Representing the queen ... and a lot more

British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind's recent announcement that "the links between [Britain and Japan] are increasingly those of shared culture and interests" probably didn�t excite the natives as much as belting out a Beatles tune in a cramped karaoke box. But for one lad from Liverpool, it was cause for much excitement.

Paul Taylor is a human bridge spanning East-West. As liaison officer for the British Council in Nagoya, his job is to coordinate cultural exchanges between the U.K. and Japan. "We operate as the cultural arm of the embassy,� he says in his bright office on the fifth floor of the Nagoya Daiya Building near Nagoya station.

Taylor is the sole British Council representative in Design City, part of a worldwide network with four other offices in Japan (Sapporo, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka). The British Council, he explains, deals with "areas in both societies in which we feel exchange can be productive. [The Council] encompasses everything cultural. In other words, it encompasses anything in arts and sciences, in education, in British studies."

To coordinate such diverse elements is a gargantuan task for one man, and Taylor says that he spends most of his time in the field, out in the communities of Chubu. "I go out to people to try to encourage exchange in the areas that the British Council is interested in."

An important component of these exchanges occurs at the university level. "We promote exchange of faculty members of universities, of links with universities in research." Taylor initiates and coordinates these programs. For example, an education fair featuring 53 British universities will tour Japan starting this month. "We're doing a reception before the event to introduce as many universities here to university staff in the U.K. There are a lot of joint research projects going on between British universities and Japanese universities, and these are kicked off by events like this. Just putting professors in touch with each other" is usually catalyst enough to spark some level of interaction, he says.

The British Council makes educational materials such as videos, slides and posters available to teachers. Also, Taylor�s office is a clearinghouse for information about educational opportunities for Japanese. "One facet of education is exchange of students," he says, "from simple exchange programs to helping visiting academics and professionals find proper schooling for their children. The Council provides exchanges for a wide range of students. The youngest I've been asked about is a 2-year-old; the eldest is a lady who retired and wants to do a particular course in flower arranging in the U.K." Taylor adds that most placements are for university degree courses, with a smaller number for master�s and doctoral courses.

Taylor admits that getting this information out into the world is a huge logistical challenge. Because his duties keep him on the move most days, the Council decided it would be prudent to open an office, a base from which he could work and at which people could get information.

"It is intended to complement the one-man nature of the Nagoya operation," he says. "To be a place to disseminate information I otherwise wouldn't be able to deliver on my own."

Taylor is available Tuesdays (9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.), Thursdays (1 to 8 p.m.) and one Saturday a month, and divides his time between the Daiya office and the International Center, where he does student counseling.

One of the most important educational services the British Council offers is the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which is offered to students who want to study in the U.K., Australia or New Zealand. Taylor is keen to let Japanese and foreigners alike know about this comprehensive exam. It tests the four major areas of English proficiency -- speaking, writing, reading, and listening -- and is recognized certification for Japanese who wish to emigrate to Australia or New Zealand. IELTS is now administered once a month in Nagoya, and the dates and general test information are available at his office.

Right now the British Council is offering university students a special introduction to the IELTS exam. Not only do they get a reduced price, they are also automatically entered into a drawing for a free return ticket to the U.K. with a home stay. Details are available at the Education Fair and the British Council office.

But Taylor�s role is as much artistic as it is academic. He helps promote two-way artistic flow in fields such as dance, music and art. A movie buff, he takes particular pride in the film screenings he offers in Nagoya.

"We do a monthly film show at the International Center that's been very popular," he says excitedly. "I try to get this information out to as many language schools and universities as possible." Taylor offers film synopses in both English and Japanese that can be used as teaching materials. "The films teach English language and British culture," he explains. "You can introduce that into a lesson as teaching material, take the class to see it for free and review it [afterward]." The films are open to the public, not only teachers and their classes. This month the Ian Sellar film Venus Peter will play on Wednesday the 30th.

Other art-related projects include Artech, an art and technology exhibition for which the Council will sponsor artists from Britain. U.K. 98, a nationwide festival Foreign Secretary Rifkind unveiled last month, will be a giant celebration of British culture. Of course, Taylor will play a pivotal role in coordinating events locally.

Though the Council deals with the traditional aspects of education and the arts, technology is indispensable to its operations. Taylor has all the appointments of a modern office to help expedite his work. Pointing to his whirring computer, he says, "Through this, I'm in communication with all the offices in Japan and with the U.K." The Council offers a variety of online services. "[We've had] e-mail for a long time," he notes. "The home page went online this year."

Using the British Council home page (www.britcoun.org), a person can contact any of its 109 offices worldwide simply by clicking on a map. In addition, the main office in Tokyo is updating its library, which Taylor characterizes as "a traditional library [that] is increasingly being modernized. The plans are to move it into electronics, to CD-ROMs, terminals, videos and ordinary CDs." There are also plans to have Internet service at the library so people can access British universities, museums, tourism bureaus and other organizations that dispense useful information.

Despite the abundance of work generated at the British Council, Taylor says he�ll remain a lone wolf for the foreseeable future; there are no plans to add manpower to his staff. And though he's busy, it�s obvious he enjoys his work. "The office is gradually becoming known now. I'm increasingly getting people coming to me with propositions of things they want to do or things they want to set up."

To contact Paul Taylor at the British Council, call (052) 581- 2016 or fax (052) 581-2017.