[MMM]

We are a diverse group of Japan and Japanese loving people. But you are never, ever, ever going to learn Japanese by visiting these forums.

In fact, you will learn bad Japanese if you rely soley on the well-intentioned but quick-draw posters who love to respond to "Teach me Japanese" Posts.

Bless her heart, I watched a well-intentioned young woman volunteer to teach Japanese to two enthusiastic non-native English-speakers over the last 24 hours, and in her very first "lesson" declared she coudn't give a good translation for よろしくお願いします。

I don't blame her.

I just worry about those that think they can come here and "learn Japanese".

A small percentage of the people that come here actually speak Japanese. A few of us are happy to answer specific questions about the often confusing Japanese language, but I never respond to the "teach me Japanese" post for one reason only.

YOU CANNOT TEACH SOMEONE JAPANESE OVER A TEXT-ONLY FORUM.

It would be like me asking you to "Teach me sign language"

"OK, so i put move my thumb to the left, and then at an upward angle, and that makes the letter J?"

We might as well be using smoke signals to communicate.

I feel sorry for those that can't get a Japanese tutor in Sweden or Norway or more out-of-the-way-places, but you have the Internet, and you can oreder books and CDs.

Bottom line, you get what you pay for if you want free-Japanese lessons.
My fear is it will turn people off, rather than encourage.