Need motivation, support, help, anything!

[Brodiesan]

Hi gyus,

I was wondering if anybody had any good tips, advice or general motivational words to help me on my quest to learn Japanese.

I have a deep affection for the language, have visited Japan, taken Japanese lessons, signed up for JP101 Premium content (twice!) but I'm still struggling to push myself to learn more than I already know (which is very very limited). We all know that the language is hard but I don't want to just give up. That said, I feel somewhat of a fraud telling people that I'm learning Japanese at the moment as I'm honestly not. My studies have completely faltered.

I was just wondering if anyone else has come across this problem? What do other people do to drive them to learn more?

Maybe I'm just lazy, or too busy, but I know I want to do it but I just can't seem to motivate myself.

I appreciate any insight people might have regarding how I can kick-start my studies again,

Many thanks,

Lee

[QuackingShoe]

My suggestion is to ditch whatever it is you're doing that's got you in a slump and do something new, fun, and exciting. If going through jpod101 lessons is boring you out of your mind, quit. Or maybe just going over them 10 times in a row is boring you? I don't know how you study. But quit! Only listen once. And instead, start watching Japanese entertainment unsubbed for a couple hours a day for awhile. Come back to jpod101 a little later!

Not having a great time listening to crap you don't understand? Stop.
Actually, uh, no, don't stop. Listening is important.
But also, try to start reading some manga. Pick up a new textbook. Try iKnow.

Already going through a manga? Stop reading that one. Obviously it's boring you. Go get a different one. Or buy a game for the DS.

See my point in all this? Variety is the spice of life. If a particular aspect of your studies is leaving you unmotivated, ditch it and go do something else. You can always go back later if it's important; probably after you get bored of whatever the new thing is.

And try to reconnect specifically with what got Japanese's hooks into you in the first place. It's possibly to wander off that road and end in a studying quagmire, where you hate what you're doing but feel like you have to do it to succeed. Get out of there and realize what you actually want.

P.S.
People here (including myself) could probably give you more specific recommendations as relates to materials based on whatever your level is. Many also employ various consistent learning tools such as SRS, as in Anki., which give a certain form of motivation in and of themselves. So if curious, ask?

[Brodiesan]

Thanks QuackingShoe.

I think my problem is that I'm a bit "scared" of how much I'm behind and need to learn. This "fear" is therefore preventing me from even starting. Apologies as I know this probably makes NO sense!

I've checked out iKnow and I can see myself spending hours there dropping in and out, getting a quick lesson which should keep me going.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

Finally, do you know a good source of any online manga that features relatively simple Japanese? I don't mind reading what might be viewed as "childish" - as long as it helps me to improve.

Lee

[QuackingShoe]

I can sympathize with your feelings.

Unfortunately I'm not personally familiar with anything, but a quick google run for kids sites in general gets me http://kodomo-site.jugem.jp/ which has a listing of some random sites aimed at kids, including http://kids.yahoo.co.jp/ which also has kids news and, as I poke around, apparently a section with links related to children's manga http://dir.kids.yahoo.co.jp/Entertainme ... om&start=0 , some of which are hosted online. Nothing spectacular though, at least not at a glance.

http://kids.nifty.com/ also has manga stuff here: http://kids.nifty.com/manga/index.htm , as well as other places, including some educational stuff. This stuff seems more interesting, I think? Possibly especially through the link at the bottom. Again, though, I'm not personally familiar with any of this stuff. While I tried at one point, I eventually came to the realization that online manga wasn't my thing early on, heheh. Also, my Japanese-searching-fu is still weak. (Edit: Poking some more, おしごと探検隊 looks like it could actually be kinda fun to read, mildly educational and involving common terms)

What I'd really recommend is one way or another getting your hands on a manga like よつばと though. It's genuinely entertaining, but very easy to follow. With the aid of grammar resources, going through a few volumes of that pretty much set me up to launch into more general manga, which always seems like the trickiest part in my opinion. There's this gap between 'nothing' and 'what you need to actually get access to broad material'. Once that gap closes, you can pretty much just dance around where you please, so it's all about closing that gap.

Of course, I don't know what your level is, so take this as you will.

[Brodiesan]

You've been a great help. Thank you.

I dd a few lessons over at iKnow this morning and a lot of it is already coming back to me.

I'll check those links you've provided and hopefuly be able to just get back into the swing of things -- and stop making excuses!

The things we want in life rarely come easy.

Thanks again,

Lee

[bogart96]

Hello Brodiesan,

Don't know if this is a help, but I have found that apart from good INPUT (lessons, manga, movies etc.) I needed some motivation on the OUTPUT side to keep me going.
Have you ever thought about CREATING something using the knowledge you're continuously acquiring? Something that, however remotely, might be helpful, interesting, fun etc. for other learners of Japanese? Given a little thought I'm sure you can come up with a unique idea that works well for you It doesn't have to be anything revolutionary, it's enough if it's fun for you and keeps you motivated for as long as you need it. Good luck!

[Taurus]

I think my problem is that I'm a bit "scared" of how much I'm behind and need to learn. This "fear" is therefore preventing me from even starting. Apologies as I know this probably makes NO sense!

It is really important, to me, that you read Barry Farber's book How to Learn Any Language. Because it sounds to me like you've got a bit of OCD and OCD is the WORST thing that can happen to a language learner. And it's happened to me LOADS. Like, I'll have a particular textbook and I won't allow myself to proceed to the next chapter until I've mastered the previous one, or whatever. Or I'll get a new textbook and I'll have to start from the first chapter even though I know everything in it.

You need to realise that these textbooks, and podcasts, and whatever are just a means to an end and that end is learning Japanese. So pick and choose! If you're bored of learning vocab, then read some sentences in a phrasebook or something. If you're bored of sentences, watch a Japanese movie with subtitles and see how much you can understand. Try listening to a jpod101 lesson that is way above your level, again and again, until you can understand some of it. Just do something different that is related to Japanese.

It's like Farber says: it's not like rocket science; if you know a little bit of rocket science, you might as well know none, but if you know a little bit of language it makes *such* a difference. It doesn't matter what you don't know, it matters that you *do* know something. You *can* ask for directions! You *can* order food! With a sympathetic listener and some creative use of the words that you *do* know, you can communicate about almost anything!

And it doesn't matter that you don't know as much as Quacking Shoe, or Psy, or Javizy, or the guy in your class who is really much better at Japanese than you! These guys are intimidating, but it is not a race!

Don't think about how far there is to go; think about how far you've come. Again: it's not a race. There is no deadline. You've got forever to get good at Japanese.

I should qualify all of this advice by saying that I'm rubbish at Japanese. I scored a small victory yesterday by asking a man on the phone if it was okay to speak in English. But I did it really well, without hesitation, with good intonation, and it is a victory that I would never have scored a year ago!

So read Barry Farber, because then you'll realise that learning a language is not about proceeding down a linear path of grammar and vocab, it's about doing whatever it takes, and whatever takes your interest, whether that's learning vocab by rote, or watching a movie to see how much you understand.

I'm sorry for being long and rambling, but please, just keep at it!

[Psy]

And it doesn't matter that you don't know as much as Quacking Shoe, or Psy, or Javizy, or the guy in your class who is really much better at Japanese than you! These guys are intimidating, but it is not a race!

Intimidating? Me? Never would I have thought. I'll take it as a complement, so thank you.

Seeing as there were already several responses written, at first I considered against contributing to this thread. However, given the nature of encouragement, I figured it wouldn't hurt to add my own spin on points which have already been addressed:

1) As Taurus wrote, unless you're studying with a deadline, it isn't a race. In fact, there isn't even a finish line-- no peak of the mountain to be reached. While indeed you can set goals for how far *you*, as a learner, want to climb, no one, not even natives, will ever know everything there is to know. Thus, turn around sometimes to enjoy the view. Think about it-- being able to communicate and relate to any extent with an entirely different culture is an amazing thing. Some people are cruel and will try to make you feel small for your efforts... these people are simply jerks. Ignore them!

2) Forgetting, burnout, and boredom will happen at some point to everyone. There are no exceptions, so don't feel alone. The best cure to this, as everyone has pointed out, is to take a break from your current study methods and try to find either something more enjoyable as an alternative, or simply to stop completely for a short while. At some point something will come along that reminds you just why you became so passionate about learning in the first place. At that point, the fires will have been re-lit.

3) Language learning is not a straight line, but rather a gradually steepening curve. The more you've learned, the more you'll find yourself able to learn and at a faster rate. It can feel intimidating when you look at those ahead of you in their studies, but don't forget that they were all beginners once as well. At some point along the journey they saw the same view that you did, and decided to climb ever higher. And through much toil they continued on. There's little to say you can't do the same.

Lastly, I remember quite clearly something that a much-advanced student once told me when I was feeling entirely inadequate and hopeless with my abilities. I will paraphrase: "Don't worry about it. Everyone gets [understands] it at some point. You will too, I promise you. Everyone does. All it takes is time."

So gambare!

[Taurus]

Yes, sorry! I was using you as a metaphor!

[shooto]

I can relate to the way you feel. I'm moving out to Japan in 3 weeks and I'm so unprepared it's scary. Fortunately my friend who is Japanese has pretty good english and she can help me out.
I don't make enough time to study and I'm aware of this, sometimes I think I've done 'alright' when I go through 30 exercises on iKnow, which takes all of 15 minutes. This does not consititue a decent study session.
I'm making more of an effort lately but since my first visit to Japan in 2006 I still can't get out of the beginner lessons (shocking I know).
Some things I do to help are: always count in Japanese, use Japanese for days and months, try to think about stuff in Japanese (what shall I eat for dinner etc)
I really do aspire to be a good Japanese speaker but I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to putting things into practice.
Someone mentioned the DS, I have the Japanese coach software and got quite bored with it by lesson 78...

Ganbatte Brodie san

[QuackingShoe]

Someone mentioned the DS, I have the Japanese coach software and got quite bored with it by lesson 78...

Well, I was referring to actual games, though. I generally consider 'learning software' to be absolute balls, and wouldn't recommend anything like My Japanese Coach as anything other than small motivation. Reading and listening to native materials aimed at native speakers is the primary means to gain meaningful advancement.

[wccrawford]

Intimidating? Me? Never would I have thought. I'll take it as a complement, so thank you.

Like it or not, people see you as a leader in the Japanese Learning community.

As for the OP... You aren't 'behind'. There's no such thing when doing self-study. In fact, there are only 2 rules to self study:

1) Learn at your own pace.
2) Have fun.

If you try to break either of those rules, you'll end up right where you're at: Frustrated.

For me, that meant grinding away at vocab until I learned enough to read very very basic mangas. Now I read them with 2/3-3/4 comprehension while I continue grinding away at vocab. I make sure not to overwhelm myself on the vocab, though, as it's not fun if I overdo it. Found that out the hard way.