Which Japanese Language Course Should You Take?
You need to go through a Japanese language course if you want to avail of jobs in Japan for foreigners. Obviously, you will have an edge when it comes to getting around if you know the native tongue. Moreover, having some knowledge in it will help you appreciate Japan’s cultural heritage better.
You can take a conventional option and just enroll in a classroom-based course. As long as you enroll in a reputable institution, you will get reliable and comprehensive instruction. The volume, quality and accuracy of lessons are very good reasons to opt for a paid course.
There are some who feel though that lessons taken in a classroom aren’t always beneficial. A major disadvantage is the cost of formal Japanese language courses. Over and above this concern however is the rigidity of classroom education. You may end up with more information than you need or you may be boxed in too tightly that you may actually fail to learn the contextual use of the language. These objections are the reasons why some prefer informal learning options.
It should be obvious to you then that informal lessons are best for you if you want to cut on costs and achieve greater learning freedom. Be aware though that because these courses are informal, they aren’t all alike. Courses can have varying degrees of quality and effectiveness.
One kind of informal Japanese language course is the one offered in the internet by several websites or companies. To be more exact, these are services that provide meeting opportunities for people from different cultures to come together. Once you find a partner from Japan, the two of you can alternately teach each other. This is a pretty good arrangement but the extreme lack of structure can also be a source of difficulty.
There is one reasonable explanation as to why overly loose courses aren’t good for you. The Japanese language is very complex so you need some structure of sorts. The written form for example will require you to study four types of scripts, hiragana, katakana, kanji and romaji. You don’t just have to commit hundreds of characters to memory. You need to learn when they should be used.
You also need slightly more organized Japanese language courses for the spoken part because it can be just as confusing. The major point of confusion stems in the various forms of honorifics and polite speech that you need to use when speaking to others. This means finding out when to use the honorific categories of sonkeigo, kensongo and teineigo.
If the objective then is to find a balanced course that is neither too rigid nor too free, then the best choice for you is to learn Japanese in Japan. You can learn everything there is to know while you are in the country. Ask your travel agent or company if they offer such an arrangement.
Choosing to go for a less structured Japanese language course offered for current visitors is the best option. Such an arrangement will provide you with enough organized instruction and contextual education. How else can you learn a language better than by using it among people who speak it fluently?