I wanna know?

[cowboy_yabai]

HEy~im a highschool student studying japanese in washington(thirdyear). An i be out of highschool so0n. I have a real love for the japanese culture an language, but DONT WANNA be a translater. S0o i need ideas on what future my japanese language has on my job. I wanna study in japan t0o bacause the college has many programs. S0o i just like t0 know some tips an ideas on classes or how to go about studying japanese. If no ideaS Hitme uP with AnY nEw Utada Hikaru remixez(like m-flo)^_^thanx

[Andocrates]

Hi:

Well, 3 years of high-school Japanese isn't as much as you might think. The language real Japanese speak in Japan is so fast and so chopped up with basterdazations that you'll find yourself back at sqaure one. Or else you will sound so formal that you'll put people off. However, hang in there and your new language will open doors for you - A man's gift makes room for him."

What I'm trying to say is don't even think your high school japanese will work in Japan, you can learn Japanese though but I would self-study for real. With that said, if you are still in high-school I would just let opportunities unfold for you. There isn't as much demand for english speakers who speak bad Japanese as you might think - well that was kinda' harsh . . . but in the work-place kanji is king and that's really a chore to learn. You will have to be able to be fluent in both languages to get a job in Japan based on your english ability, and the Japanese who speaks some english is the more logical choice for a Japanese company.

However, Japanese is a whole other culture and just think, you'll be able to get the best out of both cultures! Pretty cool.

[American Oyaji]

If you have a DVD player...start buying Anime DVDs....

However...do NOT turn on English subtitles. Watch them over and over again in Japanese.

It works.

[American Oyaji]

Not sure if you are saying it explains a lot about me, or being sarcastic in saying that my post was rather short and didnt say much. I'll assume the latter.

In watching animation, the voices are typically clearer and easier to understand as opposed to live action. Also mannerisms are exagerated. Communication isnt spoken language only, but it is body language as well.
Also anime uses typical colloquialisms that are in use in a wider time period than live action does.

[kamome]

In watching animation, the voices are typically clearer and easier to understand as opposed to live action. Also mannerisms are exagerated. Communication isnt spoken language only, but it is body language as well.
Also anime uses typical colloquialisms that are in use in a wider time period than live action does.

Actually, I disagree on this point. There is what I would call "Manga Japanese", which employs vernacular and masculine terms exaggerated beyond what would be acceptable in everyday speech. If you speak Japanese like a manga/anime character, you will be laughed out of the room. However, manga are good for learning the kanji and grammar patterns. Anime are pretty good for listening comprehension practice.

For spoken-language learning purposes, a basic live action drama is much better. The ones set in Tokyo use standard Japanese, and there are other dramas set in Kansai, which would allow you to hear the Kansai dialect.