A Much Needed Reminder For All Language Learners

Have fun discovering new words and experiences

Learning languages is humbling.

I’ve been learning languages for over 15 years. I can’t help but think I’ve seen it all and learned all possible lessons. And then I have to discover them again.

One recent rediscovery might look stupid but it was an eye-opener for me again. Ready? Here it is.

You should have fun learning your target language.

I know. Mind-blowing, right?

The funny part is that I realized this while misunderstanding a translation. Here it is for the curious ones.

You see, I found the 4-character expression 三々五々 (三三五五) while reading a Japanese novel. This would be easy to decipher for most people knowing a bit of Japanese or even Chinese. It’s “three three five five.” In context, I wondered if the numbers chosen were because that’s how the groups were entering in the building in the story, or if it was a general expression for “small groups.” I looked it up and found it means “in twos and threes” in English. I was shocked to see something with no “two” could mean this, completely forgetting it’s just a translation, and not how the Japanese think. Looking back at the Japanese dictionary, it does say “in small groups, of three or five for example.”

So. I was wrong in thinking I had found another instance of “Japanese sure don’t make sense” but I did have fun. It stuck into my head for a long time and I can remember vividly this even though that happened 2 weeks ago now.

In fact, reading a novel in Japanese for the first time in a while is a breath of fresh air. Most of what I do nowadays with Japanese is talking to friends when I see them, exchanging a few messages, and potentially watching a drama¹ or anime. I don’t see many new words and I miss it. Reading has shown me there are tons of words I can still learn, such as 長身痩躯、和気藹々、斡旋.²

I also recently went to an event where we made a coaster with tatami, presented in Japanese before someone interpreted it into French. It was fun to listen and use Japanese in a new context.

Learning a language should not be a chore.

If we don’t have fun, we can keep going in the long run. Fun takes many forms. What I enjoy may—likely—be boring for you. What you enjoy may be boring for me.

It’s just a matter of finding what works for you specifically.

If you find yourself struggling to keep going, experiment. Try new things. Meet new people. Change the textbook or app you’re using. Focus on a different skill for a while.

In short, keep it fresh.

Oh, and—just in case—if you’re wondering, no, unfortunately, it cannot be always fun. The goal is only to make sure you have enough fun so you can outlive the parts you dread!

Let me know if you have any particular way you keep yourself entertained in the long and short run as well!

Cheers for reading,
Mathias

1. Highly recommend Beyond Goodbye (さよならのつづき)!

2. Respectively meaning: “Tall and lean/slender figure”, “harmonious, peaceful” and “recommendation”