11/26/2012

What is the difference between other countries women and Japanese woman of English learner?


I was so busy because I had to write some articles for a Japanese web site for women called "Josei no Bigaku". The site is intended for Japanese women 18-50 who are learners of beauty life and has no commercial agenda. I wrote the articles with all Japanese. So I wanted to translate my article from Japanese into English. And I made it!  (I am not professional translator!)
From "Josei no Bigaku" 




I asked an American native English teacher "What is the difference between other countries women and Japanese woman of English learner?"

Japanese people respect Japanese women who can speak English.  At the same time many Japanese companies have become an international business and their official language has changed from Japanese to English. These companies prefer Japanese women or as they are called "office ladies ", who can speak English.


Here is my example. Yes, I go to English class and I study very hard there. This time I asked my English teacher about Japanese women who are learning English.
She told me about a lot of interesting topics, so I would like to share some of them with readers.My English teacher is an American woman who is an expert in teaching English to immigrants for over 20 years.

Ms. Patricia Hatfield is the ESL teacher who has been teaching English to immigrants for over 20 years. ESL means English as a second language.

Now there are many ESL classes in United States. First time I met Patricia was in her class. She had about 20 to 30 students in the class. There are students from over 10 countries in her class. She teaches the class by herself without help from anyone else. We can hear many languages, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Thai, and Japanese, of various countries ... sometimes jumbled.
Patricia could set the mood in the class and made it become kind of an English world for the students. She is trilingual and can speak Spanish, French and English.  Her experience learning foreign languages helps her understand her students' situation and how to help them learn English. 


Interviews with an ESL Teacher

It's time to start to ask Patricia some questions.

Please tell me about your impression of Japanese women who learn English.

I understood about Japanese women who try very hard to learn English.  They are very dedicated to education because their writing and reading skill is better than other counties students. However Japanese women are very shy about speaking English in the class. I still think Japanese women are the most reserved to speaking up.

How about women from other countries who study English?

Which foreigners have been the most successful in learning and adapting to English?

Any languages that are related to English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and German, etc. They are able to easily make sense of English. They speak a lot and they don't mind making mistakes in English conversation.

I think each country's women have many activities to learn English at a high rate. Women have a proficiency to chat more than men. I think if you like to talk a lot it is because you are a woman.

Which foreigners have the most difficult in learning to English?

In my experience it has been Vietnamese. Vietnamese speakers have a harder time with pronunciation. I had a Vietnamese student like that but she made it!!

Sorry to say this but if you are too shy to speak, that will slow down the learning process.

What is the best way that you recommended for learning English?

I recommended you that have a boy friend that is a native speaker. You will want to have communication with him because you want to try to learn for him, don't you? A very good way to learn is by doing one of your favorite things in English.

For example, you can sing or memorize a song in English. If you like cooking you can learn about American food with recipes in English. You want to do something in English on a daily basis.

Do you have any advice to Japanese women who are learning English?

Motivation is required when studying English. English learners are usually motivated because they came from another country to the US.  Japanese women work harder at learning English and they take it more seriously.

I think there are many different ways to study, and you can be successful if you take it seriously. However, I feel like I have become less talkative because I feel like I am on a stage when speaking English and if I make a mistake that everyone will be critical of my performance. You can learn from your mistakes to improve your English skill and no matter what your feelings or opinions, please say it in English.
For my last advice to you let me say, "Just open your mouth and speak!"