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Originally Posted by Gahzirra
So which one are you and what makes you special? playing Devils advocate  |
Not the person this was directed at, but as I pretty much agree with what was said (and what you quoted) I`ll take the bait.
#1 - Doesn`t apply to me as I`m female.
#2 - Doesn`t apply as I came to Japan for other reasons, and early enough that it would be hard to say that I`d lived enough to become a social outcast.
#3 - See #2. My arrival in Japan was prior to entering the workforce.
As to why I`m so special... Well, I am not one of the categories listed, for one.
I live a normal life with no dependency on my "gaijin"-ness. (Language ability, yes - but not in a teaching capacity. I am a translator/interpreter.)
Quote:
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I would state, Yes knowing Japanese prior to living in Japan would make life easier...What really you don't say? Yet many of you didn't follow your own pearls of wisdom, some things are easier said then done.
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I don`t really think the point was "Learn Japanese fluently
before coming to Japan." It was "Learn as much Japanese as you can if you`re going to live in Japan." There is a difference. I understood it to be directed at all the people who want to live in Japan, but don`t want to learn the language. Just being in the country is NOT going to magically make you fluent - especially if you don`t really have an interest and surround yourself with English speakers. The better the foundation, the easier it`s likely to be.
There is a reason that people who didn`t know much Japanese before coming to Japan are pointing this out. Because they experienced starting out with little Japanese. You know, all that "more experienced" stuff isn`t a joke.
Most of the people who come to Japan do NOT learn the language. They get frustrated and drown in stress and negativity. Those who do pick it up are a minority. For the handful of people I`ve met who picked up Japanese... There are countless numbers who gave up, found it too stressful, were disappointed with not suddenly acquiring the language, or who stayed but never managed to pick up anything more than the most basic phrases.