Don't Overdo It!

Why people say they can't study English and why they are not legitimate

There are some people who have no interest in learning another language and they don't feel that they need it. While that might not always be true, there is no budging people from that hard stance. However, there are those that have thought about studying at the back of their mind for years but seem to always be met with obstacles. But are they real obstacles? Let's explore some of the reasons;

I have no time -> Time. It is so precious and it seems in our adult life a lot of us are battling with the clock constantly. I can't get my project done, I wanted to relax but I had to drive my kids to soccer, I just started writing the essay and it's already midnight! The truth is, when you make something important, you find the time. Just ask that couple that found themselves pregnant even though they said many times there just wasn't the time for a baby.

I hated studying English in school -> If you are in Japan, I don't blame you. Japanese schools often center their English curricula around test prep and most students rarely get a chance to practice speaking English. I talked about that situation here. Studying as an adult is different. Us teachers know that students want to experience language in a new way and need to get practice activating what they have studied.

English is too difficult -> Sure, a new language is difficult. So was riding a bicycle, did you give up? So was learning how to do your job or how to study for your university program, but that didn't stop you did it? There is so much to learn with a new language, it looks like a huge mountain to climb, and I am not going to lie, it is. But when you decide to hike up Mount Fuji, you focus on where your feet are touching the ground, not on the peak. That is because you still have to take the journey to get there. Start simple, learn words daily, start making simple sentences and build from there. The key is, don't be worried about making mistakes, that is how you learn!

I probably won't be able to travel for a while, so I will do it later -> I have taught students many times that have just been informed that they are being transferred overseas. Their company gives them 10-20 lessons to build up their language skills which is just not enough. Of course, something is better than nothing, but it just isn't. You can feel their tension and stress about the upcoming transfer and an anxiety to cram as much as possible into their brains. Learn the language before it becomes an emergency situation. Take the time and go through the ins and outs and build up your confidence on top of your skills.

These were just a few examples, but you can see there is always a counterpoint. Do you have any other ideas about excuses people make? Leave a comment and I can talk about them in the future.

Idioms, a key part of language

I noticed a lot of textbooks don't have enough idioms. Particularly on a junior level. It's kind of crazy when you consider how common they are in our daily conversation in the realm of natural English.

So, here are a few that might be of interest to students;

When it rains it pours -> This can be used in both negative and positive situations. We use this to describe that when one thing happens, another or a few events seem to follow. For instance a student came down with COVID 19 and her air conditioning broke down a day later. When it rains, it pours, eh?

Kill two birds with one stone -> This idiom meaning to accomplish two things in one action is easy to imagine. In fact there is a similar idiom in Japanese, as there is for the previous one, so when your students study this, they will say, 'oh, I get it!'

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. -> This is more of a proverb than an idiom but it is a good way to encourage positive thinking. The basic idea is when you are met with trouble (lemons), you should do you best to turn it into a positive situation (refreshing lemonade).

Take it on the chin -> When you are down or something bad happens to you, accept the situation and don't complain or turn it into a big problem. Be positive even in adversity.

I like to focus on positive expressions and situation as sometimes learning a language can feel like a very negative situation, especially for some beginners.

Teachers can teach idioms by making a guessing game (can you guess the meaning of this idiom), or finding ways to draw these out in the course of discussion in class. Make sure the students make a note and try to quiz them later or provide them with an opportunity to use them in a class.

Time to bring humanity back to the classroom

COVID 19 has had a profound effect. It really goes without saying. But I am not talking about the heart-shattering loss of life or the cabin fever inducing 3 years we spent locked in our homes. I am talking about the way business is conducted and how foreign language training has evolved here in Japan. With an increased acceptance of video meeting software such as Zoom, Teams or Meet, the classroom shifted into the virtual world as well.

Companies were forced to move the office to people's homes while the pandemic raged and after companies grew to accept that style, many have stuck to Work From Home. Nikkei Asia estimates that nearly 40% of workers are still doing a hybrid style of work (link), saving transportation and even electricity costs for businesses. This shift to video meetings also impacts on the number of business trips as communication can be achieved for a fraction of the cost. This research positively talks about how 64% of companies still find business travel important, but that means that 36% don't.

Of course, what I am leading up to here is that this has impacted the general attitude towards studying foreign languages, particularly English. More private students or companies are turning to more reasonably costing online English training meaning there has been a step back from the beneficial environment of face-to-face English lessons. Aside from the obvious lack of technical issues that sometimes crop up, there are many benefits to a more intimate training environment. A teacher can have quicker reaction times to questions or problems and has a better capability of reading learners' body language. There is a better sense of connection between all members when you are in a live environment, with more live tools at the teacher's disposal. Last, but not least, there are less chances of succumbing to distractions such as pets, children or that temptation to turn the TV on. This website also talks about motivation and focus as a couple of benefits of being in a classroom as some other potential benefits.

Companies offering English training need to embrace a commitment to quality lessons with practical contents set up in a way that is enjoyable for the students. And most importantly, we need to bring the humanity back to the English study environment and get back in the same room. The teacher needs to work closely with the students to help them realize their goals and use all the tools and signs at their disposal. This is at the heart of what Lowrey Global Consultants strives to do.

IELTS is one of the important language tests out there, knowing good synonyms helps you succeed!

The path to a memory

Harumi came across the word 'confound' in her book. She had no idea what it meant.

She would typically pass it over and try to get by without understanding but this time she decided to dig into it.

First she made a note in her book, opened up her dictionary app and looked up the word in Japanese. She wrote it down.

She had heard that it is good to try to study in the native language as much as possible so she looked it up in an all-English dictionary as well. She made a note.

The next morning it was out of her head. She was determined to start growing her English skills, so she picked up her notebook and looked again. There were about 4 such words she had written so she took some time to look at them all.

That day in English class the teacher asked one of the boys, Tomoharu, a question and he looked confused. She saw her chance and she chimed in, " Tomo-kun is confounded."

She got a reaction which made her feel good. Her classmates blinked at her in confusion and the teacher looked surprised, then grinned.

Her experience had ensured she would remember the word. She had made a memory.

Effort is an under-rated gateway to success, especially in study and work.

サインボードは正確に

前に英語でブログしました。ここで。

海外のお客さんがあなたの店に来た時、英語のサインボードがあれば、とても親切です。英語の間違いがあれば、あなたの会社のイメージが下がる可能性があります。外国人にとって上記のような間違いはとても記憶に残る出来事です。

例えば、下の二つの写真を見てください；

このサインボードにふたつのスペルミスがあります。‘plese’ (please) と’quiently’ (quietly)は違います。お客さんたちは苦笑し、あなたの会社はレベルが低いと見なされます。

‘be’動詞のミスは子供の間違いっぽく見えます。海外のお客さんは意味は分かるけれどイメージは良くないです。

このような間違いは簡単に防げます。LGCのサインチェックサービスを使えば安く正確な英語を教えます。その上、ナチュラルな英語の他の提案をします。例えば最初のサインボードのオプションは"Please respect other guests and refrain from making loud noises."他のお客さんをリスペクトとし大きい声を出ないでください。‘　二つ目のサインは、It is safe to drink this water, please enjoy!"　「この水は安全だから、飲んでください。」

私たちのサービスにご興味がある方はご連絡ください。

Chat GPT for language positive points

I posted a few times about why I felt it was dangerous to rely too much on ChatGPT for your English needs in business (here and here). I also allowed ChatGPT itself to counterpoint, teaching us some of its positive points. But I would not be a fair and impartial person if I didn't acknowledge some positive points.

It can work as a proofreader. You could copy your writing into the interface and ask it to proofread. If you ask it to preserve your own words as much as possible it could be a win-win.

It could take care of some routine communication that is not vital or involving company secrets.

If you feel your business partner is sending you ChatGPT e-mails, why not return the favor?

It can keep you company if you work alone or at home. Have a fun chat with it.

I still feel it is important to stick to your own word when you are building a business connection or you need to deal with sensitive information. But I exist in the real world and understand that people will use it sometimes, much as they use Google Translate when they are short on time to write an e-mail. But always proofread it and make sure that ChatGPT is saying what you would like to be communicated on your behest.

Some common English mistakes in Japan

After teaching English here in Japan for nearly 20 years, I've noticed that there are some common mistakes that keep coming up. Fighting off the urge to roll your eyes, a teacher needs to understand this is a teachable moment. This is like finding a nugget of gold while swimming in the river. Because they are common errors, we can make a dent in this fault in the local language skills by explaining why they are wrong.

Here are a few that have come across my path in the last week or so;

"I choiced to go to school in Kansai." -> It is common to hear students mistakenly use 'choice' as a verb. I will challenge them; choice is a noun, what is the verb? If they can't come up with it, I'll introduce choose-chose-chosen. (Success/succeed has the same problem)

Safety Driver. In a similar vein, for years the Japanese police and other safety-concerned agencies have made stickers to put on cars saying 'safety driver'. Safety is a noun- safe is the correct adjective.

Do you drive MY CAR? Rather than saying 'your own' they often will staple 'my' in front of words like 'home' or 'car' for instance. I think a few clever advertising campaigns are to blame for this problem, but, hey, let's remember that 'my' means that is the speaker's own possession.

I overworked yesterday. While many may argue that it is overworking, the truth is, what the speaker wants to say is, "I worked overtime yesterday."

These are just a few examples, but there are a lot more. I will keep note as I encounter them and post again on this topic in the future.

Engage and Enjoy!

Being serious about developing an English training program and approaching curriculum building and lesson time with 100% buy in doesn't mean that the lessons are going to be no fun.

Quite the contrary. Coming into Japan, most students have studied a lot of English and have interacted with a lot of vocabulary, but they don't know how to use it because there is a heavy leaning towards passing the school tests. A lot of students have never traveled and they have not discovered how satisfying and fun it can be to actually communicate in another language. We need to engage them. Sometimes stray from the path you blazed if a productive conversation springs, but remember to find teaching points as you go.

make your lessons fun. Add games and discussion activities or do meeting simulations.

involve the students. Find out what they hope for and make a point to accommodate.

Mix it up. Have one class that is totally different. Try to avoid making it routine.

Don't lose sight of your target, the textbook still needs to be used, time needs to be controlled but the students don't need to be aware you are thinking of this.

Make sure the students understand the benefits of the activities you are doing or the goal. Sometimes students appear to be having fun but turn around and complain to their HR department. Sell them on what you are doing.

If we teach them how to have fun and how to communicate while growing their skills, they will gain a more natural motivation and interest in your class. You can't win them all. Some students are forced to take the class by their boss or other persons of influence, but you will win over more than you lose if you keep this in mind.

Get it right and make the right impression

When you are trying to communicate with your guests, it's great that you want to help your foreign guests feel at home by using English. However if you put the wrong words out there, it sticks out to your foreign guests and can do more harm to your brand image than it does good.

For example here are a couple of pictures;

This picture asks us to eat 'quiently' unfortunately 'quiently' is not a word. 'Quietly' is likely the target. Now, your foreign guests are having a chuckle and the importance of your message is diminished.

This water be good to drink. 'Be'? I have some elementary school students that can see the mistake, 'is' would be correct. The grammatical error may not stop people from drinking the water, but it, again, affects your brand.

It's easy to avoid such mistakes by checking your English beforehand. If you use our sign checking service, it will not only be done at a reasonable cost, but we can offer some more suggestions that might add a more authentic, native voice to your signs. For instance the first sign could be, "Please respect other guests and refrain from making loud noises." The second sign could be, " It is safe to drink this water, please enjoy!".

Let us know if we can help you.