|
1. Revision is the heart of writing (Part II)
The last issue examined writing as a process. It can be very difficult to edit in your second language. There is another approach you can take if you are translating from Japanese, your native language, into English or another language. You can start by revising the Japanese first!
First edit the Japanese into shorter and clearer sentences that are easy to understand. Then you can translate the easy-to-understand Japanese into easy-to-understand English. This is another way of providing an understandable translation.
Japanese is not a vague language by nature. It is vague because people write or speak vaguely. Writing in English should not be vague. It should be clear. Make the Japanese clear first, and then the English will be clear.
2. Penpals
Different people like to read different things. Some people like to read newspapers, others like to read books, and others like to read letters. Many people who like to read letters from other people like to communicate and build friendships at the same time. Finding a penpal is an excellent way to do this. Take a look at http://www.penpalnet.com/, which is a first-rate site for finding penpals. You can look for penpals by age, gender, and country.
Try writing a penpal to see if you can make a new cyberspace friend. You can practice your reading, writing, and intercultural communication all while making a new friend. Some people like this and some people don't. Give it a try and see if it is for you.
Remember when you write, the more interesting your letter is, the better the chance that someone will respond. If nobody responds, then try again and again. It can be difficult to find penpals, but keep trying.
Good language learners never give up!
3. Westerners and complaints
If you work with Westerners, watch them on TV shows or in movies, or have Western friends, it may seem that they complain and criticize more than Japanese. It certainly seems to Westerners that they do! This may be because it is true, or it may be because Japanese complaining and criticism is too subtle for many Westerners to catch.
Why do Westerners complain and criticize so much? Are we just unhappy people who can’t stop whining? No, we complain and criticize because we believe things can be changed. Complaining and criticizing is how we start the process of change.
When Japanese people tell Westerners that nothing can be done about something, many Westerners don’t believe them. Something can usually be done to improve things. It is a choice that people make. What often decides whether or not people try to change things is based upon their belief system. Westerners’ belief systems normally include the possibility of change.
|
