Recently I read an article from a man who recommends that all Native speakers should just speak in English and not learn Japanese on the basis of not really needing Japanese and to please our Japanese hosts. He has some good points and some ridiculous points but his comments reminded me of an issue that I think about quite often and that is the challenges of learning Japanese as an English speaker in Japan. I'll finish on that note mentioning one thing he said. He mentioned that Westerners who can speak Japanese are rude and just showing off to those who can't.

Native English speakers in Japan have a lot of advantages to learning Japanese over non-native English speakers. One example of this is that many Japanese people can speak a bit of English and can thus help us to translate words, phrases, and even signs we don't know. Additionally, English speakers are quite lucky in that we can learn katakana English words much faster than non-native English speakers. Finally, the number of study materials for learning Japanese that are in English is much greater than those in other languages (With almost none for Vietnamese and Indonesian students). However, there is one major disadvantage of being an English speaker in Japan and that is the profoundness of English and its effect on people. For those who are making an active effort to learn Japanese you can probably relate when I say that when we meet a Japanese person or communicate with one there is an immediate clash of interest.

Language arm wrestling

I would equivalate this clash of interest to arm wrestling. In arm wrestling there are two major factors that determine the winner. In most cases the stronger of the two wins, but in addition to strength we should also consider will power as major factor in determining who wins and who gives up. In terms of communication, ''strength” refers to one's language ability and ''will power” refers to ones want to speak a language. I can say with extreme confidence that the Japanese (among other Asians) have us beat in the ''will” department in general. Any person living in Japan can see prime examples of those who lack the will in co-workers, friends, and strangers who speak little or no Japanese despite being in Japan for more than one year.

I often see Westerners who have good to great Japanese abilities who often lose in ''language arm wrestling,” not due to ability of language but ''will” or desire to speak the language. To be honest, I identify myself as winning most of my battles but I have lost some due to lack of will, stress, and in many cases laziness! Another reason for losing is because of kindness. By giving up in the language clash, you are being nice to the other person by giving them the chance to speak English.

The Japanese often comment that they are great at understanding the subtle things in human interaction and I don't disagree. However, I have noticed that although the Japanese are good at reading body language and facial gestures, understanding the unspoken word, and the feelings of others there are not so good at understanding these things when it comes to English. Take for example, Native English speakers who go to a community center to learn Japanese. Most Japanese people when approaching these students immediately start to speak in English. This is quite a sad situation because I have many friends who really want to speak Japanese but can't because their ability is still at a beginner level and become easily unmotivated. In the long term this process of being constantly de-motivated by Japanese people who don't give them a proper chance to speak Japanese causes them to give up. Doesn't it seem strange to you that in a place where learning Japanese is the focus of day, people don't give you much chances to speak it? Also, whenever a new English speaker comes people like hawks attack their prey once an opportunity opens.

On one hand, I understand that Japanese people as a whole probably need English more than we need Japanese. This needs being based on English as the ''International language” of the world. A good example of people who don't need Japanese are the ''one hit” wonders who leave as soon as they came. However, those who are planning to stay or have been staying long term definitely need Japanese if they want to be able to live independently.

On the other hand, I understand why Japanese people want to speak English so badly with me because it's the only chance to use the English they've studied for so long!
I can't imagine studying something for six years and not have a chance to use it. Oh wait, I can and that something is advanced math! Actually, I don't mind speaking in English 50% of the time if the person I am talking to actually studies English because only in an uncompassionate world would people have to always pay to speak English. So I don't mind sparing some of my time to help a friend out and have a good conversation.

Commercialization of English and its psychological affects on Native English teachers.

A negative trend I have noticed is the commercialization of English and the psychological effect it has on teachers of English. To start off, I doubt that anyone will disagree that most Native English speakers in Japan work as English teachers. Their job description basically involves speaking English and providing a comfortable and fostering environment for learning English. Here in lies the problem, our job is to speak English. If you were like most people, you would decline when asked to do overtime by your boss for no pay. For the reason that your free time is your time to be doing non-work related activities. For some of these teachers having to speak English feels like having to work and there are obviously other things you would prefer to be doing. Unfortunately, this is how some people view speaking in English with Japanese people. By viewing it as a chore.

One might ask, why isn't speaking in English with other Native speakers seen as a chore or labor? Actually, I think it is in cases in which you don't like or want to talk to the other person but must for appearance. Additionally, I view listening to people with nothing interesting to say as being a chore or laborious. A positive side to communicating with Native speakers is that, when I speak with other native English speakers I can speak English naturally and not have to think about simplifying for my conversation partner.

Eigomaniacs

Another negative trend I have noticed when speaking in English to some is that it comes to be expected and they get angry, upset, or quite defensive when I try to speak in Japanese. An example of this would be having a conversation with a Japanese friend in English for one hour and then trying to speak in Japanese to this friend. In many cases I have experienced people who reply in English and continue to reply in English despite me replying three or even four times in Japanese. Another way to describe this type of person is someone who continues to reply in English despite repeated attempts to establish a conversation in Japanese. In my case, I just ignore or avoid that person in the future because I know they probably view me as a means to an end rather than as a fun (I hope) person to talk to. 50/50 isn't a lot to ask for ne?

Sacrificing friendship for language.

The one thing that saddens me most in this situation is that I may lose a potential friend or partner by my misjudgments of a person's character. This is a question that I have asked and will continue to ask many times after cutting off a person. In a perfect world, both people will feel as if they were each receiving a 50/50 share of everything. However, this isn't a perfect world and we have to use our tools to analyze it. Although my tools are not perfect, I will trust its ability and if I lose a potential friend because of it so be it. All in a days work to learn the Japanese that will make my life in Japan much easier.

Non English speakers and learning Japanese

For all these reasons I think learning Japanese as a Native English speaker is much tougher than for those from non-English speaking countries (Vietnam, Indonesia, China, and Mongolia) because they do not have to battle against the profoundness of English when wanting to learn Japanese. In this respect, I consider people from non-English speaking countries as lucky because many Japanese people are not so interested in speaking their language and thus have a lot of opportunities to speak Japanese and not have to fight or struggle to do something so simple as speak a language. However, we Native speakers should consider ourselves lucky in that so many people want to introduce themselves to us or want to be our friends. Additionally, many things are in English so its quite easy for us do everyday things and easy to get help when things are not in English.

Finally, I would like to commend those who volunteer to teach English to adults at community center or volunteer to do anything that shares our culture to the people of Japan or helps Japan in general. Japan has provided us with great food, friendly people, good jobs, safe environment, good hot baths, and a memorable experience so why not give something back to Japan. All in all Japan and its people owe us nothing, we made the decision to come here and I personally feel that I owe a lot to Japan for everything that it gave me.

The Hawaiian Lion's blog
http://thehawaiianlion.wordpress.com/