Job Discussion Forums

[Apsara]

It's funny- the "language leeches" and "eigo bandits" that people complain about- I haven't encountered one for many years. I wonder why they don't target me? (Not that I want them to of course...)

In fact I often get people (students in my yoga classes or co-workers at the companies where I proofread/translate) who actually speak good English speaking to me only in Japanese, and it's not until much later that I find out they are so fluent. I always think "hey, you could have given me a break by asking me those complicated questions in English so that I didn't have to struggle so much with answering them in Japanese!"

[elkarlo]

[elkarlo]

[elkarlo]

[Apsara]

I don't know why it is that "eigo bandits" don't come near me, maybe I look like I can speak Japanese? or maybe I look unapproachable... I don't think so though. Maybe because I live in an area with a relatively high foreign population- there's just no novelty left in seeing foreigners any more for the locals around here! If I do get someone asking me inane questions it tends to be in Japanese.

Actually I just remembered one encounter, but it was aimed at my parents more than me- when they were visiting last year and we were stuck on the subway due to a lightning strike somewhere an older guy started talking to us about how the trains were unreliable these days. I suppose not really so much an eigo bandit as someone making the kind of comment someone in an English speaking country would in such a situation. He started chatting with my Dad, who was more than happy to have an opportunity to interact with the locals, so I left them to it.

I don't really think that Tokyo people deserve their reputation- sure, they are not as noisy as Kansai people can be in public, but as long as you have something common with them it's easy to meet people and become friends. The better your Japanese gets the more people you will be able to interact with, of course.

Anyway, I would be interested to know from fellow Tokyo-dwellers just how often they get approached by a "language leech"- is it really that often?

[elkarlo]

[Vince]

[Glenski]

quote:Brooks It is ironic. The eigo bandits want free English, but I am lucky if I get free Japanese conversation.That's another point, if I may segue a little. Try to get your Japanese coworkers to converse with you in Japanese (especially those JTEs), and you will end up swamped in Japanese that is over your head in slang or business vocabulary, or they will simply and usually revert to English because they want the practice.

elkarlo,
Yes, you said the latest reasons I gave smacked of lack of motivation. I do not deny that, but you have to realize as pointed out to you, that makes up most of the population here. Live in the larger cities, and you can get by with such minimal Japanese that it's ridiculous. Plenty of bilingual transportation around, and it doesn't really help when you just fork over the money to a cashier.

Live in the rural outskirts, and you have very few resources to help (bookstores, for example, or bilingual Japanese for language exchange).

[JL]

I was enjoying all of this from the sidelines, but I must jump in and say that, "You studied "crap Japanese", whatever that means" has provided me with my best laugh of the day.

Also, while still tip-toeing around the major divide on this thread, I will add that the "English bandits/leeches" used to be the bane of my existence. But when I come to think of it, they somewhat dissapated along the way. I do think, as others have mentioned, that a subconcious projection of "unfriendliness" might have to do with that.

Interesting anecdote: last weekend, I was rummaging through a close-out bin of cabinet door handles at a Great Indoors store. Another customer suddenly asked me out of the blue, and in broken English, how many handles of the same kind did I need? (She was returning to the bin several which matched.) I looked up, to see a Japanese housewife with a kid in her shopping basket? And then her friend, another Japanese woman with her own kid, pulled up, too. I had to stop myself from answering in Japanese. I always hated it when, while in Japan, I'd say something in Japanese to somebody, just to have them answer me in English. So I refused to do the equivalent thing to her. I did end up taking the handles she was returning, however.

[Squire22]

Learning Japanese, or anything for that matter, is a highly individualized activity, for all the reasons that have already been brought up by many people.

In my experiences with those people who have been dubbed "eigo-bandits" (as though they are somehow stealing something from you) has for the most part been fairly positive. I study Japanese and want to practice as much as I can, but when someone sits down next to me on the train and strikes up a conversation in English, I feel as though I owe it to them to converse in English to them. It is even more difficult for them to find ocassions to use and test their own English ability than it is for us to speak Japanese here in Japan. It's not as though I "have" to speak Japanese all the time, and why should I stunt someone else's attempts to improve their abilities when I can just as easily help them. Why should I expect Japanese people to help me with my Japanese and not do the same in reverse? Seems somewhat selfish. It is also very easy to cut people off before they even get started with the conversation in English, but what kind of impression does that give? What do you think that will do to their motivation? For many English teachers in Japan, they need these people to keep paying for lessons and keep them in their jobs, by suffocating their chances to speak English you will kill their desire to learn and study more.

Personally I derive a great deal of satisfaction on a daily basis when I am able to deal with conversations in Japanese, those who choose not to learn should not be berated for their choice, they should not however impose a reliance on those that can speak Japanese or natives who can speak some English, that would unfair.

[Sour Grape]

Sometimes I wonder why I bother to keep studying Japanese. I was at a level to get by perfectly well years ago. I learned a load of words all about politics and elections recently, but nobody is ever likely to discuss such issues with me in Japanese apart from my teacher. I suppose the only reason I do it is for the hours already spent on it not to be wasted.

If I had my time again I think I'd probably have spent all those hours doing something else, perhaps learning a skill I could use when I go back home or setting up an internet business or something.

[Glenski]

[steki47]

[Hoser]

Since we're talking about Japanese in here I'm gonna just throw this out and hope to get an answer:

2 questions. First is grammar based and second is just out of curiosity.

Some times when my girlfriend (or somebody else) wants me to wait somewhere they'll tell me to "matete" I'm not exactly sure of the pronunciation. It's either まてて　or まってて. What's the grammar point behind this second "te"? I don't think I've learned this yet. I gather that it means "wait here" rather than just "wait".

Secondly, for those of you with girlfriends/wives, do you often get the "~nasai" commands from your significant others? I'm just curious as to whether or not this is common or whether it's just my girlfriend who thinks/knows who is wearing the pants in the relationship

[elkarlo]