Learning Japanese and English as Foreign Languages
研究室からこんにちは(短期大学)
＊ 音声・映像もご利用ください：https://youtu.be/sGSpgrJo0ms
Learning Japanese
Learning foreign languages is not easy when there are some unfamiliar grammatical constructions or concepts, which you can’t find in your mother tongue, such as relative pronouns and definite and indefinite articles for Japanese. I practice my English with a university student who learns Japanese. Written below are some of the tips that they have for learning a foreign language.
English Speaker’s Introduction:
As an undergraduate student from the United States, I came to Japan to strengthen my efforts in learning the Japanese language. My interest in the Japanese language originated in a desire to speak Japanese with my father, who is fluent in the language after living in Japan for three years. Since my undergraduate major is Electrical Engineering, I needed to find a university in Japan that would allow me to take classes for my major in English. Nagoya University allows me to accomplish this through the Nagoya University Global 30 Programs. I studied Japanese for two years prior to my experience of studying abroad, and now have been studying it for a total of two and a half years. According to NUPACE (Nagoya University Program for Academic Exchange), I am at an Intermediate Level of Japanese.
I have a few methods in which I have practiced during the past few years in order to continue my studies in this language. They may help with other students as well.
1. Watching old and new television shows in Japanese. This helps me practice my
listening comprehension.
2. Reading Japanese books at an appropriate level. I believe reading is extremely
beneficial for learning any language.
3. Practicing conversations in Japanese with classmates outside of the classroom.
4. Writing out schedule in Japanese. This helps me practice my daily vocabulary.
These methods for practicing Japanese have been very helpful during the last few years. They do not take an abundance of time, and I enjoy my time when I practice the language. My goal is to be able to use Japanese in my future career, perhaps working for an international electrical engineering company.
Learning English: The Recent ‘Nisshi’ Methods of Studying English
I have been studying English for more than twice the age of the above-mentioned undergraduate student, who helps me a lot with English study. When I was a child, I wanted to be ‘an American’, which is surely a stupid idea, after watching the movie “The Sound of Music”. My father wanted to study English for a very long time, so he was incredibly happy when I expressed interest in a career as an English teacher. I only recently learned about this after his death, and it’s good to know that he approved of my work.
To find your ideal English study methods, these strategies of mine may help．
1. Listen to (or watch) your favorite movie(s) repeatedly in the background (for an ideal goal of 2,000 hours of English listening).
It’s preferable to practice shadowing (repeating right after the dialog) then.
2. Read the class study materials or anything else written in English.
① Underline unknown crucial words (nouns are preferable) in red. There should be under six nouns for each page.
② Scan the important ideas and underline them in blue according to your interest.
③ Read each material aloud three times.
3. Keep a diary in English with the translation of five Japanese nouns.
Every entry should take two (or three) days. The entry will be introduced the first day through questions in Japanese. If the questions are answered immediately, corrections will be given the second day. If the questions are answered the second day, the corrections will be given on the third day.
4. Prepare for a qualifying examination, like the "TOEIC” test.
You should set a specific goal.
5. Help teach your classmates from English class for extra practice.
This is helpful because teaching requires three times as much knowledge as learning. Besides, it is beneficial for both of you.
Learning languages is a rewarding process that allows you to live your own unique life. Let's embark on this language voyage!!
Kazuhiro NISHIDA
Learning Japanese
Learning foreign languages is not easy when there are some unfamiliar grammatical constructions or concepts, which you can’t find in your mother tongue, such as relative pronouns and definite and indefinite articles for Japanese. I practice my English with a university student who learns Japanese. Written below are some of the tips that they have for learning a foreign language.
English Speaker’s Introduction:
As an undergraduate student from the United States, I came to Japan to strengthen my efforts in learning the Japanese language. My interest in the Japanese language originated in a desire to speak Japanese with my father, who is fluent in the language after living in Japan for three years. Since my undergraduate major is Electrical Engineering, I needed to find a university in Japan that would allow me to take classes for my major in English. Nagoya University allows me to accomplish this through the Nagoya University Global 30 Programs. I studied Japanese for two years prior to my experience of studying abroad, and now have been studying it for a total of two and a half years. According to NUPACE (Nagoya University Program for Academic Exchange), I am at an Intermediate Level of Japanese.
I have a few methods in which I have practiced during the past few years in order to continue my studies in this language. They may help with other students as well.
1. Watching old and new television shows in Japanese. This helps me practice my
listening comprehension.
2. Reading Japanese books at an appropriate level. I believe reading is extremely
beneficial for learning any language.
3. Practicing conversations in Japanese with classmates outside of the classroom.
4. Writing out schedule in Japanese. This helps me practice my daily vocabulary.
These methods for practicing Japanese have been very helpful during the last few years. They do not take an abundance of time, and I enjoy my time when I practice the language. My goal is to be able to use Japanese in my future career, perhaps working for an international electrical engineering company.
Learning English: The Recent ‘Nisshi’ Methods of Studying English
I have been studying English for more than twice the age of the above-mentioned undergraduate student, who helps me a lot with English study. When I was a child, I wanted to be ‘an American’, which is surely a stupid idea, after watching the movie “The Sound of Music”. My father wanted to study English for a very long time, so he was incredibly happy when I expressed interest in a career as an English teacher. I only recently learned about this after his death, and it’s good to know that he approved of my work.
To find your ideal English study methods, these strategies of mine may help．
1. Listen to (or watch) your favorite movie(s) repeatedly in the background (for an ideal goal of 2,000 hours of English listening).
It’s preferable to practice shadowing (repeating right after the dialog) then.
2. Read the class study materials or anything else written in English.
① Underline unknown crucial words (nouns are preferable) in red. There should be under six nouns for each page.
② Scan the important ideas and underline them in blue according to your interest.
③ Read each material aloud three times.
3. Keep a diary in English with the translation of five Japanese nouns.
Every entry should take two (or three) days. The entry will be introduced the first day through questions in Japanese. If the questions are answered immediately, corrections will be given the second day. If the questions are answered the second day, the corrections will be given on the third day.
4. Prepare for a qualifying examination, like the "TOEIC” test.
You should set a specific goal.
5. Help teach your classmates from English class for extra practice.
This is helpful because teaching requires three times as much knowledge as learning. Besides, it is beneficial for both of you.
Learning languages is a rewarding process that allows you to live your own unique life. Let's embark on this language voyage!!
Kazuhiro NISHIDA