On several occasions, I’ve tried to talk with Japanese language partners about language immersion, and it never goes well. “Immersion” translates directly as 没入 (botsunyū: to become absorbed in + to enter). Halpern says this word can mean “to be immersed in (one’s work),” but it seems to conjure up watery images for native speakers.
When one partner finally understood what I was trying to say about the language immersion I experienced in Costa Rica, he supplied a sentence to capture my meaning. The sentence included 環境 (kankyō: environment, situation, to surround + situation):
スペイン語の環境にどっぷりと漬かったので、長年使わずに忘れかけていたスペイン語を思い出すのに役立ちました。
Supeingo no kankyō ni doppurito tsukatta node, naganen tsukawazu ni wasurekakete ita supeingo o omoidasu noni yakudachimashita.
I was immersed in a Spanish-language environment, so that really helped me remember the Spanish that I hadn’t used in many years and had almost forgotten.
スペイン語 (supeingo: Spanish language)
どっぷりと漬かる (doppurito tsukaru: to be deeply submerged)どっぷり(doppuri: totally (immersed in something, e.g. liquid, work))
漬 (tsu(karu): to soak)長年 (naganen: long time) long + year
使 (tsuka(u): to use)
忘 (wasu(rekakeru): to almost forget)The verb suffix -かける (-kakeru) means “to start to do something” or “to get halfway into something.”
思い出 (omoida(su): to remember) to remember + to come out
役立 (yakuda(tsu): to be helpful, serve the purpose)
usefulness + to make use of
Although 環境 helped to convey my meaning, どっぷり emerged as the key word in the discussion. If you want to convey “immersion” with all its metaphorical richness, どっぷり seems invaluable. Here’s a link to several useful どっぷりexpressions.
