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Greeting from 'merica!

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Raxmo

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Hello all! I'm here to learn Japanese because I want to know a language not english. And spanish didn't take. i'd love to meet someone who knows Japanese to chat with as I learn more and more, and once I get good enough, potentially meet someone who wants to learn English and we could help each other. Either way, seems like this is a nice place to meet others interested in Japanese yay!
 
You know you went from one of the easiest languages to learn as an English speaker (Spanish) to one of the hardest (Japanese)?

Either way, good luck!
 
Welcome to the forum!
 
WonkoTheSane said:
You know you went from one of the easiest languages to learn as an English speaker (Spanish) to one of the hardest (Japanese)?

Either way, good luck!
Click to expand...

And as an American in general and a Californian in particular from one of the most useful to one of the most useless....

I don't think I could have made any progress with Spanish either, though. All this irregular verbs and the issue of gender to memorize.

When I was a kid there was no requirement that we study any foreign language in school and the only language offered was Spanish. At the time there were practically zero Spanish speakers within several hundred miles of where I lived and I didn't see the sense of beating myself up for nothing so I never had to study any foreign language until I was out of school and came here.

There are many points about Japanese which make it somewhat easier to learn...but everyday practical applicability ain't one of them. I'll never understand why anyone who doesn't live here would want to learn Japanese.
 
Well, for me, it'll be useful seeing as I am getting into game development, and on top of that, starting my own company. So, knowing Japanese will be helpful so i can localize it to japan and obviously here in the US. I like japanese as a language all together because of the way it is constructed, and writing feels more like drawing which is something I like more. Also, there's no real misspelling anything, given it's phonetic, but there is miswriting things, when hand writing at least. then there is Kanji, which is going to be fun. either way, I'd still like to go to japan sometime.
 
Mike Cash said:
That is adorably naive.
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good point... given that localization's also localizing cultural stuffs, of which i currently know nothing.... but hey, at least I should be able to translate better than plugging it into google
 
Raxmo said:
good point... given that localization's also localizing cultural stuffs, of which i currently know nothing.... but hey, at least I should be able to translate better than plugging it into google
Click to expand...

I wasn't even thinking of the cultural stuff. And being able to translate better than plugging into google still falls far short. I don't care how much better than google you are...hire a native speaking professional. Have you ever heard what they say about lawyers who represent themselves in court? It applies here as well.
 
Japan is a very difficult language; don't expect to get to near-native level anytime soon. For professional work, when it comes to expressing things in Japanese, even after years of study I would still refer to a native speaker.

All that being said, it's still a worthwhile and rewarding endeavor, and if you strip away all the practical rationale and still want to do it, more power to you.
 
Very good points... however, knowing Japanese would help with well... finding a native speeker. And would fill in the gaps for long enough before actually hiering a native speeker. Besides, i never said I'd be flawless, just that it would be better. Then again, that's mostly just trying to justify learning japanese when there's no real good reason to learn japanese for me. I'm going to learn so that I can learn for the sake of learning. i know it's kinda dumb to do something like that, but, I've wanted to learn japanese for years now honestly.
 
There is absolutely nothing whatsoever wrong with learning something just because you feel like it. I have recently put some time into learning Japanese shorthand, a slightly more outdated and useless skill than making left-handed buggy whips.

If you need help, be sure to make use of our Learning Japanese subforum.
 
I'll look into it, I've found a nice app for my phone, and simply taking it slow and steadily for now.
 
Raxmo said:
I'll look into it, I've found a nice app for my phone, and simply taking it slow and steadily for now.
Click to expand...

If you're serious about learning Japanese, get yourself a textbook.
 
Mike Cash said:
If you're serious about learning Japanese, get yourself a textbook.
Click to expand...
The app that I have is basically a text book, and from what I've seen so far, one of the highest rated text books available. And it was free I think, can't remember if I actually had to pay for it or not. But I'll go through the course on this app, and then hopefully makes some japanese speeking friends on here, build up my abilities, and if I need to, then I'll get a text book. Mainly because I don't have the money to spend on text books.... I barely make enough to pay my bills >.>
 
Raxmo said:
The app that I have is basically a text book, and from what I've seen so far, one of the highest rated text books available.
Click to expand...

What is the name of this wonderful app?

I wish I had a nickel for every person who has come through here able to afford an internet connection and a device to connect with but who says they are too broke to buy a book....without the least bit of curiosity what the book costs.

Another nickel for all the ones who don't know the difference between a textbook and a reference book and who can't figure out why they're not making any progress trying to teach themselves Japanese from reference books and I could retire comfortably.

My favorites are the Special Snowflakes who lecture us on how they don't learn well from traditional lessons in books...then demand and expect that in answer to their questions we all take a big chunk out of our day to devise and type up for their sole benefit the exact same content they would find in the lessons in textbooks if they weren't such overindulged self-entitled cheapskates.

This profound resistance to the use of proper textbooks must be the result of a generational shift or something, because it is practically universal and I am utterly incapable of understanding it.

Young Person: "I want to learn Japanese"
Us: "You should get a textbook"
Young Person: "No"

.... repeated ad infinitum.

I feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football by this point.

I don't mean to go off on you personally, OP. It's just that I'm getting tired of the farce.
 
Last edited:
it's Tae Jun's learning japanese, which is set up very much like a text book. Also, i don't have the capital to buy a real text-book.... I also have a plan to eventually get to the point where I can make a japanese friend and help them with english while they help me with japanese.

Besides, i've never had the thought that I'll be perfect at japanese, just like others are never perfect with english, sooo, there is that.
 
I think you may mean Tae Kim?

That's a reference.

Your total lack of curiosity of which textbooks I'm talking about, how much they may cost, and that searching on the titles will reveal FREE online pdf versions of them is interesting.

If you ever meet two language exchange partners who can honestly say they both benefited from the exchange I wish you would introduce them to me. I've never heard of any.
 
welp.... seems like I've quite a bit to learn about learning a new language out side of school.... then again, school only works for some not neccessarily everyone, also, one needs a good teacher...
 
oh, also I'm lazy >.> but very determined to learn japanese. I've been going through japanese like i did back when I was learning english. which has been working out pretty well so far i think. Either way, i think the method I'll be following will work with me, personally, because I know how I learn. Not saying that there is a perfect method to learn a language, just, there are better methods for some.
 
How and when did you learn English? What is your native language?
 
English is my first language. so, in preschool, learning the alphabet and all that jazz. So, I'm approaching japanese the same way I did when I learned how to read and write and the vocabulary and all that jazz.
 
Raxmo said:
English is my first language. so, in preschool, learning the alphabet and all that jazz. So, I'm approaching japanese the same way I did when I learned how to read and write and the vocabulary and all that jazz.
Click to expand...

So you didn't know any English before you started preschool?
 
Mike Cash said:
So you didn't know any English before you started preschool?
Click to expand...
well..... I did, but more like how to reed and write, because I have yet to get into vocabulary. And I doubt that I'll have any frame of reference for that. Except maybe programming, or upper levels of math or something.
 
Raxmo said:
well..... I did, but more like how to reed and write, because I have yet to get into vocabulary. And I doubt that I'll have any frame of reference for that. Except maybe programming, or upper levels of math or something.
Click to expand...

Trust me....you are never again going to learn anything whatsoever in the same way you learned English. (Which was: easily, effortlessly, and without even thinking about it or having the slightest clue you were even doing it).
 
School works for about 99% of people who put in effort.

I work with the bottom 16% of people with regards to understanding and using communication. This is and has been my career for more years than I care to think about. The vast majority of my caseload are kids in the bottom 5%, with a significant proportion of them in the bottom 1%. My job is, partially, to ensure that they can access an educational curriculum. I can tell you for an absolute fact that people who work hard almost invariably are able to learn things. People who don't, aren't.

You're wasting your time. You have that right, but you also have the responsibility to yourself to be honest with yourself. I am a poor student. My Japanese is poor because of my actions.
 
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