Question:
Why does English class in Japan stink? No one really learns the
language. All kids take it from middle school and continue through high
school. 6 years. But when they go to a foreign country, they're still
like "oing", "duh", or the classic Japanese woman "ehh?" Shit doesn't
work. If English class were meant to fill time in the day and provide a
teacher a job, then it does the job perfectly. But if English class were
meant to teach English, there is seriously something wrong.
I think the problem is the books. Language is not meant to be learn be
books, like math and science is. It's meant to be learned by speaking, or
watching other people speak. Instead of books, they should use videos.
They should make them watch MTV, Howard Stern, and all that stuff. Also
they should send the kids away to a foreign country to learn first hand.
That's what I think. Any comments?
Answer:
he wasn't talking about learning japanese or cross-cultural
communication. he was just talking about the teaching of english in the
japanese educational system. Which does in fact suck. IT is not even
the slang. They just cannot construct the language in their mind and
then produce it vocally. Nor can they understand what is said to them.
They can read books just fine, but speaking and reading are two totally
different things. My friends in college in japan.. many of them either
can't speak english at all, or don't speak very well. those of them who
came to America on a study abroad are much better speakers. Many of the
japanese teachers of English there can hardly even speak intelligable
english. The flaw lies within the heart of the japanese educational
system. You spend your life, especially in highschool studying for
college entrance exams. they don't have an oral english section on
them. You have to read english and japanese and translate it back and
forth. So what they need to study to pass the exam is not speaking, but
rather grammar. And this is all they learn in school.. grammar.
However, in the real world outside of that exam, it is totally useless.
Of course you have to learn grammar, but much time must be spent as well
on teaching speaking.
Why don't you learn japanese? Well I am. I even studied in
Japan to try and make it even better. And I can pronounce japanese ra ri
ru re ro, better than most japanese can pronounce rice, valley and rule.
These japanese people, are some like my girlfriend who have been going to
college in america for 2 years or so.
So is it a matter of the slang in english that throws off the
Japanese. Sometimes, but how many japanese highschool kids would
understad this sentence if it was said to them "Would you like to take a
picture by the tree over there?" a simple sentence that has been said by
employees at Tokyo Disneyland to these kids in Japan, and they often
can't understand a word of it.
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