What the textbook doesn't tell you...

Most of us are trying to learn Japanese away from Japan or the Japanese. My own exposure to a native speaker at least is limited to my teacher. Some may not even have that much. It is hard. What makes it even harder is that you have no idea what happens if you're ever in a situation to play out all the dialogues you've memorised for months, even years. No textbook, no amount of repeating after the teacher could really prepare you for that scenario. Role-play with difficult scenarios might.

I've been to Dusseldorf last weekend. The city hosts the third largest Japanese expat population in Europe (after London and Paris). This was one of the charms of the place when I decided to visit. I was going to pop into the shops and restaurants, and finally use all those dialogues crammed up in my brain, complete with "~んで" sentences.

However, reality struck pretty soon. I've found out that one essential part is missing from all those textbooks: The ultimate shock and horror of the native speaker when they see you speak Japanese. It is a hurdle to get over, despite how famously polite they are. If you add to it the fact that time slows down when you are in a difficult situation, the misery takes forever.

I'm a believer that most of language comprehension depends on expectation. In the languages we're fluent at, we don't necessarily rely on understanding each word. First and foremost, we rely on the warrant to understand and be understood. Without that warrant, it gets sticky. I observe this a lot at home, where we juggle three languages at a time. Sometimes, one just can't quite get it, since nobody is sure which language the next word will come from. Even among people who know each other well, this may be the case.

We have been told over and over again that the Japanese do not expect a foreigner to speak Japanese or be good at it. So when you open your mouth in Japanese, the conversation just does not follow. My short experience has shown me that actually a silence takes over and you are given very brief answers...totally confidence shattering. They don't expect to understand you, so they don't right away, however good you may be.

I've made my mental note, and am now putting it out there: Be prepared not to be understood with your first opening sentence or two. It may not be your fault. Do not lose courage, and push on. It is very rewarding once you've managed, and delivers a high for at least fifteen minutes after you've completed the real-life scenario.