Learning a third language through a second language
Following the trend of last two posts about speaking English/Japanese more proactively in the workplace, I would like to offer a third perspective on learning a foreign language, specifically on learning a language that is not emphasised as much as English/Japanese.
Since moving to Japan and starting work here in 2015, I have focused on speaking Japanese in the workplace to improve. As the local and dominant language in the office, Japanese is a necessity. However, e-Jan provides employees the chance to learn English, Japanese, or Chinese, and this opportunity to learn was a factor when deciding to work here.
While Chinese is not necessarily one of the dominant languages in the office, there are many Mandarin Chinese-speaking employees. While I am nowhere near fluent enough to hold conversations with them, their presence indirectly encourages me to get better and study harder.
Learning Chinese at work had an unexpected side effect: my Japanese skills got better. Because I am learning Chinese in Japanese, I end up learning more about the Japanese language in turn, such as grammar, vocabulary, etc. Additionally, I feel that my understanding of kanji has gotten better because I pay more attention to Japanese kanji to differentiate them from Chinese characters.
Overall, having a multilingual environment fosters motivation, and learning a third language through Japanese serves a dual purpose. I look forward to continuing to improve my Japanese while I continue learning Chinese.
-NM (moved to Japan May 2015)
Since moving to Japan and starting work here in 2015, I have focused on speaking Japanese in the workplace to improve. As the local and dominant language in the office, Japanese is a necessity. However, e-Jan provides employees the chance to learn English, Japanese, or Chinese, and this opportunity to learn was a factor when deciding to work here.
While Chinese is not necessarily one of the dominant languages in the office, there are many Mandarin Chinese-speaking employees. While I am nowhere near fluent enough to hold conversations with them, their presence indirectly encourages me to get better and study harder.
Learning Chinese at work had an unexpected side effect: my Japanese skills got better. Because I am learning Chinese in Japanese, I end up learning more about the Japanese language in turn, such as grammar, vocabulary, etc. Additionally, I feel that my understanding of kanji has gotten better because I pay more attention to Japanese kanji to differentiate them from Chinese characters.
Overall, having a multilingual environment fosters motivation, and learning a third language through Japanese serves a dual purpose. I look forward to continuing to improve my Japanese while I continue learning Chinese.
-NM (moved to Japan May 2015)