Space Summary
The Twitter Space ESL ポッドキャスト w/ Kyle hosted by EddieEigo. Explore the transformative power of language and cultural understanding through Kyle’s poignant experiences in an ESL podcast. Gain valuable insights on achieving fluency, excelling in international environments, and navigating cross-cultural communication challenges. Discover practical tips for TOEIC success, personal growth through language hurdles, and the importance of real-life language application. Kyle’s journey exemplifies the significance of language proficiency beyond traditional education, offering inspiration for those seeking success in English communication and global endeavors.
For more spaces, visit the Lifestyle page.
Questions
Q: How did Kyle’s experience highlight the importance of English fluency?
A: Kyle’s journey during his wife’s surgery underscored the critical role of language in effective communication and support.
Q: What strategies can help individuals achieve high TOEIC scores?
A: Practical tips and focused study methods are key to excelling in TOEIC examinations.
Q: Why are cultural insights crucial for success in international environments?
A: Understanding cultural nuances is essential for effective cross-cultural interactions and integration.
Q: How can English learners apply language skills in real-life situations?
A: Practical application of language skills, especially during challenging circumstances, enhances proficiency and understanding.
Q: How did Kyle’s experience in the USA contribute to his growth and proficiency in English?
A: Living in the USA provided Kyle with immersive experiences that accelerated his language learning and cultural adaptability.
Q: What advice does Kyle offer for Japanese learners aspiring to excel internationally in English?
A: Kyle shares valuable insights and strategies for Japanese learners aiming to succeed in an English-speaking environment.
Q: How can language learners strike a balance between structured education and practical language use?
A: Balancing formal language education with real-life communication experiences is essential for comprehensive language development.
Q: What role does determination play in achieving excellence in English proficiency?
A: Kyle’s dedication and persistence in mastering English highlight the importance of determination and continuous learning.
Q: How can language challenges contribute to personal growth and development?
A: Overcoming language obstacles fosters personal growth, resilience, and adaptability in diverse environments.
Q: Why is it important for Japanese individuals to be able to excel internationally with their English skills?
A: Proficiency in English opens doors to global opportunities and promotes success in international settings for Japanese professionals.
Highlights
Time: 00:05:15
The Impact of Language Fluency in Healthcare Exploring how fluency plays a crucial role in effective communication during challenging situations like medical emergencies.
Time: 00:11:30
Strategies for TOEIC Success Discover effective study techniques and approaches to achieve high scores in TOEIC examinations.
Time: 00:19:45
Cultural Adaptability for International Assignments Understanding and embracing diverse cultures is fundamental for thriving in global work environments.
Time: 00:25:10
Real-Life Language Applications Learn how applying language skills in everyday scenarios enhances fluency and understanding.
Time: 00:32:20
The Growth Journey Through Language Challenges Exploring how overcoming language barriers leads to personal development and expanded horizons.
Key Takeaways
- Importance of fluency for cross-cultural communication
- Real-life application of English skills in healthcare scenarios
- Enhanced language proficiency beyond traditional learning methods
- Strategies for achieving high TOEIC scores
- Cultural insights for success in overseas assignments
- Balancing language learning with practical communication skills
- Striving for excellence in English proficiency
- Personal growth through language challenges
Behind the Mic
Initial Greetings
Good evening here, Kyle. Hey. Hey. How are. Guess what time? Pardon me? Guess what time here in the US. It is 11:00 a.m. no, no, pm. Is it right? Is that right? Right. Yeah. 11:00 p.m. wow. Thank you. No problem. I’m so excited to talk with you. Oh, the excitement’s mine. Is it past your bedtime? Sorry. I’m sorry. Is it past your bedtime? It’s 11:00 p.m. basically I still got awake this time. Excellent. I’m kind of a short sleeper. Are you one or 02:00 a.m. yeah. Oh, wow.
Introductions and Appreciation
Nice. So yeah, a lot of people already joined. Yeah. I appreciate it. Yes, I do too. Thank you so much, everyone. Yep. Ami san, Sachiko san, Zeri san, Takasaki san, Yoshida san, Emri san, Yamada song, ego song, sayaka san. Wow. Julie san. Okay, so many. Thank you all. Shall we stop? Yes, absolutely. I’m ready. Yeah. Okay, so first of all, thank you for your time, as I know you’re busy, including Kyle. And to everyone. And also, thank you for joining us. Today we’re gonna talk about ourselves self introduction. And also we’re going to talk about how to learn how to improve English. And also, I just want to a little bit dig into the Kyle’s background.
Kyle’s Engagement
So any agenda, any topics. Kyle? Well, I’m just going to follow your lead and see where you take me and I will do the best I can. Okay? Okay. No, you’re a main person today, so I’m just. Wonderful. Thank you. Yeah, no problem. Okay, let’s start with our self introduction. Sure. Let me start first. I’m Eddie, and I was born and raised in Japan. And I work for japanese company. And I’ve been living here in the US for about one and a half years. Actually, this is my second transfer. My first transfer was from 2013 to 2019. I came back to Japan and then my supervisor asked me, you have to go back in the US all of a sudden out of the bureau that I want to use.
Eddie’s Personal Experience
Then I’m here myself. My family is in Japan. Actually, I’m so missing family, but to take care of my family, so yeah, it can be helped. And also my mission is to enhance our solution business. That’s what I’m committed to. And also, yeah, since I’ve been living here myself, I’m improving my cooking skill. Your wife will be happy. Yeah, yeah, I believe so. And also, I just want to ask a little bit about my ex account. My ex account is based on basically posting english idiom and phrase and words which native speakers use a lot. And very often. The reason why I share this kind of things is because what idealized here in the US is native speaker likes metaphor and cliche, which we never learned in Japan.
Linguistic Insights
That’s why. So I want to share this word and idiom, the phrases. That’s very kind of impactful to native speakers when we talk with native speakers. That’s why I highly recommend you guys to learn native words, native phrase, if you will. That’s very, I think, powerful in terms of communicating with native speakers that are kind of my unique post and information in my past. Okay, I’m gonna hand over to you, Kyle. Go ahead. Thank you. Thank you. And just to tie in back to something that you said, Eddie, you’re not a teacher. You’re just genuinely interested in evangelizing parts of the English language, particularly expressions and idioms and commonly used phrases in English. And I think that’s amazing.
Kyle’s Background
You work full time for a company that has transferred you to America, and I’ve noticed that you dedicate a lot of time online supporting the English language, and. And I find that amazing. Thank you. For myself, I was born in America, specifically Texas. Yeehaw. And I. I grew up on the southern border of Texas, near the ocean. And then I’ve lived in various locations around Texas, including Dallas, Houston, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio. I graduated high school in San Antonio, and from there I moved on, I went into the service and, which brought me to Japan. And it wasn’t my intention to come to Japan, but because I joined the service, that’s where they sent me.
First Impressions of Japan
And once I got here, I was here for a minimum of one year. And while I was here, I thought, well, what a waste it would be just to come here and spend all my time on the base. So I would go to the bookstore every day and buy books and try to study the language. And I continued to stay here. I extended my time for up to four years, and then, so I really loved it. And I went back home and I began my career outside of the service and I became a software developer, which was fun. It was great. And then after that, I ended up being an instructor where I traveled around to different companies around America to teach software development skills and to upgrade current software developers skills.
Teaching Experience
I’ve taught at NASA and I’ve taught at other major technology companies. And then at one, at some point in the time, there was a big crash in the economy, and it affected a lot of people, maybe even worldwide, but particularly in America. And eventually even my job suffered a layoff. And well, over a period of a year or two, I had the option to come back to Japan, which I sometimes tell people that I didn’t come, go back. I came back home. It really felt like home here, you know, the first time I used to actually miss being in Japan. Many of you who have lived somewhere else probably understand that feeling.
Returning to Japan
So before I came back here, though, I was already accustomed to being in the teaching field, and I already knew that I wanted to teach when I came back to Japan. And that’s what I do now. I teach English for myself out of my home. I’ve got about, depending on the time of year, I’ve had anywhere between 40 and 60 students. I teach at a kindergarten once a week, and then I’ve got ages five to 78, that come to my home to learn, and I have probably covered everything. Okay, thank you for the explanation, and that’s interesting. So you experienced a lot.
Cultural Experiences
So I have a couple of questions for you. First question is, why do you like Japan? I wish I had really beautiful answers. But just out of all honesty, the main attraction is the people. People. The people are the level of peace here. Even if people don’t necessarily agree about everything, they’re peaceful about it. I’m able to walk across the street to the store and leave my door unlocked. Maybe not the best idea all the time, but I’m not usually worried about it. I can trust that my wife can walk home from the train station at night if the need ever be. And I’m not worried that anything is going to happen to her.
Life in Japan
If anything, probably someone would help her. Of course, I don’t live in a big city like Tokyo or something like that. I live in a bit of more rural area, but still, the first time I lived in Japan, and this time as well, I would have to say that overall, it’s just the piece, as you say in Japanese, heiwa of Japan is just a forefront. And then, of course, on top of that, because I’m not japanese, all of the extra things, all of the extra cultural things that I get to experience is always a plus as well. The food, the activities. I live in an area where onsens are very, you know, quite popular in this area.
Onsen Experience
So, you know, that’s a bonus to being able to live here as a non native japanese person. I see. Okay, sounds like you like Onsen. I do. Yeah, I do now, in the very beginning, of course, yeah. In my experience, most of the american people don’t like onsenkitevere. My experience, if I ask my, like, co workers when we go to Japan, oh, let’s go to Onsen. They grind. They don’t like a. Like a base together with someone. Like, they want to use, like a shower only.
Cultural Differences
Yeah, yeah. Like a nabi. Right. You know, pot. Like hot pot. They don’t want share. Yeah. Even in the US, we have a shabu, but we have individually not. Right. I’m kind of surprised. Yeah. With you liking. Yeah. Onsen. It’s interesting, if I may comment on that. That’s another part of Japan. When you talked about people, the way people eat together, that was another thing that really attracted me.
Culinary Experiences
Now, of course, the reference point that I had available to me was Okinawa, but still, I think it’s generally the same across the country. And that is when people go to, let’s say, maybe izakaya or something like that. People order food and they put it in the middle, and everybody just kind of takes a little bit from the middle and puts it on their little plate and eats. Or like you said, shabu. People, it’s almost like the food is a community design as opposed to an individual design. And so you’re able to really read into culture.
Understanding Through Food
When you look at how people eat, it tells you a lot about what kind of people they are. And when I go back to America, and it’s like everybody’s looking at the menu, getting their own plate and served in front of them, it’s a reminder of, you know, the difference. And I really like eating with, you know, other Japanese in the settings that you described. So what is your most, like, a challenging thing for you to settle down in Japan’s culture or something like that? Well, in the beginning, I was kind of in a halfway house because I was in the military and I was on a base, so I always had that comfort zone, so it wasn’t extraordinarily intense.
Journey to Understanding
But I’ll just kind of tell you my experience getting out of the airport. You know, I was 19 years old. That’s. That’s a baby. And I was in the marine Corps, by the way, just for reference point. And I left the airport, and many of us got on a bus to take us to our base. And just looking around at the city, it was like, wow, it’s just like the movies. Beyond what I expected. The bus is on the left side of the road and just amazes all the big buildings and the city lights. And I was just floored in awe with just the difference.
Initial Culture Shock
I really felt like I left my country. And then there was a time or two where I left the base after not having been there very long. And I walked about and I just got lost. I was probably not more than 500 meters away, but I had no idea where I was at. I couldn’t speak any Japanese, and I was trying to get people to help me get back to the base. And they were so helpful. They were pulling out phone books, and I had no idea how to read it. And they were like, you know this?
Kindness of Locals
And it was all in Japanese. And I. This is 30 years ago, so that’s back when you still had the telephone book. Anyway, the people were so kind. But as far as difficulties. Let’s talk about food. I think everybody is probably familiar with most people, most foreigners, not being able to eat natto. Natto. Yeah. And that was my. That was past tense. That was my achilles heel of food. I went to the. To the convenience store one time for lunche, and I saw a package. It looked like a little like a sushi bento or something like that.
Food Experiences
And I couldn’t see into the package quite clearly. It was a temaki. And I thought it was tuna on the inside. I didn’t look close enough, and I came back, and I was working at a nursery, and I was in a little room, and I took a bite into it, not knowing what I ate. And I thought it was spoiled tuna fish. And I ran to the bathroom, and I spit it in the sink, and everybody was laughing at me after they heard that I was eating, you know, natto maki. So natto is probably difficult for most people to get used to, but now I love natto.
Changing Preferences
Okay. How did you change your preference? Well, I was teaching a lesson here, and I. There were ladies in the room, you know, I was trying to say I need. I was living single at the time. I’m married now, but this is several years ago. And I said, I need to eat healthier. I’m single. I want to try not to, because everybody’s eating it, but I can’t. I don’t like it. And one lady said, do you like kimchi? And I said, yeah, I love kimchi.
Embracing New Foods
She goes, just mix it with kimchi. And I tried that, and then I didn’t have any more kimchi, so I tried other things. I could eat it plain. So her. Yeah, that’s her advice was perfect. And now I have no problem eating it. I like it, in fact. I see, I see. Do you eat? Finally, you get over eating natto. Yes. How about you? Do you eat? I, like, actually nap those. And also maybe I eat a. Not once a month.
Cultural Exchange
At least once a month. Okay. Okay. How do you. I’m curious. In America, I lived in. Before I came here, I lived in Dallas, and we had. We had to drive a little ways away to go there, but there were some, you know, asian. Yeah, yeah. Stores. The same. The same there. Okay. Yeah, yeah. I go to the asian supermarket. Okay. Yeah, yeah. So there’s, like, a nut. A lot of natto in, like, a frozen area.
Natto in America
I bought a lot. I put my fridge then. Yeah. Sometimes I eat. I basically. I use just not only. No, like, with the kimchi. I just really, like.
Natto and Preferences
I reckon I. I’m kind of a natto person, so anything. Yeah. Just not only is fine. Natto is only fine. Yeah. No natto sauce. Just not. And that’s not. Just straight raw. Yeah. Oh, go ahead. Yep. With white rice. Yeah, of course. Okay.
Cultural Favorites in Japan
So, what there is, also what is, like, most favorite culture in Japan when you live in Japan? So besides onsen. Okay. Oh, goodness. I’ve been here so long that I’m so accustomed to most things now, but let me think. Go ahead. You’re missing so because. Yeah. You have been living in Japan, sometimes, oh, you want to meet. You feel like something like us culture, us food. Right. So what are you missing us something.
Experiences and Variety
Okay. Maybe because I live in a smaller, more rural area, this may be more true, but maybe in the cities where I lived before, there was a. Maybe a bigger variety of variety. That sounds kind of a strange way to say it, but there was a variety of variety. So the restaurants, for example, were different styles. Maybe you go into a restaurant where everyone is doing those. Servers are in cosplay mode, and they come to you as a queen or something. One thing we had in. In Dallas, we had a couple of movie theaters that were restaurant style. And you would sit down at the, like, a little restaurant table, and they would. You could order beer. You could order a pitcher of beer, nachos or whatever, anything you wanted, and just watch a movie, like a regular movie theater.
Missing Varieties and Experiences
And that. And that was the coolest thing, I thought. But I don’t really want to compare Japan to that, but I do miss some of those varieties of things to do. Okay. But, yeah, but other than that, Japan has, well, made up for in other areas, so I’m perfectly satisfied. Let me say it this way. I would not move back to America just to gain those items. Yeah. That’s very, like, yeah. Appreciate it. Yeah. Thank you. Happy to hear that. Yeah. Please don’t go back to the US yet.
Teaching Experience
Okay. I want. Okay. Okay. By the way, how long have you been working as an English teacher? Well, I started at some other companies, but I’ve been working for myself now for, I don’t know, eight or nine years. And then I. Well, since I came here, I’ve been teaching English this time around. I’ve lived in Japan twice for a total of. I calculated the other day over 20 years, about 23 or I forget, but. So this time around, it’s like 16 or 17 years, and I’ve been teaching English pretty much the whole time. The first 25% maybe, for other companies, and the rest has been for myself.
Learning Japanese
I see. So I’m curious about how did you learn Japanese? So you just mentioned a little bit. So you have the book. Maybe you learn Japanese text, too, but I think Japanese is probably helpful for us. Well, can you explain how did you. How you over how much. How you master Japanese? You don’t need to speak Japanese here. Yeah, yeah, I’ll keep it English only, but, yeah. Well, first of all, let’s. I appreciate you putting the word master Japanese on the beginning there, but let’s make it clear to everyone in the room, I have not mastered Japanese by. By any stretch of the imagination.
Ways of Learning Through Dedication
But. I do speak well enough that I can communicate in most needs, and everybody understands what I’m trying to communicate. How I got started and how I learned was In the military. I was living on a base in Okinawa, and I just found it a waste to stay on the base and not do anything with the community. And I thought, what an opportunity to learn Japanese. So I went to the store and I bought a book, and every payday, which was about every two weeks, I spent probably half of my money on books and the other half on beer. And then I had nothing left over. So when I ran out of.
Studying Methodology
So, basically, I didn’t have time to do anything except study. And we didn’t make a lot of money to begin with, so there wasn’t a lot of beer buying. So I prioritized my money on buying books, and I would buy just a textbook, and I would buy a kanji dictionary and just whatever I could to kind of give myself a well rounded exposure to the language. And then I had this one book. It was a blue book. And every morning when I woke up, it was like a little child who had their stuffed animal next to him. I was a grown man in the United States Marine Corps, and I had my little blue book with me in bed with me, that I woke up with and I went to bed with at night.
A Personal Commitment to Learning
So I’m sure it looked quite strange, but I was dedicated to that blue book and I took it to lunch with me. I took it everywhere. And we walked to work. So everybody always saw me walking to work with that blue book. And so morning, afternoon and night, I had that book with me. And then in the evening, after dinner, I would go put on my jogging ware and I would go off the base and I would run. I would just jog. And I wasn’t really jogging for exercise. I got plenty of that on a daily basis inside the camp. But. But I would go off base just pretending to be jogging so that I could meet people randomly and I would say.
Conversational Milestones
And they would tell me the time of day and I didn’t care what time it was. I just wanted an opportunity to practice something. And I would. And like 1 minute later, I already knew what time it was. But 1 minute later I would jog to the next person and I would repeat the exact same thing. I would do that 1020 times a night until I couldn’t meet anybody else. And then I would get tired and go back. And so I would. I would, you know, start there and then at work. I also had an opportunity to speak to the local people who worked on the base and I would do my best to always speak to them.
Building Confidence Through Conversation
And. And then one day I was jogging down the road and I met him. I met a man. I asked him, what time is it? And. And he actually began to talk to me. And I understood what he said. He was telling me about his daughter and his family. And I was like, everybody gets the first time you begin to have that real conversation like you rode a bike for the first time. That’s how I felt. And he invited me into his home right then he said, come on in my home. Meet my family, have dinner with us. I thought, wow, that is just amazing.
Experiential Learning and Motivation
And I went in and his family were all staring at me and I was staring at them. I had no more left in me to communicate. I used it all outside by asking what time it was. But I understood what he was saying. And anyway, that really motivated me to even keep going. When you can have that first conversation, little small but meaningful, and I just kept going. That’s how I got started.
Communicative Experiences
I see. So what is your most experienced things when you talk with people in Japanese, for example. So in my case, when I talk with American people, I was impressed I was touched is sometimes it’s very difficult to explain my mind to receivers in this case. So in the beginning, I cannot speak what I am thinking because lack of my vocabulary or idiom or something like that. But now I accustomed to talking with American people in English then even, like, difficult discussion or tough negotiation.
Personal Growth in Communication
I learned to do that. Now then, yeah, if they understand what I am saying, I’m so, like, excited. Oh, I did. It’s like a real game, right. It’s kind of a challenging idea, this challenge. I tell more difficult things, and so if I pass this difficult thing, I clear. And so, like, I proud myself. Right. That’s my feeling when I talk with people in English.
Mutual Experiences in Language Learning
So how about you? Same feeling or different. Hello? Hello? Okay, no problem. Yeah. yes, you asked me if, that. That feeling of, like, the feeling is. Same as my feeling when I speak people in Japanese. Yes. Like those difficult times when you’re in your case, you have maybe business negotiations and you’re trying to, you know, exchange really important information, not just simple things like going to the post office, but things that are really meaningful.
Critical Conversations in Learning
I’ve had that experience, like when I go to the doctor, and you want to make sure that the doctor understands what your problem is and you don’t want him to treat you for cancer if you have something done, like a cold or something. But, yes, you know, being able to go into situations that is a little bit beyond the normal everyday situation is. Is rewarding. It’s rewarding to be able to communicate it in a. In any other language.
Reflections on Language Learning
But for me, of course, with Japanese, the same as you with English. Yes. The feeling is mutual. The feeling is the same. So, to recap about what you’re saying is. So to learn Japanese, first thing you had to do was reading, like, a blue book, probably. It’s like a Japanese. Like a grammar textbook. Yeah. Just a typical beginner textbook.
Establishing Foundations in Japanese
Yeah, typical. So once you establish, like, a foundation in Japanese, so you move the. Like a real composition. So by talking Japanese. Yeah. Even you pretend to jogging. Yes. You want to just want to talk with Japanese, right? Yeah, actually, I did as well. Yeah. So I would.
A Practical Approach to Language
I would say that if I were to go. Go beyond and just kind of explain. Yeah, yeah. There are. There are other ingredients that are important that I had that. It feels strange to say it this way, but here, even with my students, I use the word hunger a lot. And that means that you really have to have a true hunger for what you want to excel at.
Motivation in Language Acquisition
If you just kind of want it, you’re only kind of gonna get it. you know, so I really wanted to learn Japanese. I mean, for, like I said, morning, evening, night, people told me I was speaking Japanese in my sleep. What motivated you to learn Japanese? For example, did you like Japanese anime or Japanese like a historical culture? What exactly motivated you on Japan?
Initial Motivation and Cultural Interest
That’s a great question because I don’t know. At that time, I think it was just the foreignness to me, and it was like a wasted opportunity if I had the chance to come all the way here. This is before the Internet. This is, you know, there was no anime. There was no manga. As a matter of fact, I remember the very first cell phones. They were in Japan, and I didn’t have one.
Cultural Connections and Learning
I remember that, too. And so only the cool people had one. So basically, I didn’t have anything before coming here that motivated that feeling. I just thought it would just be such a waste to. Because there were a lot of people on the base that would come here for one year, and they would stay on the base every day, and they would go back home.
Desire for Deeper Understanding
And I just imagine the conversations that people would say, wow, how was Japan? And the only thing they could talk about would be the color of the sky, because they didn’t know. They had no clue. And I did not want to be that person. And also, I guess just because there were people out there that I would talk to and they would teach me one little word here, one little word there.
The Journey of Language Learning
And so I really wanted to learn to communicate. And also in high school, I took French, so I wasn’t great at French, but I already knew what it felt like to learn a language, so I was willing to give it my best. But. But, yeah, the real you need to have a drive to. To do something. And whatever that is, you might not know why it is.
Importance of Drive in Language Learning
It’s good if you do know why, but if you don’t know, but you just know. I really want to do that. That’s an important part of accomplishing something. So you don’t want to spend a waste of time. That kind of your motivation, then? So that, like a hunger?
Conclusions on Language Learning
Yes. Okay. Okay, I see. Okay. Okay. Okay. Let’s move on to the, how to learn English. So, you are an excellent and a long experience English teacher. So from your point of view, what is Japanese missing in terms of learning English? And also, what is your advice for us? Improve or enhance our English?
Teaching Insights
Be hungry. Yes, that’s definitely part of it. But I want everybody to know that I really hesitate talking to such a large group about this because. No, this is. No, I know, I understand. But I’m saying sometimes you have to push the wrong buttons to say what you need to say. And so I want to make sure that I say it with empathy and sympathy and, but I. I think what I see a lot of times is that people focus on the wrong things.
Methodology and Approach to Learning
Yeah. Yeah, I think so. Because. Yeah, so, like, my like, methodology of learning English is totally different. Before that, I came here in the US, so. Yeah, totally different. That’s right. Yeah, probably. Yeah. So I’ll give you an example.
Examples of Learning Strategies
Good. Yeah, but that is not enough, right? Yeah. As an example to help you see where I’m. Where my thinking is going here. I love it when people want to learn more and more. I really do. But there’s probably several things we’re going to talk about during this time. But let me start with. I have a little boy and he’s very, he’s a go-getter.
Motivating Young Learners
He wants to learn a lot. He’s a, you know, he’s the type of boy he doesn’t want to lose, you know, he wants to, you know, better than everybody else and he comes here by himself, but. So. As he would learn one set of cards. I have a lot of cards. I don’t use books here at my school.
Teaching Methodologies
So. By yourself, this card, I don’t use textbooks. I don’t, I don’t say, you know, bring your book and open up to page 25 and read. I don’t, I don’t use any of that. I do have, for example, my dentist happens to be my student and she uses a book, but it’s not a textbook. It’s a, it’s actually a. Just a regular book. I’ll talk about it later. But with her, we just use reading as an exercise to learn language. Anyway, I had this little boy, and his mom would be in the room with him sometimes in the very beginning because he was so small. He was kindergarten age. And then as he got older, he was able to, you know, not have her around. But he kept pointing to the other cards he wanted. If he knew that the other cards were for adults, he would cry if I wouldn’t use those with him. He wanted to climb the ranks.
Balancing Kids’ Enthusiasm with Education
Now he had the hunger that I was looking for as a teacher. But part of the problem is the hunger has to be tamed. You have to be willing to stay in your. In your lane. And he wanted to keep going and going. Well, for a child, and for him, it kind of works out maybe. But the problem is with. With Japan being such a testing society, you know, what. What rank are you? Are you a goky? Okay. That people only want to keep pushing for these new tests, and they never really learn how to speak. And as I tell a lot of my students, I’m like, first of all, you need to focus on using what you have. Eat what’s on your plate right now. Don’t worry about over there, because if you can’t use this, don’t worry about that.
Language Proficiency Levels
And when I speak Japanese, for example, I have a level of fluency that maybe they think that I’m a nikyu or IQ, but actually, I tell them I’m only speaking at about a yongq, maybe sankyu level. I’m not speaking at a really advanced level. I’m just using this basis of language. And I said, just think about the words that I’m using. You’ll see that I’m not speaking at some advanced level. But people think that if they don’t learn all the difficult, you know, 25 letter words that they haven’t proven themselves. And I’ve met many people who have got a 900 score on their toEIc exam, and they can’t hold a conversation at all. So what has that proven? It’s proven that they’re focusing on the wrong things. They need to get in the grinder and speak at their level. Don’t try, but go outside of your level a little bit.
The Importance of Pronunciation Practice
You know, eat what’s on your plate. That’s point number one. What would be number two? I would say one thing that I focus on a lot is pronunciation. You know, when we’re babies, when we’re born, we have, like, 200 to 300 different pronunciations that our mouth is flexible enough to create. And then after about six months, we begin to become constrained and limited to our mother tongue, to what’s in the household. And unfortunately, in Japan, there’s an even smaller. So America may have 60 to 70 sounds, and Japan may have 40 to 50 sounds, and therefore, it requires a little bit extra effort to make those muscles flexible, to make more sounds. But I focus on my students, especially at a young age, is to get those sound muscles going, pronouncing the r correctly and the l correctly and things like that.
Navigating the Learning Process
So when they do speak, the words are coming out the way they want them to come out. I mean, I could go on all day about little details. What kind of thing do you have in mind that maybe I should address? Yeah. For example, is there something that you have sensed that you’re wondering about? Okay, I think. Okay, let me address the post your comment. Eat on your plate. In this case, I think the most important thing for us to improve our English, especially speaking, is we should speak loud. Yes. Imagination is not practice for speaking. Oh, thank you. So when it comes to and some other tests, basically lighting and the reading as opposed to speaking, but speaking is, we need training our muscle.
The Impact of Input vs Practice
Yes. Right. That’s totally different. Even we got a lot of input, but without practice speaking, we cannot speak at all. So I think you mentioned it on your plate is maybe we should talk even just what we understand. Otherwise, even we got the more. How can I say? Just because gaining more input doesn’t mean speaking more, right? Exactly. Yeah, exactly. So. So use the small amount of grammar that you know, learn it well, be able to use it reflexively, use the vocabulary. You have to be able to integrate into multiple sentence patterns, but within your level and get really comfortable with that and then gradually expand out.
Expanding Language Skills
If you’re a. If you’re a, you know what? You’re wanting to build muscle on your body and you know you have to lift heavy weights to do that, but you’re only 100 pounds, you’re not going to go start bench pressing 500 pounds. You have to do what’s at your level, plus a little bit more to gain strength. So. And if you want tips, I’m not sure you agree with or not because you always also learn Japanese. So when I train my speaking, what I did is I can say analyzed what I use. What word do we use in our daily life speaking in Japanese? So kakuni suru, rikai suru. It’s very common word in Japan. So probably we should use same words even in English.
Simplicity in Language Learning
That’s why. So we learn kakunin through rikai. I learned a lot fast. Then I have a discussion with our co workers. Of course, sometimes we say oh very words then. So since I learned this kind of work, not only understand, for example, in the case of rikaisuru, not understand, but also figure out, find out. So it’s a little bit different situation. Even Japanese is one word we use. Make sure something check visit. So English is totally kind of more various versus japanese. That’s why I did is I focus on like when I talk with people. I checked my, like a habit of words. Oh, the kapoor. Many times I have to learn as well then.
Language Structure and Words
So my like English is getting more like a fluent that thing. So how did you learn Japanese? So, as you mentioned, did you like a check just reading, use like a word book or based on the conversation you learned? Oh, this is a common japanese word. How did you learn japanese idiom on the world? Well, in the beginning, like everybody has to do in the very beginning, if you’re not a native speaker, then you have to start off with some minimal amount of phrases like you’re saying, and then maybe find some common phrases that you know are important in common language. You know, like checking someone’s understanding or, you know, I would say while you were talking about that, it made me think of something that I’ve thought about before, and that is oftentimes it’s possible for students of any language, for that matter.
Questioning in Language Learning
It happens with Americans, too, is to ask the wrong question. The wrong question is how do you say x in Japanese or how do you say y in English? And sometimes that can be the wrong question because now you’re trying to take your own experience and apply it to another experience. If I were to stretch the example, like way out of bounds, and I say, how do you say Volkswagen? How do you say Tex Mex in Japanese? And you say, well, what is Tex Mex? And I would say, well, that’s food that’s made in Texas, but it’s actually mexican food, but it’s Texas style. How do you say that in Japanese? And you say, well, we don’t. And I say, well, why? And you say, well, that’s not our culture.
Cultural Context in Language
And I say, that’s right. As a teacher, if there are very simple things, if you say, how do you say dog in Japanese? And the other person says, well, inu. Well, that’s very simple because it’s a one to one translation. You both have dogs. But when it comes to more see, language, to me, the way I explain it, to some people, language is a mirror of your culture. As you live life in a country, you’re going to represent your culture, your thinking style in your language. For example, Japanese has a higher emphasis on societal order. You have Onisa in one song. Well, these are age orders, but we don’t have that.
Cultural Differences in Language Interpretation
And everybody in my students group, they want to say, well, how? They want to always say, my older sister, my older brother, but. And I say, look, stop. Just say my sister, my brother, but they say, but they’re older than me. I know, I know, but nobody cares. Just, just say my sister or my brother, but they have that strong need to take their own culture and put it into the other one. And the same happens in the reverse side. English is a very numerical ordered system. If you don’t tell me how many, if you don’t say plural or singular.
Challenges of Translation
Like, that’s one of the difficult things for us. Yeah, yeah. And so, but when we come into Japanese and try to speak, and we say, well, like, we’ll put tachi on the end of everything, like those osara tachi. And it probably sounds so, you know, strange to people. But the point is if I were to say, how do you say those plates over there? Another one is, how do you say I love you in Japanese? Oh, my goodness, don’t even take that conversation. Some of you who are in my, we talked about love, but my point is, if I say in English, I love you, that’s a very common expression.
Expressions of Affection across Cultures
Well, people in America say, well, how do I say I love you in Japanese? I say, well, the truth is, you don’t. You get over it. And there’s a different cultural way of thinking about that. I mean, you do, but not in the way that you would do it from a dictionary. So going back to the beginning, first it’s asking the right questions or avoiding the wrong questions. The way I would tell people is, say, look, pay attention to the conversation in front of you. Learn what they’re saying. Take the words that they’re saying and just understand it in that culture.
Listening and Observing in Learning
Don’t try to bring your own culture into that culture. Just stop, listen, take notes, mental notes, and try to reuse what they are saying. And it’s the same way when you improve your English, you’re learning a lot from conversation, and you begin to copy that just like a child would with their parents. And so how did I do it? The same way, over time, I just start copying what people are saying. Sometimes bad things, maybe. I don’t know. Sometimes I make mistakes, but people will correct me in the process. And then slowly, I begin to build a better well rounded ability, and then I can have room to fit more difficult words in anyway.
Language Ownership and Mastery
So maybe focus less on, how do I say something from my language, in your language, stop focusing on that and focus more on just learning the other language. I see. Okay, so, let me ask you like a kind of different view. Okay, so that’s a kind of a conceptual conception. Yeah. Yeah. So, so let’s dig into more, like a specific. Good. So when you teach students english, conversation, speaking or listening, how do you teach them? For example, what is the most important thing? What is the attention you are paying like a speed or reputation.
Approaches to Teaching
Try again. Or don’t think peer. Or, for example, the most important thing. Everything you just said was beautiful. You can work with me. Speed, repetition. There was something else you said there in the beginning. So first of all of my students, regardless of age, I don’t prepare very much that targets age. That. I mean, a little bit, yes, a little bit, yes. But, but for example, if I get a brand new student and maybe they’re 40 years old, I have a deck of ABC cards on my table at all times, and I make them learn the ABCs to get the pronunciation.
Importance of Proper Foundations
So if I. If I say, if they’re going to say ABC many times, they will already have these bad habits of going, eh, b, c, she deff. And I’m like, okay, we have to correct that first. If we don’t start there, we can’t say the letters appropriately, but it can be hard for adults because they feel embarrassed. I’m looking at, I already learned the abcs. Well, maybe you only learned the order. You didn’t really learn the pronunciation. And because English is a kind of a phonetic language, we need to get those well under our belt before we move on.
Engaging with Different Age Groups
So working with kids is easier because they don’t care. Adults sometimes, but anyway, they still have to do it and they will get through it faster. But I will make them pronounce the word, the letters appropriately. So it’s nothing. A, b, c, D. Now say, you see how there’s an e at the end in the numbers as well? Most people don’t realize it, but many numbers in the english language have a very common pronunciation pattern in the middle. If you’re just thinking about it, this, you know, one through ten, the, one of the most odd sounding sounds is in all is in a lot of those, and that’s the v sound.
Sound Patterns in Learning
1234-5678 910. Eleven. We have v in there. V, you know, but sometimes if we overlook that and we can accidentally say b eleven, seven. So I want to eliminate all of those little things in the small words and get that right up front. And then the next thing is a lot of drills. I have drills that students will use to help internalize verb tenses and that focuses on correctness and speed. The reason for speed. May I go down that path? No, please continue.
Speed and Thinking in Language Learning
The reason for speed, people often probably think, why do I have to speak so fast in conversation? You don’t. You don’t need to speak fast in conversation because you have already internalized the grammar structures that you need to use and you freely use those. But when you’re learning a new language, one of the things that you want to stop doing, thinking. Thinking is one of the worst things a person can do when they’re trying to learn to internalize something. Sometimes I refer to it as owning something.
Mastery Through Repetition
When you own something, that means that you have made it your own. You can use it automatically. Like a samurai uses a sword. He knows how to. How to put it back in his sheath. He knows how to take it out in a moment’s notice. He is so well adapted, he doesn’t think about it. He doesn’t say, do I use my right hand or my left hand? He just automatically grabs it and hurts you. Language is the same. You have to be quick and practice quick.
Drills and Patterns
So, like, just to give you a quick example, if I may, of the drills that I use here, there’s five patterns that are used three different ways. So there’s, like, 50 patterns. And it goes something like, I am speaking English now. I speak English every day. I was speaking English yesterday. I spoke English yesterday. I’m going to speak English tomorrow now. That’s the beginning of it. But from a young age all the way to adults, that’s one of the drills that they have to learn.
The Learning Process
And there’s 15 patterns across eight different pronouns. And when they can begin to see the simplicity of these and understand that once you understand these 15 patterns times eight pronouns, all you have to do is just start replacing words. That’s it. Just replace words. So, in the beginning, I used to use the word dancing. I am dancing now. I dance every day. I was dancing. You can almost hear the similarity between what I said a moment ago and what I said now. All I did was change your word.
Building fluency progressively
I am eating now. I eat every day. I was eating yesterday. I ate yesterday. I’m going to eat tomorrow. So the students, what they want to do is be able to just internalize those patterns. And then when they come to speak, all they have to do is replace a word. That’s it. That’s my goal. So they don’t think about the grammar. They just use it. And this is a basic level, basic to intermediate level that I teach.
Advancing Language Competence
And then after that, we can add on more advanced patterns as they get more advanced. So the speed is to prevent or block thinking, because thinking interferes with the neurological pathways of people just internalizing something. Let me give you another example. And I’m always full of metaphors. It might get tiring, but I lived kind of in the country, and in the country we have railroad tracks. And these railroad tracks, you know, there’s like two ties that, you know, that travel down the, you know, down the.
Metaphors to Understand Learning
Down the railroad. And me and my cousin, you know, we would go out there on the railroad tracks and just walk along it. That’s fun. You know, you get up on it and you walk because you want to balance, and balance is the fun part. Well, the question that someone presented one time is if you’re ever walking along railroad tracks now, in Japan, you’re probably not familiar with that, but, you know, but in redneck country, Texas and Louisiana, you can do that.
Cultural Differences in Learning
It’s okay. And the question was proposed sometimes. Like a toy. Toy?
The Concept of Walking Along Railroad Ties
Yeah, like a toy test. Many people know about what you’re saying. Which one? Redneck. Oh, I’m sorry. Maybe I’m talking too fast, too. So when I get excited, I tend to talk fast. I need to slow down. So imagine you’re walking along the railroad ties, and someone proposed a question one time. If you want to walk further without falling, which is better, to look down at your feet and keep walking or to look out in the distance and continue walking? And that is the question. It’s an interesting question because it reflects how we do other things as well.
Understanding Fluency and Focus
The answer to the question is to look out beyond, out down the way. And why? Because when you look at your feet, that means you’re thinking about the grammar. You’re looking at all the little bitty details and steps. And now you can’t create fluency because you’re stumbling. You can’t walk as fast if you’re looking at your feet. But if you look down the railroad track a little ways, you can walk faster and smoother. And that’s what I want to get my students to do. I want them to stop thinking. I want them to stop looking at their feet and just start walking out a little ways, you know, looking down the road.
The Role of Thinking in Learning
So you are thinking. Looking at the feet is thinking. Right? Is thinking. Yes. We don’t do that. Okay. Yeah. Actually, that’s what I explained in the US. So. Yeah. Who I think how to say in English. They don’t. They don’t want to wait for me. Never stops. Yeah. I have to say something. Yeah. Yeah. So then. So the more I speak with people, the more, like, raised in stock, then the more I can speak more like a. Quickly that I think even I. I don’t think.
The Importance of Speed in Communication
Yeah. Like, how to create, like, a grammar or what? This is not s. I never think about that. Now, of course I was thinking, but during my thinking discussion, and conversations moving forward so I can catch up. I don’t need to think about what I come up with. Just say so. This thing is very important. I think your training is very helpful. Yeah. Heading in graduation. Yep. Well, I hope so. Yeah. In my experience. Yeah, that’s totally correct. Many japanese people say so without, like, a perfect grammar, american people cannot understand.
Communicating Beyond Grammar
But that is not true. Yeah, it’s not completely true there. In fact. In fact, if I use Japanese as an example, most elementary children, japanese children at an elementary level, their grammar is far better than my grammar, perhaps, which means that I don’t need to learn advanced, high school, and college grammar to communicate. If I can communicate at an elementary level, I’m doing wonderful. Probably I just need to adapt more vocabulary. But the grammar is pretty good already at an elementary level, so. Yeah, exactly. Getting way too bogged down in grammar.
Reading as a Learning Tool
I can. It really is. It’s not helpful. Unless you’re trying to become a book editor or a, you know, an author or something like that, then maybe. Maybe. Yes, of course they are enlightening. In business, grammar is very important. But when it comes to speaking, since we are. I’m not like, I’m japanese. Right. So you are not native in Japanese. Right. So one thing we have not discussed, though, that I do believe is a. I’m not going to say crucial, but I will say very effective tool for learning a language is reading.
The Significance of Reading
And I mean reading. Yeah, I’m gonna. What I’m about to ask you. Okay, I’ll wait for that. Please. Go ahead. So what. Okay. Do you think read is important? Yeah, that’s my question. Yeah. Yes, reading. I told you that I have one lady, a student here, and basically our lesson is just reading. That’s all we do. She reads a chapter or so during the week, and then when she comes back here, you know, she. We read it together, we confirm that she understands, you know, the.
Assessment of Comprehension
The flow of what happened in the story. And. And we repeat, and then we will practice pronunciation together. Like, I will read it and then she will read after me. So we use it kind of as a textbook, but as a native exercise of naturally picking up grammar. So we talked about grammar. You can naturally pick up grammar by reading. But let me explain more about why I think reading. So let me ask one question. Sure. so when it comes to reading, what content is the best?
Choosing Reading Material
Like some, like a textbook with English and then describe the. In Japanese. Right. Or we should use 100% english book. So what is it? 1100% English. Okay. Okay. Okay. 100 for kids hundred percent is much better. Yeah, I would. I would. Yes, yes. But here. Here’s the idea. It’s difficult, right? So sometimes I use like a. Do you know who is civil right? Who is Barack Obama? Do you know? This is a very popular book in the US.
Utilization of Textbooks
Who is. Who is. What is. You don’t know? Okay. No, I don’t. It’s for kids. Yeah. But I use this textbook. Of course, this is 100% English. This is, I think, the New York Times best to Sarah book or something like that, because, yeah, learning people, or which is famous in the US is good for us to communicate with american people. Right. So same background. I got Kirovinson, who is Babyloos, who is, Walt Disney.
Implication of Background Knowledge
So I book this like a biography for kids, but even this is for kids. But, this is very informative. And then I learned english phrase. Native phrase. Yes. Right. So, okay. Please, please go ahead. I do recommend, though, that the book be targeted at the student’s current level and maybe just a little bit higher than that. Now, if it’s a brand new learner, particularly a child, this is where you need a teacher who basically reads to the child, maybe gets them to repeat the words that you’ve said a minimal amount, but.
Progression in Learning Materials
But as you get older, you want to advance the level of books. I read japanese books for the same reason. And no, I’m not bragging. Please don’t take it that way. I do it as an exercise to learn, not because I’m completely able to enjoy everything, but I. I have a selection of children’s books that are targeting elementary age, and I have some that target adults. For example, kirawateruyuki or Aya Sadiru Yuki.
Pattern Recognition through Reading
I think that’s the other one. And I get the audio version and the book version, and I read along and I listen, and I gradually find patterns in the expressions. I go, man, there tends to be this pattern that I hear over and over. Well, reading does that. But here’s one more. One more thing that I want to say about reading. And there are some people who really like to read, and there’s some people who don’t.
Reader Engagement
I happen to be one of those people that does not like to read. It’s not my favorite thing. So when I read, I have to force myself to read. But the reason why I think reading is good in your speaking to the audience here in your native country, whether you be from a spanish speaking country or a Japanese Japan or wherever, think about someone in your community, a famous person, perhaps, who is a very well spoken person, someone that you love to hear them speak because they’re so articulate.
Connection Between Reading and Articulation
I guarantee you that person reads a number of books per year. People don’t gain control of language just simply by watching YouTube. Reading is a tool that helps expand people’s knowledge, but also their articulation and control of words and grammar. So that’s one of the main reasons why I say reading is very valuable. You can always distinguish an educated person from someone who is not by the way they talk.
The Kindle Experience
And if they talk, well, they probably read a lot. I see. So in this case, is it okay to use, like, a Kindle? Absolutely. I love Kindle. I have about four or five devices. I used to even recommend it to my students and they would get a book, but I eventually stopped doing that because they weren’t reading, and I didn’t want to make them spend money on something if they really weren’t going to devote themselves.
Personal Recommendations
So now it’s kind of a student by student basis. If they say, yes, I’m interested in reading, you’d be amazed. Most of my students, I asked them, are you interested in reading together? You know, reading a real book? Most of them are like, no, I just want to come and just. Just communicate and learn English. Okay. All right. We can. We’ll do it that way. that’s fine.
Encouragement for Input and Learning
so, yeah, I’m. I’m tickled to death. Yeah. When someone wants to, getting input from reading is very informative. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. And also. So what do you think about, using Kindle? Do we use as a kindle for reading or as a listening? So they have audible feature. In fact, I have not used this particular feature, but I have read directly on their site, I think.
Maximizing Learning through E-Readers
Anyway, let me explain it. I haven’t used the feature you’ll need to research on your own, but if you have the Kindle device and the Kindle book on the same device, you can’t use the e ink version. You have to use the tablet type of version. If you have that and you have the audio version and the book version as you read along, the audio will stop and start with you. So if you turn the page, the audio will stop and start with you.
Enhancing Reading Experiences
So you don’t have to race with your fingers trying to catch up, which was a beautiful thing for learning. So I highly recommend, if you have the budget for it, to go look into a kindle. I see. Okay, so, yeah, time is running over. Maybe let’s laugh up in terms of learning English. For us. It’s first, be hungry.
Key Takeaways for Learners
Then when it comes to speaking, maybe speed, reputation and fear if I’m wrong. Yes. The other one. Read. Readdeh. Read, read. English only. English only from. Of course, from time to time, you’re going to want to get some confirmation in Japanese or in your native language, but you want to exercise your reading in that language only also.
Progressive Reading Practices
Yeah. Maybe in the beginning we should read English with Japanese, but down the road. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Try to increase it a little bit. The last one is used. Kindle is better. Okay. Okay. Okay, I think that’s all for today, but do you want to say something? I didn’t really have anything prepared, but I am tickled to death to see so many faces out there in the audience.
Community Engagement
There’s a lot of you, and I appreciate you taking the time out of your Sunday to listen to this. There’s a lot of faces out there that I recognize, and there’s some new faces, too. I’m eager to connect with you even after this. And if you have any questions or maybe a word that you heard during the. During all this, put it down in the comments.
Invitation for Feedback and Interaction
I’d love to hear if there was anything that you got a value or a question or anything like that would tickle me to death. Yep. And then also, any feedback is welcome. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. How we go through for next. If I speak too fast or too slow, know. Let me know, because I would. It’s no good if I can’t help you or serve you.
Conclusion and Future Topics
Yeah. Thank you so much. And also, yeah, I think maybe we can cover everything for today, but do you have any, like, topic which we would like to talk next time? Just send me any comment. Okay. And based on what the audience says, maybe they will give us some ideas of what they would like to talk about next time or hear us talk about.
Continual Learning and Following Opportunities
Yeah. And also, don’t forget to follow Kyle. Yeah. So you learn English? Yeah, yeah, that would be great. It would make my day if you did. Yeah. Thank you, guys. Okay. Okay. Okay, let’s close. Okay. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
