Japanese Courses - Language Etc

[Astro Bear]

Looking to go back to Japan late this year, but this time I want to go back knowing some of the language. Are there any courses online? Can anyone make any recommendations for someone in my situation?

Cheers people.

[Messiah]

Looking to go back to Japan late this year, but this time I want to go back knowing some of the language. Are there any courses online? Can anyone make any recommendations for someone in my situation?

Cheers people.

There are... but another option (one i took) is to go look for the pimsleur japanese language course on one of those totally legit software distribution sites...

[Munkyb0y]

thats mad!!! i'm gonna try learn japanese too for when i go next.

love that place!

[errno]

pimsluers is very good

also this

start at lesson 1 and work from there

[Beer Baron]

I would recommend if you are serious go and do a face to face type course somewhere. I have done a number of them at sydney uni (obviously not much use to you) and they were fantastic.

learning on-line is ok, but you really need someone good to teach you about pronunciation, colloquialisms etc.

try looking for classes at uni's etc in your area.

also, download dream kana and work on your kana knowledge when you are bored at work etc. very helpful.

it's a great idea. japan is a very different place once you can speak and read some japanese.

[akeenan]

beer baron,

we seem to be agreeing alot recently! haha

to the original poster, if you are serious about learning jp. start off with an online course while you are waiting for you tafe short course / uni course to start. however if you are planning on doing all this work just for a week / s holiday I say save your time and watch tv instead.

If however you are planning on going and staying for 1-death +/- years study your ass off! and get ready for the everyday battle! haha

[*LOACH*]

to the original poster, if you are serious about learning jp. start off with an online course while you are waiting for you tafe short course / uni course to start. however if you are planning on doing all this work just for a week / s holiday I say save your time and watch tv instead.

I absolutely agree with this, I have been here for a year and the amount of times I go somewhere all ready with what to stay in Japanese and just get talked at in English, conversely even though I have studied heaps since I have been here there are still times when people will will talk to me in Japanese for several sentences and I wont have a clue what the meaning of one of the words is, makes studying Japanese for a short trip a waste of time.

Learn how to say hello and thank you and people will appreciate it. Any more is for living here. In which case I highly recommend learning hiragana even if you never want to write as it really helped me with pronunciation and forming words.

[75coupe]

Im slowly learning japanese and I've been using the pimsleur japanese language course and Im finding it quite good, you have two others that are learning along with you as well as a japanese speaker as well, so you get a few perspectives, its done really well...

there are torrents around for it

[BstewyR33]

There are... but another option (one i took) is to go look for the pimsleur japanese language course on one of those totally legit software distribution sites...

lol

i'm using the pimsleur series. got it on my iphone, listen to it at work (slightly hard to concetrate while trying to draw ductwork & listen and learn jap though), it helps if you speak out and repeat the words your hearing.

but as others said learning with someone speaking it to you (ie. tafe/ uni etc etc), its alot easier to understand. something about seeing someone say the words makes it easier i find.

you could even try and seek out a japanese student (TESOL) while they learn English, they can teach you Japanese

[JEPPE]

me too! heading in october, going to do 2 x 1 hour classes in the city to learn, did heaps in high school but forgot a bit

This place looks good though, and effective, you can talk with other people and I think it would be more worth while paying because it will probably get done properly.

http://www.japanesemelbourne.com.au/

[Messiah]

regarding speaking to someone who understand japanese, i couldnt agree more.

Whilst i use pimsleur (listen ot it on the train etc etc) it is a major set back if you cannot practice it with someone.

If you know any japanese people, speak to them, if not sign up to a course. If your in a real pinch, find someone else who's learning it and practice talking to them.

[sleeper_et]

I would probably go for a face to face course. You need to hear the language and be able to work out peoples facial expressions.

My Japanese is still a work in progress, I am pretty much self taught but I did do a Japanese course for 1 night a week for 3 months.

Your best bet is to make some Japanese friends, watch Jap movies/music.

Also look at a website called tutorfinder, you might pay $20-30p/h but the face to face experience is well worth it.

頑張って！！！！Good luck

[Kinkstaah]

Rosetta Stone is also a good one. Worth the money. I paid money for it and was happy with what I got out of it. Mind you this wasnt Japanese.

As my gf has differing opinions on the worth of non-face-to-face language learning, what would be the best place to enroll to learn the language from start to finish.

And by that, I mean literally nothing, to 100% fluent.... while being in-person style lessons is there any institutions that can offer something like that?

[adam87]

Rosetta Stone is also a good one. Worth the money. I paid money for it and was happy with what I got out of it. Mind you this wasnt Japanese.

As my gf has differing opinions on the worth of non-face-to-face language learning, what would be the best place to enroll to learn the language from start to finish.

And by that, I mean literally nothing, to 100% fluent.... while being in-person style lessons is there any institutions that can offer something like that?

i think its pretty much an impossible task. you have to live here and be around it and hear it and use it and see it everyday to speak fluently.

[elrodeo666]

Japanese Language For Busy People 1 will give you the basics and No 2 will get you on your way with Kanji

But.......

Throw your books in the bin.

The best way before you go is to get a Japanese girl language student. There's buckets of them inOz looking for language exchange. Bonus is you might even find one thats good looking and keen for a bit of ..cough cough cultural exchanages.

The best way once in your in Japan is hit the bars and dont mean gaijin bars.

Just spend a little time walking around and suss out bars,izakayas night clubs that are pretty much Japanese only. You'll be forced to communicate as best you can in Japanese and you'll learn faster this way than any other. Remember booze is you friend, the less you can think the easier it is. You got to not try to think in english.

Tune, tune, tune. The more girls you get the better your Japanese. Take condoms as the Jap ones are small. Imagine ring barking your knob..get the picture.

Never go to Japanese school. I had to do this for a year once for a visa and it was hell. Around $6500 for a year and 20 hrs a week.

Would have been much more worthwhile spending that money in a bar tuning candy.

Schools will stuff your Japanese and make you all polite, great if you want to do business etc there but if you want to speak like a native then hang with the natives.

When I first went to Japan around 10 years ago I got a job as a male host. This was an awesome job and brilliant for your language learning, plus you got to drink free booze and play with women, some but ugly , some too rich and lonely but quite rootable. It definitely has its seedier side as the place I worked for was run by a solid yakuza group but the contacts and friends I made their will be with me for life.

[Kinkstaah]

i think its pretty much an impossible task. you have to live here and be around it and hear it and use it and see it everyday to speak fluently.

Thats kind of the point. Are there places/courses/whatnot that actually provide language learning in this fashion. I.E - Speaking with an instructor intensively in order to become fluent.

The japanese school mentioned above is probably more what "I" (note, not me) is looking for, 20 hours a week for a year, for example. One would presume that that's a small classroom environment.

[elrodeo666]

Thats kind of the point. Are there places/courses/whatnot that actually provide language learning in this fashion. I.E - Speaking with an instructor intensively in order to become fluent.

The japanese school mentioned above is probably more what "I" (note, not me) is looking for, 20 hours a week for a year, for example. One would presume that that's a small classroom environment.

Yeah mate full time Japanese school in Japan is pure hell. The work load is intense and you really just want to be going there to really study.

If I was you I'd be hitting up the TAFE's , Uni's, English schools looking for Japanese students looking for a language exchange student and spend as much time with them as possible.

Benefits are you may end up making a good friend and excellent contact in Japan.

This is probably best for you.

Also have a suss of what Japanese language schools are about in your area. For one on one study you will pay through the nose.

Hit some books, the Japanese for Busy people 1 & 2 are pretty easy to understand.

Learn Hiragana & Katakana at the very least if you really want to learn fast. Dont worry about the Kanji, there's over 8000 of those babies and even the japanese dont know most of them.

Watch japanese movies and listen to the pronunciation, download stuff and chuck it on your ipod and listen , listen listen.

But best of all is go get a cheap Jetstar ticket and get your arse over there and into the bars and start talking. Dont worry about having bugger all and being embarrassed, just go for it and you'll find you'll be speaking the lingo in no time.

[elrodeo666]

This guy has the best lessons around !!

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/Sp...ml#entry5237886

[xALmoN]

Lol, i can pronounce properly, but i dont understand the shit i'm saying more than half the time. Watching lots of anime helps, and singing the songs help heaps too! Of course, knowing chinese does help a lot too, automatic hiragana. or was that katakana, i reckon its hiragana.

[SkyHi_33]

When I first went to Japan around 10 years ago I got a job as a male host. This was an awesome job and brilliant for your language learning, plus you got to drink free booze and play with women, some but ugly , some too rich and lonely but quite rootable. It definitely has its seedier side as the place I worked for was run by a solid yakuza group but the contacts and friends I made their will be with me for life.

Hahaha how the hell did you score that job?? lol