Japanese thoughts on British Culture: A Beautiful Manga by Chihiro Tamaki

I'm very happy to be able to meet Chihiro Tamaki the author of this manga. She was telling her story of moving to the UK.

She was studying English and there is much we can learn from her about language and communication.

Stop being polite

I love her story about the time when she realized that it's easier to say directly what you want. She compared the Japanese way of critique and the UK style.

Don't be shy to speak English

She was learning English in class and soon realized that her Japanese classmates struggled to speak English. Many of the students from Spain had been in the same language class, but for them it was much easier to speak. That's when she realized that in Japanese culture people wait and listen until the end before they speak, while in Spain people enjoy talking and don't mind changing subjects.

Native Speaker's struggel, too

English is a foreign language for many people. That's why there are many different accents and many different ways of communication. Sometimes English is hard to understand even for native speakers, so you should never be afraid to talk in English.

How to speak effectively

When it comes to effective communication, it does not matter if you speak your mother language or a foreign language. What is most important is the goal you have in mind. What do you actually want to say?

By listening to a lecture or to public speakers, you realize that good speakers can move the audience. Their goal is to keep the audience listening. For them a good event is not only the content itself, but the way how this content is presented.

This effect is same when it comes to speaking effective in a foreign language. Once you eliminate the fear to speak, you are able to communicate. If the other person is willing to listen to you, you can speak. For that process you don't need a high amount of words. However, the number of words you remember in a foreign language will help you to speed up a conversation.

Do you struggle talking in a foreign language? What's your personal survival strategy?