Confessions of a Japanese Linguist - How to Master Japanese:

by Jones Shane

Follow the author on his odyssey from a 24-year-old Midwesterner unable to speak a word of Japanese as he recounts his initial struggle to survive even Japanese 101, to cramming four years of college Japanese into one year with top grades, to gaining functional fluency, conquering kanji, and finally gaining sufficient mastery over the language to develop marketable Japanese skills as a Japanese teacher and translator, all within four short years. There is no shortage of excellent resources for learning the Japanese language. If simply having access to excellent study material or a learning environment were the key to language learning success, anyone today with an Internet connection or a good textbook would become a successful learner. However, without the proper insight and understanding of what it really takes to master Japanese, the reality is that most aspiring Japanese learners ultimately fail in their quest to master the language or even gain a basic level of fluency. This is NOT your run-of-the-mill Japanese textbook. You won't learn Japanese grammar, hiragana, katakana, or kanji by reading this book. Instead, How to Master Japanese provides a full insider's glimpse of what it really takes to succeed at Japanese, both inside the classroom and beyond, in order to attain a true functional proficiency in the language. As you read, you will learn how to negotiate the many unique nuances of Japanese culture, as well as avoid the many pitfalls and detours in the learning process that can result in years, if not an entire lifetime, of lost time and frustrated effort in attempting to learn the Japanese language and grasp the complicated intricacies of Japanese culture. Topics covered include: -Succeeding in Classroom Japanese -Study Abroad in Japan -Japanese Foreign Exchange -Successful Japanese Self-study -Conquering Kanji -Mastering Spoken Japanese -Negotiating Japanese Social Conventions -Making the Most of Your Stay in Japan -Advanced Japanese Language Study -Sex, Romance and the Japanese Language -Teaching English in Japan -How to Make Your Japanese Marketable -Working in Japan for a Japanese Company -How to Find a Japanese Specialization -Maintaining and Improving Japanese Post-Japan -How to Break into the Japanese Translation Industry -And Much More How to Master Japanese is a must-read for any aspiring Japanese learner and is full of first-hand insight into the nuances of the Japanese language and culture for any reader with even a passing interest in the language and culture of Japan.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language

182 pages, Paperback

Published December 21, 2015

Reviews

[Guilherme · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is more about the author's biography than about techniques on how to learn japanese.

[GONZA · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read the parts that interested me as a student of Japanese. Everything else was more or less uninteresting for what I needed.

Ho letto soltanto le parti che mi interessavano da studentessa di giapponese. Tutto il resto era piú o meno poco interessante, per quello che serve a me.

[spae · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, quick read about the author's experience learning Japanese and making a career of it. Jones repeatedly reminds his readers that his fluency is the result of diligence and hard work, and notes the number of hours he spent studying throughout his study and career. He briefly compares different study methods suggests techniques that helped him study and talks about the high level pros and cons of different language acquisition patterns. If you're looking for a quick and dirty magic key to fluency in Japanese, you're likely going to be disappointed. As a reader who enjoys studying languages, I found his insights super interesting and I really enjoyed reading his memoir.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great autobiography/ example for language learners. The author’s advice is solid and straightforward. As someone who has had a similar experience (moving to India and learning Hindi) I can say that his approach to study in your home country/ immersion and more relentless study once you’ve arrived in country is pretty helpful. I’m now learning Japanese and it’s been an encouragement to hear how he went through years of hard work to make his dream come true.
I really understood the face plant feeling of showing up to Japan without really being able to speak practically.
I experienced this with Bahasa Indonesia, after 10 months of study I arrived in the country barely able to speak to people. However, having had the time to study and pack my mind with some of the language before arriving, I was able to quickly fill the gaps and get conversational in a matter of weeks.
The advice in this book is solid!
Worth the read.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good the second time around.

The 3 star reviews are unfairly rating the book based on what they wanted it to be. The author didn’t intend for it to be strictly a language learning book. It’s a mixture of biography and language learning method tips. I found it highly encouraging. He doesn’t just tell you how to learn the language, he shows you that it worked in his own experience.