Forum - View topicLearning Japanese by immersion and high school abroad.
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prnoct90
Posts: 23 |
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So I kind of have a couple questions. I'm looking into going to Japan. I think I want to go as a High School student to experience that before I get to old (you have to be 18 or younger), but I don't think I'd be able to enjoy that if I don't know the language at all. I would be sitting in classes, listening to lectures that I wouldn't understand at all. So, I was thinking that I would go for a 4 week language program (20 hours a week) in Japan in December of this year. Then I would go for a three month high school program from May to August.
Questions: Is this a realistic idea? Will I still remember anything from the 4 week trip when I go back in May? Is 4 weeks enough to really become fluent in the language? Is it realistic to think by reading manga and light novels and watching anime that I will retain the Japanese I learned? Will I know enough Japanese by the end of the 4 week program to be able to read manga and light novels and watch anime in Japanese? Is it worth it to try and do a high school program? Thanks for any answers to any of those questions. P.S. When I go for High School in Japan, I will have already graduated my normal High School, so in reality it doesn't matter what grades I get and stuff like that. |
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MagicallyDelicious
 Posts: 157 |
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Well... can you even GO to high school once you've graduated high school...?
That being said, I hope you save up a lot of money and find some place to live. "Will I still remember anything from the 4 week trip when I go back in May?" Not unless you keep studying and using what you've learned. "Is 4 weeks enough to really become fluent in the language?" No, I somehow doubt it. Really doubt it... "Is it realistic to think by reading manga and light novels and watching anime that I will retain the Japanese I learned?" "Will I know enough Japanese by the end of the 4 week program to be able to read manga and light novels and watch anime in Japanese?" The Japanese they use in anime often isn't exactly how Japanese people speak, from what I've gathered. And, reading manga and light novels in English won't help you one bit... and I doubt in 4 weeks, you'll have mastered enough of the characters to read an entire novel in Japanese. That's just my view on it. Good luck with whatever you try to do, and don't expect people in Japan to <3 you just cause you <3 anime. |
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zaphdash
 Posts: 620 Location: Brooklyn |
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You will absolutely not be fluent and you will still be illiterate after four weeks. But you should manage to pick up at least some of the spoken language (but again, nothing approaching fluency) if you let yourself (ie, don't try to use English to get around). You should probably be speaking pretty well (still illiterate, though) by the time you finish your three month high school program. Still not fluent, but pretty competent.
It takes kids in Japan years to fully learn how to read (that is, to memorize the thousands of kanji necessary to finish school) and you're dreaming if you think you're just gonna rush through the whole process in four weeks. Hiragana and katakana are easy, you can teach yourself those before you even leave, but kanji will be a much more time consuming process. If you're really wondering whether you'll be able to read manga or speak fluently after merely four weeks, you're dramatically underestimating the task before you. Fluency in any language takes longer than four weeks, even with total immersion. |
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frentymon
Forums Superstar
 Posts: 2362 Location: San Francisco |
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Kinda depends. How is the program's reputation? How much do they guide you through the actual process of learning Japanese? How much do you want to learn Japanese? If you plan on going to college, are you willing to take a year off just for Japanese? If you're serious enough about it I'd say go for it, but if you're just an anime watcher who is kinda interested in the language maybe you'd want to reconsider. It also won't really be fun and games all the time either. Japanese isn't that easy. Grammar structures are way different than English. Kanji is difficult to learn and more difficult to retain. Keigo is annoying. List goes on and on.
Depends how intensive it is, and how much the instructor talks and tries to pound the language into you guys. My best bet is "not really", and learning a language really just takes time. You can't learn much in one month except basic grammar, hiragana, katakana, and some basic kanji.
Hahaha, no. It might be enough to communicate very awkwardly and slowly and perhaps get the point or part of the point across, but nowhere close to fluent.
Well, they certainly help. I have a friend who learned Japanese solely from anime (no formal lessons or visits to Japan or regular contact with Japanese people whatsoever). He's been watching for 12 years though, but can speak and understand equivalent to someone who has taken 3 years of formal Japanese lessons. I've found it also accelerated my learning as well. So, it will help, but retain...you have to be a really active listener (can't read much after a month of lecture, give up on manga and esp. light novels), and that might seriously hamper your enjoyment. Then, maybe you'll retain and perhaps even improve.
Anime you'll understand bits and parts, maybe 25%. Manga and light novels, not really. Especially not light novels.
Again, depends on how much you really want to do it and what you're willing to give up. Also, don't expect them to treat you like a prince. They might for a few days, but that's only a few days. Don't expect to fit in well with them. |
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trailblazen
Posts: 2 |
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Two words that might be your only salvation for this situation......
Rosetta Stone Rofl. That coupled with your "Immersion" might be your only saving grace.... |
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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I think you should look at what you want to accomplish while you're in the program. If you're looking to be somewhat fluent in the language, then it may be a good cause. Thing is though that you won't be ready to take on the country with three months worth of lessons. If anything, to stay fluent in the language you have to look at what you will do after the program. Like college. You would want to continue taking Japanese classes in college, and look at trying to take the profficiency tests to see where you are in the Japanese language.
I went to Japanese school for eight years. It was not easy learning the language. The first year if anything, I had to have a tutor come into the classroom to translate for me while class was going on. I had no proficiency skills in the language when I was nine, and currently I have a level 2 certificate in Japanese proficiency. When I went to high school I had to go the Japanese way to get in, and that certainly was not easy. But, if you want to learn how to speak Japanese, then I would say that this is a very excellent opportunity for you. Either way, I wish you luck. |
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Enjeru
 Posts: 221 |
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Pretty much I would have to agree with what everyone above has said. 4 weeks is just not enough. However, it is a good start. Taking the step to actually go overseas and allow yourself to be surrounded by the language and the culture is a much better idea than the road I have seen many others take. I think it is realistic that in the 4 weeks over there you could easily grasp hiragana and katakana and perhaps a small number of kanji. Of course that all depends on you. Being surrounded by the language is not enough, many hours of studying is still necessary.
Then if you do another 3 months that will sharpen what you have learned as well as build upon it. I would strongly suggest that if you are really serious about this, I would use what you are planning on doing as a stepping stone and is in no way and end of the journey. So after you come back I would suggest continuing your study of the language. Be it taking Japanese in college or another method of study. I myself, leave for Tokyo in 17 days. I will be studying Japanese at Sophia University (上智大学) for the next 10 months. And even I know that 10 months is just not long enough to even be close to fluent. However, I do believe that as long as I work hard, open my eyes and ears, and allow everything to soak in; I can learn more in those 10 months than I could possibly learn in 3 or 4 years of taking classes. So in closing, I would like to wish you luck in your decision and say that I think the path you are thinking of choosing is a good one. |
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