speaking a new language is hard
As you might know from my previous post about languages, I am currently learning Japanese. I'm getting to the point where I can understand about 55–60% of sentences in whatever media I consume. But I feel like I should start working on output rather than just focussing fully on input and comprehension, like I've been doing for the past 7 months.
I've started chatting on Japanese Discord servers to kick-start the process of improving my Japanese output. The people on these servers have been very kind in pointing out and correcting the mistakes in the sentences I create. It's been super helpful to have native Japanese speakers assist me, and it's also been really fun to just talk to these people about various subjects.
Don't get me wrong, writing out a simple sentence takes me painfully long to do as I'm basically translating a sentence in English in my head to Japanese word for word. Also, deciding which Japanese word to use is pretty difficult, as Japanese has many words that could mean the same thing but have slightly different nuances depending on the context.
It's super motivating whenever I look back on how much progress I've made since January. I can actually somewhat enjoy and comprehend Japanese media without the use of English subtitles now, which opens up a whole new world of media and content that I wouldn't have known had I just relied on content made in English. I can't wait to see the progress I'll make in another 6 months!
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