Expiration date: Every six months.

• Please note that the tickets cannot be carried over to the next six months. 

• Tickets purchased in the first half of the year must be used up during the first half of the year, and tickets purchased in the second half of the year must be used up during the second half of the year.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Non-Profit Organization Medical English Learning Support Association (NPO-MELSA)

November 2024 Newsletter

Dear All,

We are pleased to inform you that the following courses have been successfully completed:

• November 14 (Thursday) Afternoon: Course ② English for Medical Purposes Step 1 with Mr. Shishikura

• November 19 (Tuesday) Evening: Lecture ① English Conversation for Medical Staff with Mr. Shishikura

• November 26 (Thursday) Afternoon: Course ③ Current Topics with Mr. Shishikura

We have distributed the URLs for the recorded sessions via emails. Please feel free to review the sessions.

• November  27 (Wednesday) Afternoon: On-site Lecture [B] (also known as "Off-kai") @Iidabashi Borasen with Ms. Omori has been finished.

Thank you for your continued support.

☆The following courses have also been successfully completed:

• September 17 (Tuesday) Evening: Course ① English Conversation for Medical Staff with Mr. Shishikura

• September 12 (Thursday) Afternoon: Course ② English for Medical Purposes Step 1 with Mr. Shishikura

We have distributed the URLs for the recorded sessions via emails. Please feel free to review the sessions.

• September 10 (Tuesday) Evening: On-site lecture [A] Current Topics with Mr. Shishikura has been finished.

• September 25 (Wednesday) Afternoon: On-site Lecture [B] (also known as "Off-kai") @Iidabashi Borasen with Ms. Omori) has been finished.

Thank you for your continued support.

July 2024 Newsletter

Dear All,

We are pleased to inform you that the following courses have been successfully completed:

• July 11 (Thursday) Afternoon: Course ② English for Medical Purposes Step 1 with Mr. Shishikura

• July 16 (Tuesday) Evening: Course ① English Conversation for Medical Staff with Mr. Shishikura

We have distributed the URLs for the recorded sessions via emails. Please feel free to review the sessions.

• July 24 (Wednesday) Afternoon: On-site Lecture [B] (also known as "Off-kai") @Iidabashi Borasen with Ms.  Omori) has been finished.

Thank you for your continued support.

May 2024 Newsletter

The 2024 MELSA Café Study Sessions Have Begun. The sessions were held as scheduled on the following dates:

• April 11 (Thu) 14:30-16:00 Online Lecture ② (Instructor: Mr. Shishikura)

• April 16 (Tue) 20:00-21:30 Online Lecture ① (Instructor: Mr. Shishikura)

• April 24 (Wed) 15:00-16:20 On-site Lecture [B] (also known as "Offkai") @Shinbashi Balloon (Instructor: Ms. Atsuko Omori)

• April 30 (Tue) 19:30-20:50 On-site Lecture [A] @Iidabashi Tokyo Voluntary Action Center (Instructor: Mr. Shishikura)

• May 9 (Thu) 14:30-16:00 Online Lecture ② (Instructor: Mr. Shishikura)

• May 21 (Tue) 20:00-21:30 Online Lecture ① (Instructor: Mr. Shishikura)

• May 22 (Wed) 15:00-16:20 On-site Lecture [B] (also known as "Offkai") @Shinbashi Balloon (Instructor: Ms. Atsuko Omori)

Thank you to everyone who participated in the online lectures. For those who attended the on-site lectures on your way home from work, we appreciate your effort. Despite the small group size, these study sessions are conducive to practicing English speaking. If you find it difficult to attend the online lectures at the scheduled times or if you are located far away, please make use of the recorded sessions.

☆ Both Online Lecture ① and Lecture ② use the same textbook as last year.

According to educational experts, it is more effective to approach the same content from various angles and to review it repeatedly rather than studying it briefly once. If you studied this material last year, why not review it again with Mr. Shishikura this year from a different perspective?

☆ On-site Lecture [A] will use a new textbook.

The new textbooks contains many interesting articles from various fields such as science & technology, culture & entertainment, economy & business, health, and language & education. Why not challenge yourself with articles in fields different from medical English and enjoy reading them with Mr. Shishikura?

☆ On-site Lecture [B] (also known as "Offkai") "Medicine and English Conversation" will continue to use the same textbook as last year.

We read dialogues from pages we haven't yet studied, enhancing vocabulary, reviewing English grammar, and learning about disease names, prescription medicines, communication, and cross-cultural understanding. At the venue, we use CDs for listening, overlapping, and shadowing, and we increase speaking opportunities through reading, translating, and role-playing. This approach differs from last year's online lectures. Although the sessions are held on weekday afternoons, please feel free to join if it suits your schedule. We look forward to your participation.

December 2021 - The Letter of Thanks Award from the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games

MELSA has been holding the workshops of [Medical/Healthcare Communication in English] and [Practical Communication in English for Sports and Volunteering] until March 2020 since it was certified as a Tokyo 2020 Participation Program in 2017. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games were scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020, but due to the global spread of COVID-19, the Games were postponed for one year. However, many of the MELSA members who have been studying English for many years were able to be in charge of their positions as Field Cast (Games & Venues volunteers) or City Cast (City volunteers) this summer, respectivel. They must have had a valuable experience and played a major role. We are very honored to receive the award letter of appreciation from the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. While using the fact that MELSA played a part in the "TOKYO 2020 Participation Program" as a source of future activities, we will continue to make efforts to support our members who want to study as hard as ever.

I look forward to the day when our daily lives will return as usual and we will be able to resume the study sessions together again. 

MELSA Representative Atsuko Omori

December 1st, 2021

Please note that the special website for the program (https://participation.tokyo2020.jp/jp/) will be closed on Thursday, November 25, and the call center for the program will be closed on Tuesday, November 30.

We would like to ask for your continued support and wish for further growth of the program.

2019 - The Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC) Newsletter

The Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC) interviewed MELSA during a seminar on "Sports Medicine and Volunteering #2", held by Dr. Daiya Ozaki at the Tokyo Volunteer Community Activity Center (Iidabashi). Select here to see IIBC's publication on MELSA (in Japanese only).