Japanese enigma
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, for the past year or so I’ve become a bit obsessed with Japan and relearning and improving my Japanese. I haven’t really stopped to wonder why, but last night, as I was reading, the answer came to me. I suppose part of the answer is simply that if you are going to be living somewhere for a significant period of time you become more interested in it. But there is more to it than that.
I was reading Mangajin, No. 19. The feature story was interviews with translators. Gerry Harcourt was asked (page 19), “What do you like most about the Japanese language?” Her response was a bit of a nirvana moment for me. She said, “It’s so different from English. It jolts my way of thinking. I enjoy the surprises.”
And just like that I realized why the thought of moving back to Japan has caused my mind to think of little else. I’ve been jolted. And I enjoy the daily joltings and surprises that Japan and its language provides. After all, I can already speak, read, and understand Japanese good enough to have a great time in Japan. So I’m not really studying it to get by. I’m doing so because it is such a rewarding and interesting challenge.
Without the challenge and joltings I’m quite sure I wouldn’t be expending the time and effort.
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