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[lukewevers]

What the f**k is with Japanese people's obsession with using the word 'memory' a billion miles out of context?

Who the hell taught them that these are OK sentences:

- "A school trip comes a very good memorys to me."
- "The school excursion bacame the memory very happily."

How about simply using, "I had a good time."

Personally I blame the Jyuku teachers

Comments

False friends and other things

[averagesmartguy]

You know how when you know what you want to say, but don't know how to say it in Japanese? So you try saying it translated literally to the best of your ability from English? It's like that. It's a reflection of how different grammar and word order is between the two languages. Having become a bit more familiar with J-go, I can now better "think Japanese" in order to deconstruct in Janglish what they were trying to say. It actually does make sense in a way, just not coherent sense to a native English speaker who doesn't know much Japanese, ha ha.

And the "Chinese viking" is what's referred to as a "false friend" - basically a loanword with a different meaning in the actual language. Though I am picturing a girl who just boffed a Mongol wearing a viking helmet, ha ha.

Re: False friends and other things

[lukewevers]

the difference is that I haven't been studying Japanese everyday for the last 3 years. And I don't have a jyuku teacher who doesn't know how to speak the language that they are teaching. Who instead hands the student a dictionary and says, here use this.

I realise that I am very far from fluent in Japanese, but difference is that if I want to use some Japanese that I am unsure about, I will ask a native speaker.

I guess I am in a bad mood anyway, because of stupid shit and people trying to get money out of me when I don't see why I should be giving them money.

Oh, and I though a Chinese viking was some sort of food stuff.

Heh, 'sall good

[averagesmartguy]

Yeah, I've been having wunna those days myself.

To be fair though, I doubt that some of the students have actually been studying that long either, ha ha. I do share your frustration with and hold the juku and other supposed "teachers" accountable as well. I also hate the systems for teaching English they have here, to be sure. They've got so many unqualified people who also happen to hate their English teaching jobs; in a way it's amazing that the students can do any amount of at least partially communicable English. I guess I just try to give the students the benefit of the doubt (unless I know for a fact that they don't try) and direct my rage towards the teachers and The System