Job Discussion Forums

[Celeste]

The school that I take classes at had a placement test, and then they arranged for a free trial lesson before I signed up. (It was very easy for them to place me though, I took one look at the placement test and handed it back to them. I couldn't even answer any of the questions that were in Romaji. Hmmm. Absolute beginner?)

I am very critical about language teachers because I am one and I also do a lot of teacher training in my job. I took a year of Korean at university before my husband and I headed off there and the classes were terrible. Total chalk and talk - most of it in English. My high school French classes were hit and miss. I had two fabulous teachers, one mediocre teacher, and one who had a nervous breakdown halfway through the year and was replaced by someone who didn't actually speak the language but was willing to take on such a terrible group of kids that had caused the other teacher to check herself into the hospital. Despite this, I was fairly good at that language at one point (now my Japanese is stronger because I use it every day- I don't think I have carried on a conversation in French in 10 years, and I have noticed that I am no longer able to watch movies in that language- I will have to practice again soon!)

I think that it is really important for language teachers and learners to be patient enough to do classes as an immersion situation. I have experienced both kinds of language classes, and while taking a class that is taught 100% in L2 can be frustrating for the first while, the results are better in the long term

[SEndrigo]

If you have a computer, or somehow have access to the NHK vaults, you can get some very useful Japanese lessons from NHK...called "NHK Japanese."

The easiest way is to download them from the Internet, I think there are 40 lessons each covering different topics...I've found them to be excellent.

Once you get the lessons, try rewinding and writing down the conversations...you'll learn a lot, very quickly !

[markle]

just an addition.

When you have some spare time, or you want to stay at home (to save money, it's raining, etc) watch TV! As long as you avoid English language programs, and you are observant then you'll be surprised how much you'll pick up, especially basic phrases, which will also be in context. Textbook language often lacks this or there is a concious effort to simplify the langage so you end up with langage that no-one really speaks. TV's a good source of pop culture as well.

[pnksweater]

Like Lynn I find that I pick things up simply by living. It takes a certain basic level of Japanese to accomplish this. Your one year of formal study might not be enough to manage this, but you'll find that it helps to at least know the basics. If you know the grammar you know what to listen for and can differentiate the nouns and adjectives from the verbs and particles.

Some of my classmates (back in my student days) would watch TV with a pad of paper and pencil, jotting down new words. I've been attempting to boost my vocabulary so I tend to ask my Japanese friends for random vocab. Last week I learned notstrils, bean sprouts, experience, and argument. Not the best method... but it's helped me improve my speaking level and given me more flexibility in my vocabulary.

While you're waiting around for osmossis to kick in you can enquire at your ward office when they offer English classes. The YMCA also offeres inexspensive classes. Motivation is key, so if you don't think you have enough on your own, by all means take classes or start cramming for those Japanese Proficiency Tests.

[ironopolis]

Whilst I certainly agree that the free classes you get at your local library or "international" centre are very much hit and miss (and perhaps slightly more of the latter!), don't dismiss them as readily as some of the above posts might suggest.

Sometimes they do seem to be full of bored housewives who just want to have a gawp at this gaijin species they've heard of and will always ask the same questions ("can you eat raw fish?" etc) ad nauseam. However, you can also find people who, whether qualified teachers or not, are able to help you pretty well. Sure, it IS a bit of a lottery but one you're not risking any money on. Lessons you pay for can be a lottery too and "qualified" teacher doesn't necessarily mean they're any good at it. When I was a beginner I took lessons with a "qualified" teacher: she was very nice, prepared lessons well but I found her largely ineffective as she just taught me the set answers to set questions and was unable to adapt to me picking things up quickly and wanting to be extended onto adjacent language more suitable to my needs than
"Have you got used to life in Japan yet?"
"Yes, I've even been on the shinkansen";
nor was she much good at adapting to situations where I didn't pick something up as quickly as had been anticipated. Of course, there's plenty of better teachers around, but she WAS qualified so I'd advise not assuming the Q word and having to pay for it necessarily means you're getting a better deal. So unless studying with immigrants who can't afford better is somehow beneath you, I'd say at least give free classes a decent chance first.

I'd also disagree that free classes are only good for beginners. I actually found the opposite. As a beginner, you often need someone with a knowledge of English (or whatever your native tongue is) who can better help you understand when you get stuck and can probably anticipate and appreciate your difficulties better too, as long as they don't overuse the English when not needed. Total immersion is sometimes necessary even for complete beginners due to the language background of the teacher and/or students and it does have its merits particularly the more advanced you become, but, for most people, drowning your enthusiasm in the deep end when you can still barely stay afloat isn't one of them. Whereas when you've reached a reasonable conversational level, you can get an awful lot out of people who are just chatting to you rather than properly teaching you.

As regards what you can do yourself outside of lessons, I think many good suggestions have already been made above. Sounds a bit anorak-like I know, but I spent much of my first year in Japan on 2 hour plus commutes to work and used this time looking up and learning from things around me on the train; station names I passed helped me learn hiragana, little bits I picked up from other conversations I heard, bits of vocab from poster advertisements and so on.

I'd definitely recommend, in spite of what locals and expats alike may tell you about its supposed difficulty, getting started on kanji at an early stage, preferably with a book that teaches you the stroke order. This really helps your vocabulary increase very rapidly - after all, imagine trying to learn German, French or Spanish with your eyes shut!

[unsung]