X-Talk
IT × Global

Nashimoto The DX Promotion Department was established in April 2024, and almost all of the work is new to everyone. The two of you have been working really hard under these circumstances. Could you please tell us your honest impressions of the DX Promotion Department since you started working here?

Furuta For the three years since I joined DLTX, I worked in the same department as Nashimoto-san. Naturally, I knew what kind of person he was, so when it was decided that I would be working in a new department with him, I thought it would be easier to communicate with everyone. In fact, that was the case, and the atmosphere here makes it easy to exchange opinions.

Nashimoto Since the work in this department is something that all of the staff will be doing for the first time, it is essential that we communicate actively and exchange opinions. This is the first time I've worked with Okubo-san, and he has joined us as a young employee with outstanding English skills.

Okubo That's very kind of you Nashimoto-san. As soon as I was assigned to the department, I had the impression that it was very easy to communicate with the employees. I think that having many employees who are easy to communicate with is the corporate culture of DLTX as a whole. In particular, this department is made up of people with a wide variety of backgrounds, so I think it's an environment where it's easy to offer opinions from different perspectives.

Nashimoto Actively speaking with people who have different perspectives and values than you is an important part of the DX Promotion Department's activities and is closely related to its objectives.

Nashimoto The mission of the DX Promotion Department is to find effective ways to utilize overseas human resources and prepare to realize them. This mission is positioned as part of the "Digital Development Strategy" listed in the medium-term management plan formulated by Dai-ichi Life, Dai-ichi Life Holdings, and DLTX in March 2024. The current initiatives are centered on preparing to set up a GCC (Global Capability Center) and training bridge system engineers who will act as a bridge between the GCC and Japan. Could you please explain the initiatives that you, Okubo-san, and Furuta-san, are currently working on?

Okubo My main job is to clarify important conditions and points to note when communicating smoothly in English with overseas engineers. I am currently searching for solutions to problems such as differences in accents, time differences, and values depending on the country or region, even though the English is the same. I am also in charge of interpreting for meetings and translating English documents.

Furuta My current main duties are preparing for the establishment of the GCC and implementing English training programs for employees to acquire English skills as bridge system engineers. Regarding the GCC, we have already carried out the first trial project to verify the operation method and effectiveness of the GCC, and we are preparing for the next trial.

Nashimoto In terms of preparing to establish the GCC and training bridge system engineers, we will start with measures that can be implemented and then aim to expand to a certain scale within the next two years.

Nashimoto After I started working as an employee, I had a period of time where I had little contact with English, and now I've decided to relearn it. Could you briefly tell me about your relationship with English up to now?

Okubo Due to my parents' work, I lived in New York State from age 5 to 12 and was educated at a local elementary school. When I was 6, I was able to say "rice ball" for "onigiri" right away, but I didn't know how to say "furikake". I remember the frustration I felt at that time, and I think it was what motivated me to master English. Thanks to that, I was able to pass the EIKEN Test in Practical English Proficiency with Grade 1 in my second year of junior high school and achieve a TOEIC score of 985 after returning to Japan.

Furuta TOEIC 985 is almost a perfect score, isn't it Okubo-san? (laughs) The time when I put the most effort into studying English was when I was considering studying at university. Since I was required to submit an English proficiency test score, I prepared a lot and was able to get a TOEIC score of 750.

Nashimoto In addition to carrying out the department's mission, I personally hope to work at an overseas base. Lastly, please tell us about your goals and visions for the future.

Furuta First of all, I want to improve my English skills to a level where I can use them at work. I want to be able to immediately express in English what I want to say.

Okubo My goal is to acquire the skills required to be a bridge system engineer who connects Japan and overseas. I would like to work on improving my knowledge and skills in systems development, as well as English.

Nashimoto We will probably continue to make trial and error work at our department, but let's work hard together and enjoy our daily work.