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Every week throughout the year, a blog written by a Ritsumeikan language facilitator will be posted here. These blogs cover a wide range of topics: language learning tips, stories from daily life, travel recommendations, and more.
By clicking on the ‘CATEGORY↓’ tab on the right, you can search for subjects you’d like to read about. Whatever your tastes, we are sure there will be something here for you!
コラム一覧 / Blog List
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05 .15Why I Read Self-Help BooksPhoto Credit: Kranich17 @ pixabayMore and more, I hear students say something that completely breaks my heart. “I don’t like reading.” This, to me, is one of the saddest things I hear from today’s younger generation. I’ll admit to you, there are definitely a lot more exciting things we can do with our time. Reading does not often give us a rush of adrenalin or dopamine, two chemicals that bring us joy and cause addiction (both healthy and unhealthy ones). However, it does so much for us that we often overlook (or ignore).First, reading books, especially non-fiction, gives us a better education than many of our university classes do. Why, you ask? You can take the learning at your own pace and review things as much as you want before moving on to the next stage (chapter). Also, being a published author requires the writer to be an expert in the topic. Furthermore, the book will have been read, questioned, evaluated, rewritten, and perfected, before it reaches your eyes. This means the content in the book can be trusted to be valid and accurate, whether it matches our opinion or not.By contrast, magazine and online articles, blog entries, tweets, and other reading materials, are often produced much more quickly and with less peer reviewing than books. In some cases, no one has verified the information before it goes public! Some of these writings can be trusted, but not all!My second reason for reading these kinds of books is that it allows me to hear points of view that are different from the ones I currently hold. I have been influenced by my parents, my friends, my teachers, and others who are in my circle of contacts. However, bringing in someone else’s perspective, someone that I have never met before, allows me to get a fresh angle on a topic that might already interest me. I might not take everything that they teach and apply it to my life, but at least I can gain something from reading their work!Finally, reading relaxes me a lot more than staring at my smartphone or computer screen. I get enough social media, movie streaming, and other such entertainment in my life. I find that looking at books, pages with meaningful writing on them, calms me down and helps reset my mind for a while. If I do not read on any given day, I feel that I am a little bit too wound up to handle the next day.By the way, I strongly recommend the book Atomic Habits (by James Clear). It has been translated into Japanese and is called 複利で伸びる一つの習慣. I am also currently reading a really cool book called Terraform by my favorite rapper, Propaganda. I also just recently bought a book called Stop Living on Autopilot by Antonio Neves. I hope it gives me a good education, offers some new perspective, and relaxes me from day to day.I recommend you pick up a book and learn more about how you can make yourself a better person, too!Questions:1) What do the chemicals adrenaline and dopamine do for us?A - Give us a happy feeling in our brainsB - Make us want to read more booksC - Provide entertainment such as Netflix and social media2) Why are blogs less enjoyable than books, according to the writer?A - They do not have enough depth, so we cannot learn from themB - They can be read on the train, so reading them is not relaxingC - They are often not fact-checked by others, so they might be inaccurate3) Which of these is NOT a reason that the writer enjoys reading self-help books?A - They help him gain new perspectives on topics he already cares aboutB - They help him avoid using his smartphone and computer so muchC - They provide a good education because the writers of these books are expertsScroll down ↓ for the answersAnswers:1) A2) C3) BTrevor Raichura
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05 .08The Joy of Vinyl RecordsPhoto Credit: Merve @ pexels.comMany people today listen to music using streaming services like Apple Music or downloaded mp3 files played through smart phones. When I was a child in the early 1970’s, we mostly listened to music with vinyl records. Then cassette tapes became popular because they were more portable, and you could record your own music onto them. Later in the 1990’s, CDs became the most popular medium for music. My favorite way to listen to music is the vinyl record. In recent years, records have become trendy again, partly due to their popularity with DJs. I am not a DJ, but I have several other reasons why I like vinyl best.If taken care of properly, records last a long time. I have several hundred records; most of them I bought in my youth or came from my father’s even older collection. Today I listened to the very first record I ever bought – Led Zeppelin IV. It still sounds great, even though the vinyl record is over 40 years old. None of the cassettes from my childhood work at all now, and even some of my CDs from the 1990’s don’t really work well anymore. My old records; however, have become some of my most prized possessions.I believe the analog format of vinyl records provides a better, warmer sound than digital formats. Even the pops and crackles you hear on scratched or dusty records can have some nostalgic attraction for people of my generation. Many audiophiles think analog records contain a wider range of sound waves and give a rich, truer, more authentic sound.Finally, and most importantly, listening to music with records is a more involved, satisfying experience. First, I have to physically find a record by looking through my record collection. The artwork on the record covers trigger memories and helps me choose what I want to hear. Then I have to take out the record from its sleeve, decide if I want to hear side A or B, put the record on my turntable, and manually place the needle at the song I want to hear. Often, I will start from the beginning using the automatic function. This makes me listen to all of the songs in the order the artist intended, something I think is mostly lost today when we skip through and just pick single songs from our mp3 collection. As I listen to the record, I usually spend some time looking at the artwork and the information printed on the album sleeve, and sometimes I can read the lyrics to the songs if they are printed on the sleeve. I think listening to music with records is a more focused, complete, artistic experience than using other formats. When I play vinyl records, I can most fully appreciate what I am listening to.Questions:1. Which of the following is the oldest music medium?A. CDsB. Streaming ServicesC. Vinyl records2. In paragraph 4, what is an ‘audiophile’?A. A professional musician.B. A notebook with notes about music.C. A person who is enthusiastic about high-quality sound.3. Why does the author like vinyl records?A. Because they are very convenient.B. Because the author thinks they provide a better listening experience.C. Because the author is a DJ.Scroll down ↓ for the answersAnswers:1. C2. C3. BBrett Morgan
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05 .01Out-of-the-box ideas for your leisure time at home
Photo Credit: Ylanite Koppens on pexels.com
Have you been looking for something different to do while staying at home? How about learning to play a board game or having a game night? There are many types of games that can be played by yourself or with a group. Although you might think games are just for children, they can be enjoyed by adults too: from strategy games to family games to word games, there are many to choose from.
The game of chess has been growing in popularity, especially since The Queen’s Gambit was released on Netflix last year. The show is based on a book with the same title, and it refers to the name of an opening move in the game of chess. This fictional story follows chess prodigy Beth Harmon as she struggles with personal problems and strives to become the best chess player in the world. Because of this series, more and more people are buying chess sets, learning the rules, and following famous chess players online, like grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. These new members of the chess community are practicing at home with their friends or family members, or they are playing online. Although the rules of chess are easy to understand, the strategy is difficult to master, so it can be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. In fact, my father taught me to play chess when I was an elementary school student, and although I don’t play it now, I remember the time we spent playing chess together.
During the stay-at-home period, some families have started a new tradition—game night. Game nights are a fun way to spend time together and not only play games but also talk. Over the past year, my family often played board games, and the one we have played the most is called Ticket to Ride. Two to five people are needed to play the game, so it is ideal for a game night with friends or family; however, there is also an app version if you want to play alone. The object of the game is to collect colored cards and then build train routes to connect cities across the board. There are various versions of the game, each based on a different map: The United States, Europe, and so on. Players earn points based on the length and point value of the train routes, and the winner is the person with the most points at the end of the game. Therefore, this game is a mixture of luck and strategy, so it is very fun to play on game night.
Games are good for the brain, and they can be a fun way to practice language skills too. Classic word games like Scrabble, Boggle, Scattergories, and Taboo are sure to challenge your English vocabulary skills, and most of them are available in both tabletop and online versions. No matter which one you choose, playing a game can be an excellent way to spend your leisure time.Questions:
Q1. According to the article, why has chess become popular recently?
A. It is easy to master the game of chess
B. There was a popular show about chess
C. A game of chess can be played quickly
Q2. What kind of game is Ticket to Ride?
A. A word game
B. A card game
C. A board game
Q3. Which benefits of game night are mentioned in the article? (Choose all correct answers.)
A. Competition
B. Communication
C. Tradition
D. Imagination
Scroll down ↓ for the answers
Answers:
1 – B
2 – C
3 – B & C
Mary Hillis -
04 .24Language Lessons from Polyglot Language LearnersPhoto credit: Tessa Kavanagh on PixabayPolyglots are people who have learned many languages. The most famous polyglots can speak over 10 languages. Some of the current famous polyglots are Richard Simcott, Steve Kaufmann, and Luca Lampariello. You can look them up on the internet to find out in detail how they study. They might study a little differently than your teachers have told you but it is hard to argue with their success. This article will summarize what I found out from researching polyglot language learners.The first thing to know is there isn’t one way to learn a language. Polyglots used a lot of different methods. Some of the methods they recommended were the opposite of what other polyglots recommended. The lesson here is to research what others recommend, try many different methods, and when you find one that works for you personally, use that method. Despite there being many opinions on what is the best way to learn languages, there were some main themes that emerged.Maximize Comprehensible Input. Most polyglots were big fans of the American Linguistics Professor Stephen Krashen. Krashen recommends learners expose themselves to as much of the target language as they can. This input should ideally be just above your level and interesting to you. This includes reading easy books, watching videos, and listening to music. The key is to listen and read as much as you can in your target language. Some people call this the immersion approach. Use the time you have such as when you are travelling to school, doing housework, or winding down at the end of the day.Review Words, Phrases, and Sentences from the Input. Most polyglots advised reviewing what was learned from the input using a Spaced Repetition System. This is similar to studying from flashcards but the Spaced Repetition software tells you when to study the information again just before you forget it. There are many computer applications you can use but the most famous one is called, “Anki”. When a word or phrase repeatedly catches your attention make a study card and review it until you can recall it easily.Practice Speaking and Writing. Although most polyglots advise to focus on listening and reading at the beginning stages of learning a language, speaking and writing can help to reinforce and solidify language already learned. To practice writing, the most obvious example given is to write a diary. For speaking, the most obvious thing to do is to speak to others in the target language. If this is not possible, recording yourself can also be good practice.Learning a language should be fun if you follow the polyglot language learners’ advice. Immerse yourself with as much interesting content in your target language as you can. Pick out bits you want to learn and review them with a spaced repetition system like Anki. When you have progressed beyond the beginner level, use speaking and writing to reinforce what you have learned through listening and reading.But most of all, make sure to have fun!Questions:1: What is a "polyglot"?A parrotA person who speaks many languages well.A person with many “glots”.2: What is the first advice from polyglots?Eat food from around the world.Feed your parrot many seeds and fruits.Maximize comprehensible input.3: What is the name of the most famous SRS Flashcard Application?Anki.GoogleTik-TokScroll down ↓ for the answersAnswers:1 – B2 – C3 – AMichael Wilkins
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04 .17Inspired by Historical FictionPhoto credit: Avery Evans unsplash.comYou may have discovered that reading about one topic will get you interested in others. Recently, I read the novel “The Eagle Has Landed” by Jack Higgins (1975). The style is what some call ‘historical fiction’ meaning places, people and events used in the book may have really existed, but the drama is a fictional story. This particular story relates an account of a secret plan of Nazi Germany to send soldiers to England in order to kidnap the Prime Minister of Britain, Winston Churchill.While reading, I first became curious of the location of some scenes in the book. This led me to researching more about Norfolk and Norwich, England by looking at maps and pictures. I also wanted to see pictures of war time Berlin and England.I became interested in the historical characters including Adolf Hitler, Churchill, and Benito Mussolini, the former Prime Minister of Italy. These are names I grew up hearing, but I never learned the details about what kind of people they were, or what they did during the time of World War II. I also become interested in the political problems between Ireland and Britain which have a long history and are one component of the story’s background. The internet is a great resource for following up on topics. We can see pictures, videos and find other materials related to what we are reading.After finishing the book, I learned about a movie that was made based on the novel. I read about the actors featured in the movie and how it was reviewed by movie critics. From now I would like to read more ‘historical fiction’ novels to see how the authors combine real and imaginary events or people. In fact, there have been many historical dramas produced for TV in Japan. They are often based on historical characters and events, but they can show us a human side to the events we read about in history textbooks. I recommend trying some historical novels and checking out some historical dramas as well. It is an interesting way to encounter people and events from the past. Maybe you will also be inspired to expand your interests and views about various related topics.Questions:Q1. Which book did the author read?A. Harry PotterB. The Eagle Has LandedC. Apollo 13Q2. Who were two famous people in the novel?A. Adolf Hitler, Winston ChurchillB. Jack Ryan, Ethan HuntC. William Wallace, Queen ElizabethQ3. Why does the author recommend reading historical fiction?A. You can watch historical movies.B. It can help you get a good grade on history tests.C. It can give you a new perspective on history.Scroll down ↓ for the answersAnswers:1 B2 A3 CBBP Staff
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04 .10Learning from doing Volunteer Work
Photo credit: RODNAE Productions @pexels.com
Have you ever done any volunteering work before? If not, what kind of image do you have of them? My image toward volunteering work was something special and for only special people. However, my image was changed after I did some volunteer work in a Japanese class as a language facilitator when I was studying in the UK as a postgraduate student.
Volunteer work became more familiar to me and made me realize that it can be a good way to deepen my interest or knowledge, especially when the volunteering work that I chose related to what I wanted to do in the future. As far as volunteering work in the UK, it seems normal for university students to do it before they start job hunting, and to write about volunteering work experience on their CV.
According to a survey conducted in 2019 by the Japanese Cabinet Office, 33.3 % of Japanese young people aged between 13 and 29 answered that they are interested in volunteer work. However, this was the lowest rank compared to other countries such as USA (65.4%), UK (52.7%), South Korea (52.6%), France (51.7%), Germany (49.6%) and Sweden (45.8%). In fact, 48.1 % of Japanese young people answered that they are not interested in volunteer work, which is 6.2 % higher than a previous survey in 2013.
In terms of the word “volunteer”, Cambridge Dictionary says that volunteer means: a person who does something, especially helping other people, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it. What’s more, PATIMES.ORG [https://patimes.org/the-origins-of-the-word-volunteer/] explains that the origin of the word volunteer comes from the Latin word voluntaries, which has the meaning of willing or of one’s own choice. With reference to the benefits of volunteer work, [https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/volunteering-and-its-surprising-benefits.htm] it explains that there are four good reasons to do such work;
1. Volunteering connects you to others. This means that volunteering can give you a chance to make new friends and expand your network.
2. Volunteering is good for your mind and body. According to the researchers, helping other people can make you feel happy and increase self-confidence.
3. Volunteering can advance your career. Volunteering can teach you some important skills such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management and organization.
4. Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life.
It is said that volunteering can be an easy way to discover your interests and passions. Why don’t you learn not only from the textbooks but also from doing some volunteer work?
Questions:
Q1.What percent of young Japanese people are interested in volunteer work?
A. 49.6%
B. 45.8%
C. 33.3%
Q2. What does the Latin word "voluntaries" mean?
A. Explosions.
B. Willing or of one’s own choice.
C. Giving things away free
Q3. What can people receive by doing volunteer work?
A. More Self-confidence.
B. Bigger pay
C. Free lunch
Scroll down ↓ for the answers
Answers:
1 C
2 B
3 A
Ryoko Ozaki -
04 .03Blog title: Are you Dissatisfied with your Life?
Photo credit: Miguel Bruna unsplash.com
I have been reading a lot recently, now that I have more time stuck at home… I have been wanting to be a better person and make good use of the time I have now. I am sure my old self would have been stuck in front of the TV watching Netflix or locked on the computer screen, stuck on the latest YouTube videos. A book that is changing my life is “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. I recommend you pick it up, it is an easy read, but it can change your life. {Jamesclear.com[https://jamesclear.com/]}
Here are a few of the many good ideas in the first chapter, but that is just the beginning… Everyone has habits, and did you know that the habits that you have now, whether they are getting up early, or turning off the lights when you leave a room, came to you without effort? Of course, your bad habits, like procrastinating or eating an unhealthy meal come very easy too, but did you know that those little decisions make up who we are? These little decisions, good or bad, add up. These “1% decisions” are not noticeable but are very meaningful. As you repeat and do small things, day by day, those habits will have an impact on the way your life will be heading. If you stay up late and finish up work you were putting off, sure you can survive on three or four hours of sleep that next day, but one day in the future, you will wake up late and miss something important or make a mistake because you were sleepy.
The author says, “Success is the product of daily habits – not once-in-a-life-time transformations.” You might be thinking that you need to change every little thing in your life… no… start with one thing that will make your actions successful. Just like when you chop a tree down, you pick up your axe, and start swinging, you cannot cut down a tree with one blow, it takes many strikes at the tree to bring it down. Just like starting a new habit, it takes many times of doing something to start a new habit, or stop a bad one. At first, it is exciting to start something new and you can see wood chips flying, but after a while you get tired and you hit and hit but you do not see change. When you finally fell that tree, the whole world will look at you and say how great your achievement was, but you know it was the work that you did when you did not see any results was the work that made things possible. Fighting on through hard times will make future success.
“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision.” It is a new year now and people talk about “New Year’s Resolutions” (新年の抱負) . More than making a goal this school year, plan on making a “system” that will make your goals a reality. Just like every Olympic athlete has the goal to win the gold medal, if you improve the way you train and make the environment easy for you to get better, improve your training system… you will have a better outcome. Also, achieving that goal will be good, but the result of meeting that goal is nothing if your life is not changed. If you diet and lose those kilograms you wanted to lose but go back to eating as you did before the diet, you will just rebound back. You need to change your eating and exercise system so you will have those great results (lost weight and fitting into those jeans) for the rest of your life.
These are just some of the great ideas waiting for you in the book. Please read it and come to the BBP and let’s talk about it. Everything counts.
Reference: Clear, J. (2018) Atomic Habits. Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
Questions:
1. What did the author do this past year?
A. watch a lot of TV and YouTube videos
B. sleep a lot
C. read books
2. What is the book "Atomic Habits" about?
A. making good habits
B. studying atoms
C. a boy named "Tom"
3. The book's author said, "All big things come from ___________"
A. big things
B. small beginnings
C. once in a lifetime events
Scroll down ↓ for the answers
Answers:
1 C
2 A
3 B
From the desk of Scot Matsuo -
03 .27Animal Café
A few years ago, when my daughter was depressed because of a broken heart, I took her to a cat cafe for the first time to cheer her up. The cat cafe was located in Osaka in a two-story building with fancy decorations, such as a cat tower, cozy sofas, and toys that cats would enjoy. We stayed there for about an hour, playing with about 20 cats. She seemed healed and felt a little better on the way home.
What kind of people visits such animal cafes? People who want to have pets but cannot keep them at home, people who seek healing by playing with animals, and people who love animals. However, there is no doubt that these animal cafes are popular in Japan and will continue to increase in number.
Cats used to be the mainstream, but now there seem to be dogs, raccoons, hedgehogs, rabbits, reptiles, and owls. When I was in Kyoto the other day, I found a micro pig café. Several people were waiting in front of the shop. The admission fee for adults and elementary school students is 660 yen, and the first 30 minutes are 1,100 yen for adults and 550 yen for elementary school students. For every 30 minutes after that, an additional 550 yen for adults and 330 yen for elementary school students will be charged. In other words, an hour's stay will cost 2,310 yen for adults and 1,540 yen for elementary school students, which is quite expensive.
Historically, the oldest cat café was opened in Taiwan in 1998, and it is said that a Japanese tourist later brought the idea back to Japan and opened a dog café in Japan in 2004.
From the point of view of animal protection, there are many voices against these cafes. If they were kept as pets in some houses, they would receive a lot of affection as a family member. However, in these animal cafes, they are touched and held by an unspecified number of people and are treated as what is called a showpiece.
Amidst these voices, we have recently seen dog and cat cafes with different concepts. For example, they also play a role as animal shelters. In other words, if customers find their favorite dog or cat, they can apply to become a foster parent and take the animal home if the conditions are met.
In Japan, it is common practice to buy pets at pet shops, but many countries have banned the sale of pets as a form of animal welfare. People who want to keep pets are likely to buy them directly from breeders or receive them from animal shelters. Will this be the case in Japan shortly? Pets not only include dogs and cats but also tropical fish, insects, hamsters, ferrets, turtles, birds, and a wide variety of other animals, so they will continue to exist for some time.
Photo Credit: Amir Reza Setoudegan Ghasemi@pexels.com
Blog Quiz
Q1. Why did the writer go to the cat café in Osaka?
Q2. How much would it cost an adult to spend two hours in a mini pig cafe?
Q3. In your opinion, would you prefer to get a pet from a pet shop, an animal shelter, or a breeder? Why?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz AnswersQ1. To cheer her daughter up.
Q2. 3,410 yen.
Q3. Answers will vary.Rika Takeda -
03 .17What Difficulty Do You Prefer for Games and Life?
Do you play computer games? If so, what difficulty setting do you prefer? The typical choices are easy, medium, and hard. Some people set their games to easy so that they can enjoy a stress-free experience. Others bump up the difficulty to medium to add a little bit of a challenge. But in my experience, medium difficulty hardly proves a challenge at all. So, do you like to be punished on hard difficulty? For me, when given a choice, my preferred difficulty is somewhere between hard and very hard, which is quite challenging. I need to feel like I can barely survive to get the maximum satisfaction.
Now, if I were to ask you the same question regarding your daily life, your real world, would your answer be the same? Are you someone who wants an easy daily experience that is as free of stress as possible? Or are you up for a challenge from time to time? Maybe some might enjoy the feeling of being totally overwhelmed, as if they are underwater, struggling to breathe. For me, when asked this question, my answer would most definitely be whatever is the easiest difficulty possible. The feeling of being overwhelmed brings me a sense of anxiety that I can’t stand. Indeed, I have had many nightmares about real-world deadlines but never about anxiety related to playing games. In other words, my choices don’t agree with each other at all.
I’m not the only person who feels this way, as many people have brought up this discussion online, pointing out how our actions don’t make sense. Why would someone finish their stressful day at work only to go home and immediately play stressful games in their free time? Some believe the answer is about consequences, which are the outcomes of the actions that we make. In the real world, our actions have real consequences. If we miss a deadline, it could mean that we disappoint others or even get fired from our jobs. And thinking about the consequences makes us afraid of losing control. Games, on the other hand, have a restart button and unlimited chances. Therefore, a game can allow us to experience challenges without having to worry about heavy effects. This is just one theory, and we really don’t know why humans act in this way. But what would happen if we removed the fear of failure? Would we suddenly become more daring and passionate about pursuing difficult challenges? This is an interesting question in my opinion.
Now ask yourself, what type of person are you? What type of person are you in real life? Do you fall apart if you are not in control of your environment? Or do you get excited about the idea of barely managing to hold on?
And what type of person do you want to be? Does it match your preference of game difficulty? And if it doesn’t, why not?
Photo Credit: Ron Lach@pexels.com
Blog Quiz
Q1: Regarding the statement in the last sentence of paragraph #2, “… my choices don’t agree with each other at all,” what choices is the author referring to?
Q2: What preferred difficulty does the author prefer for games? For daily life?
Q3: Why would someone enjoy stressful computer games but hate having a stressful job?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz AnswersQ1. The author is referring to the choice of difficulty for games and real life.
Q2. The author prefers games to be significantly challenging while daily life to be as simple as possible.
Q3. Having or not having consequences may change how humans react to a challenge.
The BBP Staff -
03 .13Learning a Language through Loving a TV Program
Do you know what the longest-running animated television series is? Do you think it’s The Simpsons? South Park? Family Guy? Well, it’s my favourite Japanese show–Sazae-san.
You all know that the Isono and Fuguta families never get old, that there’s no way Katsuo can fit his K T-shirts over his head, and that by the end of the credits we begin to feel down at the prospect of the end of the weekend.
But did you know the power of one TV show you love to help your understanding of a language? How many people in the world today have learned Dutch through Nijntje en haar vriendjes, French through La Famille Barbapapa, and Russian through Cheburashka? I can’t tell you which TV program is best for learning English—that you’ll have to do yourself. It’s really just as long as you love the program and want to watch it again and again like I like watching Sazae-san again and again.
Here are some tips. But first you’ll have to have Amazon Prime or Netflix or use your digital recorder. Next, you’ll need a friend. Nobody speaks a language by themselves.
List of tips:
--Watch for 10 minutes, then predict what you think will happen.
--Watch the entire episode, then summarize what happened.
--Freeze any random frame, then describe what is happening.
--Watch a scene with your eyes closed, describe what happened, then watch what really happened.
--Watch a scene with no sound and write down what you think was said, then check.
--Have your friend write down the English subtitles, then erase a few words.
Next, you watch without the subtitles and try to fill in the blanks your friend made.
--Turn the sound off and practice reading the English subtitles aloud.
Afterwards, with the sound on, check your pronunciation and intonation.
--Together write down an English-subtitled dialogue, then practice acting it out.
You both may be better than some of the actors you find on TV these days.
I hope you will try one or two of these tips on your own beloved TV program. As for me, it’s time that I finally figure out what Ikura-chan is really saying. So, from now on I’m going to try to translate everything he says into perfect English.
Photo Credit: Taryn Elliott@pexels.com
Blog Quiz
Q1. What is the longest-running animated television series?
Q2. Which languages can you learn if you watch Nijntje en haar vriendjes,La Famille Barbapapa, and Cheburashka?
Q3. What is the best TV show to help you learn English?
Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.
Quiz AnswersQ1. Sazae-san.
Q2. Dutch, French, and Russian.
Q3. The one that you love.Paul Meyer