Japanese in 18 Months? No way!!!

[rpapo]

I am under no deadline whatsoever, so I'm learning Japanese gradually. I've never much cared about "certifications", so I've not even looked into taking the JLPT. I'm getting faster at transcribing Japanese (knowing the kana, and the ON and KUN readings of Kanji), but my biggest problem right now is unraveling long sentences. Determining the subjects, objects and indirect objects in sentences can be a pain at times, given how the usage of the を and に particles depends on the verb. I really ought to take a break and re-read my Japanese grammar books now that I've spent the past 18 months or so working on translations in my spare time.

[Doraneko]

Being enrolled in the JLPT is never a prerequisite for using those JLPT materials in your libraries. The point I was making is that those materials can be surprisingly useful if you need to improve your language in a short time. In fact I would never recommend you to take the JLPT given your circumstances.

Similarly, I also used materials from the Centre Exam (センター試験) to help with my learning, though I had never considered (and will never be qualified) to sit in that exam. The major reason for me to add its past exam papers into my "arsenal" is that reading comprehension exercises on archaic Japanese is extremely rare if they ever exists. On the other hand the archaic Japanese papers from the Centre Exam are freely available.

(Here is the Japanese test in the latest Centre Exam. Questions on archaic Japanese start from p. 25. Give it a shot if you are interested )

Familiarizing yourself with the tools at your disposal and utilizing them is essential for effective learning. Of course it is also important to make learning an enjoyable process.

... but my biggest problem right now is unraveling long sentences. Determining the subjects, objects and indirect objects in sentences can be a pain at times, given how the usage of the を and に particles depends on the verb.

It may be a good idea to make it a daily habit to check Japanese news sites. There are lots of long sentences, kanji, and updated vocabulary.

I really ought to take a break and re-read my Japanese grammar books now that I've spent the past 18 months or so working on translations in my spare time.

You don't really need to take an extensive break for grammar revision. Just do that on every other day, while for the remaining days you may continue with your light novel reading/translation.

[rpapo]

分かりました、先生！

[Doraneko]

分かりました、先生！

Lol there are Japanese speakers here who are much more qualified as 先生 than me.

I guess Kyoani's famous line of "まだ、その域に達していない" on Yamakan also applies to me.

[rpapo]

Lol there are Japanese speakers here who are much more qualified as 先生 than me.

I guess Kyoani's famous line of "まだ、その域に達していない" on Yamakan also applies to me.

Well, you may not feel you've "arrived", but you seem to be more comfortable in the language than I. I tend to judge my level of Japanese in comparison to my level of Spanish. I've been using Spanish daily for nearly 30 years, and am completely fluent in that language. Nobody will ever mistake for a native speaker, let alone a college professor, but they are typically confused as to where I'm from, because I no longer have a normal Gringo accent. I can translate between English and Spanish as fast as I can type it. If I can get anywhere near that good in Japanese, I will be content.

[Doraneko]

Well, you may not feel you've "arrived", but you seem to be more comfortable in the language than I. I tend to judge my level of Japanese in comparison to my level of Spanish. I've been using Spanish daily for nearly 30 years, and am completely fluent in that language. Nobody will ever mistake for a native speaker, let alone a college professor, but they are typically confused as to where I'm from, because I no longer have a normal Gringo accent. I can translate between English and Spanish as fast as I can type it. If I can get anywhere near that good in Japanese, I will be content.

Well if my Japanese level ever reaches your Spanish level, I will also be content for sure.

I am not even sure if I can pull out similar achievements in English: a second language to me but used on a daily basis. For one, accent is something that tends to curse a majority of non-native speakers for their entire lives.

Right now I am partially successful at getting rid of my local accent, but still have a long way to go. Asians tend to think that I was born in UK/US, but in front of Brits and Americans I still sound very much like anyone from Asia.

[YoakeNoHikari]

Ｉ　ｔｒｉｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｌｏｏｋ　ｆｏｒ　it. I really did. But, what does "前へ倣え" mean?

Context:

往年の映画「霊幻道士」に出てる不死人「キョンシ」のように、両手を前に突き出している。
ココはその”前へ倣え”みたいな姿勢で、ばたばたばたたっ。また袖を振って、中から。。。ヌンチャク。。。？いや。違う。

I assume the posture they're talking about is the one with the hands sticking out, but I have no idea what 前へ倣え is supposed to mean.

[Doraneko]

From Google Sensei:

体育では、「前へならえ」の練習をしました。まっすぐに手が伸びていてとってもきれいです。



http://www.miki.ed.jp/el/jiyu/index.cfm ... ,15,9,html

今、30歳前後の方にはすごく懐かしいのではないでしょうか ^^ ?。おそらく、大人の事情で似た名前の映画なんでしょうが、1985年香港で製作されのが『 霊幻道士 』、同じく1985年台湾で製作されたのが『 幽幻道士 』のようです。女の子のテンテンが出ていて日本で流行ったのが『 幽幻道士 』の方です。

Basically when a teacher shouts 前へならえ, the kids will stretch out their arms in order to make a neat queue. The posture is similar to those of the Chinese zombies in HK movies.

[YoakeNoHikari]

サンキュー！

[YoakeNoHikari]

How would one translate 見様見真似 as one word? I was tempted to put Layfon...

[joay_b]

How is it used? We're not sure if "learning by example" or "mimicry" would be suitable.

[YoakeNoHikari]

遠山キンジ版----見様見真似の双剣双銃。

I am sorry for not putting it in context. I had considered mimicry before, but the translation has to be an adjective, so neither of those examples can fit.

Unless I choose to translate it as "Quadra of Mimicry", which is acceptable.

I shall use it as an interim measure.

People on this forum refer to themselves strangely.

[EusthEnoptEron]

Maybe something along the lines of "Mimicked/Copied Quadra(-technique)" would work?

[YoakeNoHikari]

Yes, but it does not sound as awesome as it needs to, for a light novel like Hidan no Aria, which by principle makes a living off its supposed badassery, rather than plot.

Thank you all for all the suggestions.

[Ryu]

Hmm, since I'm guessing that it's a name for a technique, I'd use nouns instead of past tense. I'm thinking of something along the lines of "Quadra - Shadow Copy / Carbon Copy".