Anybody fluent in more than one language....Japanese? posted by skirpy on Saturday, 24th December 2011, 00:17
Hello,
First, let me tell you a bit about myself and why i want to do this.....
I was born with a bad right eye that turned in when i was a child and had many surgeries to try and correct it, now at the age of 40 i have mono vision with a near blind right eye that just looks "dead" at times.
All through my school years i was taunted about my look from both my school friends and teachers and was looked at if i was "stupid" or something.....even now i still get that look!
Getting a job interview is 100 times more difficult for me because i just don't feel comfortable making any eye contact with anyone other that my family and friends.
So to prove to people in my later life that i am not stupid, i have learned all about... IT/Computing/Technology/Health/Nutrition or just about anything at all that i can be knowledgeable about....i look into everything very deeply.
This has got me some true friends that appreciate me for what i am now.
That's my long self pity story of the way........
I have always had an interest in Japanese, i imported all my console games way back to megadrive times, my biggest accomplishment was completing JP Final Fantasy 7 with no help from a PC or tutorial......probably took over 400 hours after i had went through every option in the game.
A few years ago i took some online lessons to learn Japanese and can speak fairly well, i have learned Hiragana and Katakana very easily and can write and read it, but this is my problem now....
I just can't get Kanjii to stay in my brain.....i have bought books, android apps and ipad apps, looked at youtube and it is not sticking with me
Any linguist got any tips for me....i am getting quite desperate now.
This item was edited on Saturday, 24th December 2011, 00:43
RE: Anybody fluent in more than one language....Japanese? posted by Pete-MK on Saturday, 24th December 2011, 00:26
I've been trying to learn Japaese via Rosetta Stone for a while now. I'm getting there, and can recite boring, inconsequential phrases easily (The men are eating rice, the cat is asleep, the ball is red, the woman is a bicycle).
In rosetta stone, you can decide which script style you wish to concentrate on, Hiragana, katakana, or Kanjii. The system works on immersion, and as you seem to be versed already, it might come easier to you.
The only obstacle may be the price. Thankfully, I had a wealthy benefactor *cough* who gained me access to the system. I've just started on Hindi too.
I might add, that feeling that your eye is a hinderance to job prospects is a little outdated. I have a work colleague, Ray, who is more then competant at his job. The fact that you never know which eye is actually looking at you at any given time is neither here nor there.
I can tell you're self conscious about it, but when you're in those interviews, just exert as much confidence as you can muster, and that will create a much deeper image than any potential aesthetic impression.
RE: Anybody fluent in more than one language....Japanese? posted by skirpy on Saturday, 24th December 2011, 00:37
Hi Pete,
Thank's for the advice
I have Rosetta Stone too but have not put in as much effort as i would like to, i think i may be trying to jump too far ahead, i have spent all this week at work reading "Remembering the Kanji" by James W.Heisig and i can understand what the book is saying but i think i would need to make up my own images to the Kanji that is being explained.
This item was edited on Saturday, 24th December 2011, 00:56
RE: Anybody fluent in more than one language....Japanese? posted by Pete-MK on Saturday, 24th December 2011, 01:13
I think the golden rule for Rosetta stone is 2 hours a day for as long as you can stand it. The problem with any language without a latin base is that it doesn't follow our standard.
By Which I mean, the literal translation for 'The men are eating rice' (Otokono hito tachi wa gohan o tabate mas) is 'man, adult, plural, rice, eating, they are (or 'it is'). Which just sounds like you've had far too much sambuca
RE: Anybody fluent in more than one language....Japanese? posted by skirpy on Saturday, 24th December 2011, 13:22
Quote: Rob Shepherd says... My advise is get yourself an eye patch, eye patches are cool!
I have one and they do look cool when you see them on some people or in movies but putting one on yourself and walking outside with it is another story
RE: Anybody fluent in more than one language....Japanese? posted by Jitendar Canth on Saturday, 24th December 2011, 13:52
My dad has a similar problem... Since he was a baby, he had one eye off centre, and essentially no vision in that eye.
Before I was born, he had the operation to correct the alignment, but obviously the vision couldn't be restored. Growing up, he looked perfectly find to me. It was only when I was around thirty, when I accompanied him to an optician's appointment, that I learned that he was essentially Gordon Browned.
I still have a hard time figuring out which eye it is!
I think it's more a confidence thing, For my dad it's never been an issue, and for him it's inconsequential in his every day life.
=========================== Jitendar Canth
Quote: "I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes."
RE: Anybody fluent in more than one language....Japanese? posted by WD423 on Saturday, 24th December 2011, 15:30
Rob, where can you get a proper eye patch. I have tried chemists and e bay? I am almost blind in my left eye due to cataracts. I had my right eye done in September but I cant get glasses till the left is done. I think a patch would help me.
If you have any problems with this service or complaints concerning other users, please email the explaining the problem and we will do our best to assist you.
Anybody fluent in more than one language....Japanese?
........
