Essay

On yer bike

By Samantha Loong

音声ダウンロード

It's been four years since I last found myself conducting everyday life in Japanese. I was a bit nervous about this, but people were telling me not to worry. "It'll be like riding a bike," they said. "It'll all come back to you."

I have to admit that it has been like riding a bicycle — only, a slightly rusty one. The gears are a bit on the stiff side and the tyres are a little flat, so everything moves a lot slower than what I'm used to. The bell also doesn't quite ding as loudly as before, so sometimes it's hard to warn people that we're about to linguistically collide. Also, the seat hasn't been adjusted in a while, so it's not entirely comfortable. But despite occasionally taking much longer than anticipated, my Japanese language bicycle still gets me from A to B.

It also helps immensely when other commuters and pedestrians give you room to move. I've been very grateful for the number of people in my small town who have not panicked when they've had to change how they speak in order to help me understand.

The first was a waitress. After I had initially replied "Yes please," to her question of "Which would you like?" she simply repeated slowly what she had said and used her fingers to indicate that there were two options. It may seem like the obvious thing to do, but many other service staff I've encountered have just repeated what they've said, and at the same incomprehensible speed as before.

The second great communicator was a woman at an electronics store. She drew diagrams, switched to informal Japanese and listed things in bullet points when explaining to me how my Internet set-up was going to work.

The third had the most difficult job. Even in English, explaining and understanding insurance coverage is a nightmare. But this gentleman used gestures and simple Japanese words to ensure that I understood what would be covered, in what situations and for how long. I was so grateful that I told him how awesome he was. He breathed a sigh of relief and said that he'd had practice with the other non-Japanese in my building, and revealed how he was sweating bullets the entire time.

Communication, like cycling, is a group effort. It makes for a much more pleasant journey if others give way, look out for each other and are understanding and helpful when you need it. And in general, language learning really is like riding a bicycle. You might wobble. You might crash in public. And you might end up with a few bumps and bruises. But in the end, you'll still have moved yourself forward.

自転車に乗って

久しぶりに日本語で日常生活を送り始めた筆者。「自転車に乗るようなものだからすぐ慣れる」と友人たちに言われた通り、実際、日本語を使うことは、自転車に乗ることと似ている要素がいくつもある。

The Japan Times ST: December 13, 2013