Japan: How to learn a foreign language · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Britty at Brittys Wake gives suggestions to Japanese about how to learn a foreign language [ja]. “There are two things that are absolutely necessary if you want to learn a foreign language. The first is time, and the second is skill in using your native language.” On the need for time, Britty writes: “Just like gymnastics, swimming, driving and cooking, [languages] are not hard once you're used to them, but it takes time to get the knack.” And on knowing your native language: “If you can't express nuances in your own language — in our case Japanese — then you will not be able to express them in a foreign language.”