Learn Japanese from Me
Regular readers at RSON will know that I spent many years, almost 20, in Japan.
Yeah, I learned the language. Yeah, it was/is a hard language. But, don't you know, little children 2-3-4 years old can speak it. Most anyone who makes the effort can learn it, too. The key word being – effort.
My mother-in-law came to the States and spent about 6 months. Before she came she knew nothing. When she went back to Japan, she knew nothing. She didn't try.
My kids, on the other hand, learned a lot.
It's easy for kids, right? Uh, no.
They came home from school exhausted each day from trying to understand, hear, register, translate, act on what was being said around them and to them. They tried, they learned.
It is my opinion that learning a language is not as hard as setting aside 20-30 minutes EACH and EVERY day to learning is. In other words, the person who has the discipline to study faithfully EVERY day, even a little, will/can learn.
I will begin a series of posts about learning Japanese. They are not for beginners, though beginners may/can get something out of them. The posts are mostly for people who have some facility with Japanese.
I will introduce idioms, expressions, hard to translate words that I came across, that were thrown at me, that I butchered and eventually got a hold of along the way. Hopefully, my insights will be useful to you.
But does learning Japanese have anything to do with business?
Seriously, does anybody really ask that question? My experience has been that one does not need to master a language to be effective in business as much as one needs to be earnest in studying the language. The individual who is making a serious attempt at communicating, understanding gains tremendous trust and respect. And, these are is fundamental in business relationships, especially in Japan. Come. Learn with me. And, if you will, please teach me, too.
