Suwako received her Ph.D. in linguistics from Georgetown University. Her research interests include discourse analysis, socio-linguistics, language assessment, Japanese language pedagogy, and cross-cultural communication. Her publications include "Cultural Differences in Framing: American and Japanese Group Discussions" in Framing in Discourse edited by Deborah Tannen (Oxford University Press, 1993) and articles that have appeared in the Journal of Association of Teachers of Japanese and Foreign Language Annals. Japanese language assessment is one of her research interests, and she is a certified ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview tester and trainer as well as a qualified ILR Oral Proficiency Interview tester. She has been actively involved in local and national professional organizations, serving as a president, a member of the board of directors, and a member of an editorial board. Dr. Watanabe directs the third- and fourth-year Japanese language program at PSU.