I have a new interview on YouTube. This time, I would like you to meet Hyunwoo Sun. He is a Korean polyglot who excels at learning many languages. The skill which he has achieved in English just awes me. That is how I want to speak Japanese, Chinese or any language I persue. So I interviewed him to find out what he does, because I could not find that information on Hyunwoo's YouTube channel, in all the videos he has. Maybe he talks about it in Korean. I don't know because I don't know Korean at all.
Since he came to Japan on business for 2 weeks, I grabbed the opportunity to interview him. I threatened to kidnap him if he didn't tell me his secrets for language learning. So he agreed to meet me in a public place where I could not use any special tactics to extract information from him. So with the camera rolling, I set up on the streets of Shinjuku and asked him some grueling questions. And then I edited out all of my questions so the video cannot be used against me to press charges.
Of course, the truth is, I'm a tame fellow and there just wasn't room for my babbling in a YouTube video because of the length restrictions. And Hyunwoo is a great guy too whom you can learn Korean from if you are nice to him.
Really, I got a great interview from Hyunwoo Sun and I want to share it with all of you. He is one of the followers of my blog and that is how I first heard his name. So if you have questions and post comments here, he will read them and probably even reply.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
an interview with Charith in English
I got the captioning done today for the interview with Charith in English and uploaded it to YouTube. This video is 8 minutes long.
For those who've somehow landed on this page and don't know who Charith is I will give you a simple explanation. Charith is from Sri Lanka and he is fluent in Japanese. I've posted 2 other videos of him speaking Japanese already. So if you are looking for examples of foreigners who are fluent in Japanese, Charith is one such example.
Yes, it is my desire to bring hope and encouragement to those who are studying Japanese or any language. You too can become fluent in Japanese! You can become fluent in English or Chinese too. You can become fluent in whatever language you want and however many languages you want to be fluent in.
And when I say "fluent," I have high standards. So if you needn't worry that Charith might not be as good at Japanese as I say he is. You can see for yourself. Just go to my youtube channel and search for Charith.
For those who've somehow landed on this page and don't know who Charith is I will give you a simple explanation. Charith is from Sri Lanka and he is fluent in Japanese. I've posted 2 other videos of him speaking Japanese already. So if you are looking for examples of foreigners who are fluent in Japanese, Charith is one such example.
Yes, it is my desire to bring hope and encouragement to those who are studying Japanese or any language. You too can become fluent in Japanese! You can become fluent in English or Chinese too. You can become fluent in whatever language you want and however many languages you want to be fluent in.
And when I say "fluent," I have high standards. So if you needn't worry that Charith might not be as good at Japanese as I say he is. You can see for yourself. Just go to my youtube channel and search for Charith.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
tips for learning Japanese
Here is the second video with Charith. After we had finished the first interview he had some more he wanted to say. At first he starts talking about watching TV even when you don't understand any of it, and about not using a dictionary. He says that the words will enter you and you will acquire them naturally. But then he goes on to give some more tips and advice. At the end of the 5 minute video I have provided a list of the points he makes. I put the list up in Japanese and in English. You can just hit the pause button to read the list.
I have also subtitled this video, in Japanese and in English. Go to the YouTube site to get the subtitle functionality. You can turn it on or off in the lower right corner of the player. It is called 'CC' for closed captioning. I think this will be the last time I try to subtitle a Japanese video. It takes too much time. But since I figured many people here who don't learn Japanese will want to watch the video and know what he says, I subtitled this one. After writing all the Japanese down, creating the English translated subtitle file is easy. It's just the Japanese part that is difficult because I have to keep listening to parts over and over trying to catch the exact words used.
What's interesting about that is that I will have a part already transcribed and I'm trying to hear what is said after that part, and so I rewind and listen to it again but my mind gets stuck on what is being said and when the part I'm supposed to be listening for comes along, I miss it because my mind was preoccupied. That can happen like 3 or 4 times in a row!
Tips for Learning Japanese from Charith
I have also subtitled this video, in Japanese and in English. Go to the YouTube site to get the subtitle functionality. You can turn it on or off in the lower right corner of the player. It is called 'CC' for closed captioning. I think this will be the last time I try to subtitle a Japanese video. It takes too much time. But since I figured many people here who don't learn Japanese will want to watch the video and know what he says, I subtitled this one. After writing all the Japanese down, creating the English translated subtitle file is easy. It's just the Japanese part that is difficult because I have to keep listening to parts over and over trying to catch the exact words used.
What's interesting about that is that I will have a part already transcribed and I'm trying to hear what is said after that part, and so I rewind and listen to it again but my mind gets stuck on what is being said and when the part I'm supposed to be listening for comes along, I miss it because my mind was preoccupied. That can happen like 3 or 4 times in a row!
Tips for Learning Japanese from Charith
Friday, June 05, 2009
Japanese interview with Charith
I have finally got the first interview with Charith ready. It is late because I decided to create subtitles for the video. I can only do so much typing at once. And then there was that day that I lost 2 hours of work on the subtitles.
This interview is in Japanese. I have made Japanese subtitles and also English subtitles. You may have to turn them on and you may have to select the one you want to appear. That control is in the lower right corner of the video player. If it's not available on the embeded player in this post, then go to youtube to watch it: The Video link.
There will be two more videos to come. I have to make subtitle files for them before I post them. I don't know why, though. I just feel like providing them.
About Charith: He came to Japan 6 months before I arrived. He went to a Japanese language school for 18 months and then to a technical college to study computers. Those classes were, of course, conducted in Japanese.
This interview is in Japanese. I have made Japanese subtitles and also English subtitles. You may have to turn them on and you may have to select the one you want to appear. That control is in the lower right corner of the video player. If it's not available on the embeded player in this post, then go to youtube to watch it: The Video link.
There will be two more videos to come. I have to make subtitle files for them before I post them. I don't know why, though. I just feel like providing them.
About Charith: He came to Japan 6 months before I arrived. He went to a Japanese language school for 18 months and then to a technical college to study computers. Those classes were, of course, conducted in Japanese.
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