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1. Accent reduction
Learning to sound more like a native speaker and less like an ESL speaker is not easy. Reducing a non-standard way of speaking -- accent reduction - is a long term project. If you learned English as a second or foreign language, the chances are very good that you do not speak like a native-speaker of English.
You most likely use English words and phrases with Japanese pronunciation in some of your speaking. This is the most natural way for you to speak English because Japanese is your first language.
Once you become a good speaker of English, your next challenge is to learn how to sound more like a native-speaker. There are a number of ways to become a better English speaker. One way is listening to music.
Listening to music
One of the very best ways to become a more natural speaker of English is to listen to music and sing along with the music. However, the choice of music is very important. Listening to trendy, popular music is not helpful for accent reduction. Listening to easy music with standard English lyrics is helpful.
After you learn the lyrics of a song, singing is the next task. As you walk down the street or do your laundry, sing the lyrics of the song. Recording your voice and then comparing your pronunciation with the singer's pronunciation may also be a good approach for reducing your accent.
2. Members
Member is a noun that indicates belonging, yet not all groups have members. Clubs and private organizations have members, but families do not.
For example:
Correct: I'm a member of the tennis club.
Incorrect: There are three members in my family.
Correct: There are three people in my family.
Work organizations do not have members. They have employees.
Incorrect: Six staff members worked on the arrangements.
Correct: Six people on the staff worked on the arrangements.
Correct: Six employees worked on the arrangements.
Member is a word that many Japanese speakers of English and Japanese to English translators overuse. It is a word to be careful with. Before using the word member, it might be a good idea to check your dictionary to make sure that the word goes with the other words you are using.
3. Japanese confidence and the English language
Confidence is an important part of learning and using a new language. We have made some observations about confidence in our years in Japan and elsewhere, our years translating, our years proofreading, and our years teaching. We would like to discuss what we have learned.
First, we have had many Japanese tell us that they are bad English speakers. We have met many Japanese who are good English speakers, and many Japanese who are poor English speakers. We find that Japanese people almost always undervalue their speaking ability. We would like you not to underestimate your speaking ability. We want to encourage you to speak without worrying about your ability. We believe that confidence will help you to communicate better.
Confidence is a tiny message inside your brain. Confidence makes you say more. Without confidence you speak less, which results in less practice. Speaking English with confidence is just like practicing any other art or skill. Without practice, you will not make progress. You will simply get worse. Speak up and try to say more.
While it is true that many Japanese are not so good at foreign languages, they are not alone. Many Americans are not so good at foreign languages either. The Scandinavians and Germans who speak multiple languages with facility are exceptions in the developed world.
Second, Japanese are often overconfident about their writing ability. Japanese often write and think that their writing is fine because they studied writing in school or because they are English teachers. Japanese writing in English is generally not as good as writers think it is. Signs on streets and menus in restaurants in Japan provide evidence of incorrect English writing in Japan.
In conclusion, we would like you to have more confidence in your speaking ability. Your spoken English is probably better than you think. At the same time, we would like you to realize that your writing may not be as good you think.
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