Experiences – Life – Inspiration 🇨🇭🇯🇵

Today, I found myself faced with a unique challenge in my Japanese language learning journey: a new teacher, a seasoned Japanese instructor with limited English proficiency. Throughout our two-hour lessons, he would speak rapidly in Japanese, leaving me struggling to keep up and respond. What was intended to be a productive learning session often devolved into a Google Translate exchange, more convenient for passing time than for genuine language acquisition.

However, this setback prompted me to revisit an old method from my youth—an approach that had proven effective in language acquisition. My solution? Crafting written narratives of personal stories in Japanese, rendered in Romaji. While my proficiency in katakana, hiragana, and kanji remains in its infancy, this approach allows me to articulate my thoughts in Japanese while providing my teacher with a comprehensible context for feedback on grammar and pronunciation.

My primary focus remains on developing conversational fluency in Japanese before delving into the complexities of reading and writing characters. For supplementary practice in reading and writing, I’ve dedicated time to platforms like DuoLingo, where I can progress at my own pace.

This emphasis on spoken communication isn’t merely pragmatic; it’s a proven method rooted in my past language learning experiences. In Switzerland, I honed my language skills by tirelessly reciting texts aloud in French, English, Italian, and German. Similarly, during my time in the Netherlands, I immersed myself in Dutch, achieving fluency within a year through consistent spoken practice.

The act of vocalizing foreign words and hearing myself speak in a new language not only builds confidence but also aids in memory retention and pronunciation refinement. This auditory feedback loop reinforces my belief in my ability to master a new language—a belief that transcends mere comprehension and takes root in true conversational fluency.

As I embark on this journey once more, I’m eager to put my methods to the test and see just how far they can take me.

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