Japanese for Busy People

[faan-san]

I'm in a Japanese class and my classroom textbook is Japanese for Busy People. I was wondering how far into the book most people are when they take the 4級　JLP test? Also, what kind of opportunities would open up for me if I had a JLPT certificate? Especially with the different levels?

[mandolin]

I think 4-2 kyuu are for your own benefit. 1kyuu cert is required for getting a job in japan. I think. Except if you join the JET programme, which is for foreign people to go to Japan to help teach english, and they don't require you to know any Japanese at all.

[faan-san]

mandolin wrote:
I think 4-2 kyuu are for your own benefit. 1kyuu cert is required for getting a job in japan. I think. Except if you join the JET programme, which is for foreign people to go to Japan to help teach english, and they don't require you to know any Japanese at all.

o.O how do you help teach if you don't know what they are saying? hahaha. Maybe I'm looking too much into this.

[mandolin]

In the JET Programme, you don't have to know japanese, because they expect you to be talking english the entire time. The JET teacher works alongside the regular Japanese-speaking teacher. It's pretty interesting stuff.

[L33TNINJA]

I think i am gonna choose the Jet Program too. But I will know Japanese fluently and so... Is there anything better? but either way I will speak Japanese to everyone except the students during class because I believe Japanese is way cooler! But yeah, JET just requires a bachelors degree so... thats what i will prolly do.

as for the book u speak of, I dont know, but there is no true reason for needing to do the 4 kyuu test, i would say. I might be wrong, but yeah. Im not saying "dont waste your time studying for it" because studying for those test is an excellent way to become literate, but If you want to...go for it. Its just helpful. i hope you like studying kanji because otherwise you will probably hate it.

[Laxe]

I'm also thinking of joining the JET program but by the time I get to go (if I get accepted of course) I'd have learnt the basics of Japanese and I'm not sure how this will affect my chances of being accepted.

The book is pretty good, I'm learning from it but also learning kana alongside it. Best thing is that once you know hiragana you can translate all the romaji into kana which will help your spelling and build on vocab.

[faan-san]

L33TNINJA wrote:
as for the book u speak of, I dont know, but there is no true reason for needing to do the 4 kyuu test, i would say. I might be wrong, but yeah. Im not saying "dont waste your time studying for it" because studying for those test is an excellent way to become literate, but If you want to...go for it. Its just helpful. i hope you like studying kanji because otherwise you will probably hate it.

The only reason that I have even ask about the 4級 test is that I wonder how much help my text book is since it doesn't teach kanji and you have to know a certain amount to complete this test. Also, I am 16 and this seems like a reasonable goal to shoot for...as of now.

Laxe wrote:
The book is pretty good, I'm learning from it but also learning kana alongside it. Best thing is that once you know hiragana you can translate all the romaji into kana which will help your spelling and build on vocab.

Our class is using the kana-only version of the text book...so any transliterating is done from kana into rômaji. We were provided with a rômaji copy of only the first 3 chapters, we had to learn the hiragana writing system by the end of the 3rd chapter, and the katakana writing system by the end of the 10th chapter. And, now...at chapter 12, I would like to start learning kanji.

[Harisenbon]

L33TNINJA wrote:
I think i am gonna choose the Jet Program too. But I will know Japanese fluently and so...

I just want to point out one thing -- if you are currently living in Japan (as your screen name says) you cannot apply for the JET program. You have to leave the country for the interview, as well as have not lived in Japan for (I think) 3 months prior to the interview. If you possess Japanese Citizenship, you must renounce it before acceptance of your assignment.

If that's all right for you, the JET program is great, and I wish you luck applying! (it's a LONG process)

[alex_2096]

a couple of questions, how long is a LONG process?
My class also studys from the Japanese for busy people, but i want to get a more indepth book that covers the main aspects to prep you for the JLPT.. any surgestions??

[keatonatron]

L33TNINJA wrote:
but either way I will speak Japanese to everyone except the students during class because I believe Japanese is way cooler! But yeah, JET just requires a bachelors degree so... thats what i will prolly do.

However... in the eyes of every Japanese person, English is way cooler. Don't you hate it when you talk to a Japanese person, and no matter how much fluent Japanese you use they only speak English to you? Doesn't it make you feel like they think you're too stupid to talk only in Japanese?

That's how your coworkers will feel.

My personal feeling is that if they want to speak English, and CAN, then let them because then they will want to talk to you a lot more. It's how you make friends

[paul_b]

imran268 wrote:
so well...

Second pointless post - now we start deleting.

keatonatron wrote:
My personal feeling is that if they want to speak English, and CAN, then let them because then they will want to talk to you a lot more. It's how you make friends

And for those who want to speak English and CAN'T, that's how you make non-paying students.

[keatonatron]

I didn't realize that this thread was an old one, and was REALLY freaked out to see my own reply that I didn't remember writing

[paul_b]

keatonatron wrote:
I didn't realize that this thread was an old one, and was REALLY freaked out to see my own reply that I didn't remember writing

imran268 bumped up a few threads with pointless posts. :-/

[Infidel]

keatonatron wrote:
I didn't realize that this thread was an old one, and was REALLY freaked out to see my own reply that I didn't remember writing

Heh, I was freaked to see Mandolin. I was like, Mandolin is back? Oh wait, I guess not.