Category : Blog+ > Asian culture > Travel in Japan > Learn Japanese
私の大好きな日本に離れたばかりで、悲しくてならないが、パリの空港から日本語能力試験の成績をチェックしました。それで…まじで？？2級に合格しました(⋈◍＞◡＜◍)
J’ai le JLPT N2 🎊✨✨✨ Je n’en reviens pas !!!!! Ça illumine mon périple, à peine atterri à Paris, loin de mon cher Japon. Kyaaa je n’y croyais pas ! Je n’y crois toujours pas ;____; Il va falloir fêter ça en fromage, vin et pâtisseries. France, me revoilà. Japon, à tout bientôt ! 🍷🍰🇫🇷🇯🇵
これからも頑張ります！(o^^o)
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| Après les manuels pour débuter l’apprentissage du japonais, voilà qu’on désire dépasser le niveau Intermédiaire (JLPT N3) afin de parler enfin couramment et commencer lire aisément. Pour cet objectif, voici les méthodes que j’affectionne en ce moment : | After having discussed about the textbooks to begin learning Japanese, we now come to a time where we wish to overcome the Intermediate level (JLPT N3) in order to speak fluently and start reading smoothly. To achieve this goal, here are the methods I like right now: |
| Les onomatopées, absolument essentiel et tellement absent de l’apprentissage classique ! | The onomatopoeias, absolutely essential although classical learning totally misses them. |
| Des centaines points de grammaire avec phrases d’exemple traduits en anglais. Exhaustif et efficacement résumé. | Hundreds of grammatical notions with example sentences translated into English. Exhaustive and efficiently summarized. |
| Pratiquer le shadowing (répéter des conversations fidèlement au CD) est bon pour la compréhension et l’expression orale. | Practicing the shadowing (which consists in repeating daily-life sentences with respect to the enclosed CD) is good to improve listening and speaking skills. |
| Cette collection reste ma préférée pour apprendre les kanji, avec ses petites histoires pour aider à mémoriser le visuel de chaque kanji. | This collection still remains my preferred one to learn kanji, with its short stories to help memorizing the shape of every kanji. |
| Abonnement au journal et collections de romans pour enfants. Pour commencer à prendre plaisir à lire, avec l’aide de furigana pour le moment. | Subscribing to a newspaper and novels for kids. To start reading, through furigana at the time being. |
| Lire les news en japonais sur son mobile, dans les transports ou dans les files d’attente. Pour passer le temps, s’informer et lire japonais en même temps. | Reading news in Japanese on one’s smartphone, in public transportations or in queues. To have fun, get informed and read in Japanese at the same time. |
| Activer les sous-titres de la TV japonaise, pour lire et écouter quotidiennement nos émissions préférées ! | Activating the subtitles of the Japanese TV, to daily read and listen one’s favorite shows! |
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Un institut de langue dans des locaux cosy, du thé à volonté, des professeurs aux joues roses, un staff au petit soin, et une méthode menant vers une pratique naturelle du japonais. C’est la formule de COTO Language academy, où je viens de passer 1 mois intensif, et voici mon avis.
La méthodeLe programme ne se limite pas à l’étude de kanji et de la grammaire japonaise comme à l’accoutumée. La touche COTO, dont l’autre nom est « Fun Japanese », c’est l’aspect « Natural and Fluent Japanese ». Une place importante est accordée aux expressions utilisées à l’oral, mais aussi aux réactions, intonations et vitesse de prononciation. Les classes étant de très petite taille (3 personnes, puis 2, durant mon mois de cours), les occasions de prendre la parole ne manquent pas. Leur manière de faire des tests quotidiens : faire réciter par coeur des phrases comprenant des structures clés, être capable de lire des phrases complètes comprenant les kanji à apprendre, et enfin… les speechs hebdomadaires. Chacun doit faire une présentation orale, non seulement pour pratiquer tout ce qui a été vu précédemment, mais surtout pour réussir à transmettre son message à l’auditoire avec naturel. Le tout avec une conclusion positive et le sourire, des exposés oui mais avec l’esprit à la japonaise ! L’institutJ’ai eu du mal à trouver car je ne corresponds plus au public standard des instituts de langue pour étrangers au Japon. Ce que je cherchais : un lieu bien climatisé (le terrible pré-requis du climat de Tôkyô !), être bien traitée, étudier avec beaucoup d’effort tout en continuant d’aimer la langue, bref joindre l’utile/passion à l’agréable. Pour un faible budget. J’en demandais beaucoup ^o^ Et plus encore, sachant que je continue mon travail à plein temps. Pour ça, COTO a une formule « Nihongo plus » modulable en fonction de ses horaires de travail, que je testerai après ce mois intensif. Que demander de plus ? Le publicOutre les locaux tout neufs avec tatami, les réponses quasi-instantanées aux mails bilingues anglais-japonais, et les petites activités culturelles en supplément, le bon point de cet institut est son public. On ne peut pas généraliser mais sur les 3 élèves qui ont fréquenté les mêmes cours que moi, il n’y a eu que des personnes extrêmement investies dans leur apprentissage du japonais. D’horizons divers (Mongolie, Espagne, Taïwan), et avec un sérieux que j’ai rarement vu. C’est l’effet Japon sur les étrangers qui en veulent ^__^ Mon avisBref, si comme moi vous êtes autonome au Japon avec votre propre logement et visa, que vous travaillez et que le milieu étudiant est fini pour vous, vous êtes capable de parler japonais et/ou anglais, vous ne voulez pas que de la théorie mais beaucoup de pratique orale, et que vous réclamez un certain standing, COTO est là pour vous. |
A language institute in a cosy atmosphere, tea as much as you like, teachers with pink-colored cheeks, a very caring staff, and a method that leads to a natural practice of the Japanese language. That is the formula of COTO Language Academy, where I have just achieved 1 month intensive class, and my feeling follows.
The methodThe program is not limited to the study of kanji and Japanese grammar, which is the usual menu. The COTO touch, whose other name is « Fun Japanese », it is the « Natural and Fluent Japanese » aspect. A large place is given to oral expressions, but also to reactions, intonations and pronunciation speed. Classes are very small (we were at first three, then two, during my month of studying) thus the occasions to talk are numerous. The way they do tests everyday? By making recite by heart some sentences with the key structures, check whether one can read full sentences with the kanji to learn, and finally… weekly speechs. Everyone must do one oral presentation, not only to practice everything that has been previously studied, but also to successfully convey one’s message to the audience in a natural way. The whole activities end in a positive conclusion and smiles: some presentations, yes, but with Japanese essence! The instituteIt was difficult for me to find the appropriate language school, because I do not correspond anymore to the audience of standard language institutes for foreigners in Japan. What I was looking for: a place with good air-conditionner (which is a crucial prerequisite to survive to the Tôkyô climate), be well considered, study with much effort but still loving the language. In a word, mix usefulness, passion and comfort. For a small budget. I was asking much! And much more, given the fact that I continue to work full-time. To deal with this, COTO offers a « Nihongo Plus » formula, flexible, with a schedule that can be adapted to one’s working hours. I will now test this formula after my fulfilled 1-month intensive course. What more could I ask? The audienceIn addition to the brand new premises with tatami, the quasi-instantaneous replies to bilingual English/Japanese e-mails, and the optional cultural activities, the good point of this institute lies in its students. It is difficult to infer a general rule, but all 3 students who followed the same courses than me were extremely serious with regard to their learning of Japanese. Coming from different regions (Mongolia, Spain, Taiwan) and with a seriousness that I have rarely seen before. This is the impact of Japan on motivated foreigners. My pointIn a word, if, like me, you are autonomous in Japan with your own accommodation and visa, if you work and are not a student anymore, if you can speak Japanese and/or English, if you are looking not only for theoretical classes but for real-life practices, and finally if you are looking for a certain standing, COTO is the place for you. |
I have been fortunate enough to attend a dubbing course with Japanese dubbing professionals: Rikako Yamaguchi, Yui Watanabe and Shunsuke Sakai! These seiyû are talented and really adorable♡
The event took place in a sumptuous room of Tokyo Bay Ariake Washington Hotel in Odaiba. But before that, it was the Tokyo Anime Fair that I first met Yui Watanabe. She introduced herself as one of Triple-H in Mawaru penguindrum and the voice of Sorakara-chan, the official mascot of the Tokyo Skytree. These are prestigious roles, I know them all *o* I was very pleased to talk with her, thanks to my currently improving Japanese ^^ She has a really unique, very cute, voice!
Then, We gathered with the other two seiyû. Shunsuke Sakai introduced himself as a kôhai who is teased by her other two sempai ^o^ He is very dynamic, it is impressive to see how quiet he usually is and how passionate he becomes when it begins to overtake a character! His vocation became evident upon hearing « Ka-me-ha-me-haaaaa! » in Dragon ball, a situation he is able to play with a lot of energy! Rikako Yamaguchi mainly cites her roles in GON, Lego Friends and her works as a teacher in a seiyû school. She is the one who led the day’s lesson, with one of the most enjoyable smiles, while being very pedagogical.
The course began with exercises to improve one’s voice. Rikako explained that all these exercises where practiced daily by seiyû, otherwise their potentical would severely diminish. We practised the stretching breath exercises, then rose our voices to 40%, 60%, 80% and finally 100% of their full capacity. The conclusion is that when dubbing, one should always use his voice at 100% capacity. Not so simple!
Then came the script part. We trained on Pata pota Monta, an anime in which they all have a role. While the script in English is of course written horizontally, the Japanese one is written vertically. The script is divided into stages, each stage having a column explaining the context and a column with the text to be spoken. Everyone has to annotate the script, highlight his lines and notice the timecode at which his speech has to begin. This part seems trivial but it determines the success of dubbing!
Recording. I had the opportunity to try dubbing in France at a conference of French professional dubbers. The French method is very intuitive: it consists in reading a text which scrolls on the screen broadcasting the anime to dub. Thanks to this process, the work has already been prepared, time encoding being adressed at the same time the text is written. The Japanese way of dubbing is far different: this preparation must be done by the dubber himself. Oh la la, following the anime on the screen, finding the appropriate text on one’s sheets at the right time, reading and acting while remembering the context specified in the left column, aaaaaah! It is really hard ^^; It is just amazing that the seiyû are able to do it in such a natural and credible way…
I guess it is necessary to learn by heart the text one has to play. I am sure that you need to know perfectly the anime and the characters’ psychology. At least to perform well all the small details of the script, just like freetalk areas. What one has to say at those moments? It is difficult to improvise on the fly, so knowing the universe of the anime is the key. That is probably why Japanese voices can sound so emotional and truthful.
I’m really happy for having the chance of enjoying this experience. The three seiyû were so nice! Shunsuke gave us an appointment in the future in an anime. Eeeh? As a dubber?! Impossible ^^ But in a not so distant field, yes, because all this universe is precious to me, at the time I illustrate the next novel to be published by Univers partagés editions: Blind Spot, whose heroine climbs her way to become a seiyû in Japan! So, see you soon, seiyû world full of passion!
