LESSON TRANSCRIPT

Introduction to Japanese #1
Why Learn Japanese?

# 1
COPYRIGHT © 2016 INNOVATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Hi!

Welcome to Introduction to Japanese.

My name is Alisha and I'm joined by...

Hi everyone. I'm Risa!

In this series, you'll learn everything you need to know to get started learning Japanese.

That's right!

And *we're* here to help guide you through your journey.

In *this* lesson, you'll learn the reasons you should start learning a new language, why
you should learn *Japanese* in particular, and how to get started.

Let's begin with the most obvious question, "Why learn a new language?"

Why learn a new language?

There are countless reasons, but perhaps the biggest one of all, is that it could
*actually* change your life! Learning a new language unlocks new pathways that are off
limits to you now.

There are certain things that you simply cannot do without having the technical or
cultural skills that come from learning a new language.

Like working or living in another country!

Knowing another language provides you with greater job opportunities. You have the
freedom to move to another country halfway around the world and be able to earn a
living, or even better yet, build a career from it – instead of just being stuck in one
place.

Language allows you to visit or live in places that you may never even have
considered going, simply because that wasn't a possibility for you. Knowing another
language simply gives you more options to choose from.

And learning a new language also helps you to be more open-minded and see the world
from a new perspective.

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Language and culture go hand in hand. The world is a *big* place, and by broadening
your understanding of other cultures, it allows you to be more empathetic and
understanding of the many different ways that people live their lives. With language,
you're able to see and experience *more*, which helps you to grow as a person.

Learning a new language also improves your memory.

Several studies have consistently shown that those who study another language have
improved memory as opposed to those who didn't learn another language. Learning
another language also keeps your brain healthy by significantly delaying the onset of
Alzheimer's and dementia. This difference can be as much as 4 to 5 more years of
quality life!

And those are just *some* of the reasons you should learn another language. The list
just goes on and on.

Now you know the benefits of studying another language, but why should you learn
*Japanese* in particular?

Why Japanese?

Have you ever heard of Pokemon? Mario? Or Playstation? Well, they all came from
Japan!

Japanese pop-culture is huge. Many of the animations, comics and games that are
loved by people from all over the world were created in Japan. Not everything gets
translated either, so unless you know Japanese, you're missing out on a lot of amazing
things that Japanese pop-culture has to offer.

And what about the fact that Japan is the third largest economy in the world?

Japan has one of the largest electronic goods industries in the world, and is the world's
third largest automobile manufacturer. It's also one of the highest ranked countries in
terms of innovation. Knowing Japanese opens up many business opportunities. And
knowledge of the language, of Japanese culture, their work ethic and business
etiquette, can go a very long way in the world of business. Often times, it could even
*make* or *break* an important business deal. Knowing Japanese then, will put you
ahead of the pack.

We should add that the majority of the Japanese population can't speak English, so if
you're planning on making a few friends in Japan, being able to speak at least *some*
Japanese, will get you a long way.Japan has one of the fastest growing tourism sectors

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in Asia. And actually, Japan will be hosting the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo!

There are many World Heritage Sites for you to see and enjoy in Japan. Perhaps the
most famous one of all, an absolute icon of Japan, is Mount Fuji, the highest mountain
in Japan.

Another spot that I really like, is Himeji Castle. It's one of the finest examples of
Japanese architecture during the period of feudal Japan.

Japan has a colorful history that spans thousands of years. The feudal period of
Japan, the age of the samurai, lasted for nearly a millenium. Most notably, the country
saw an unprecedented 250 years of peace and prosperity, giving rise to artistic,
cultural, and social development – all of which, you can see and enjoy in museums
across Japan, today.

So clearly, there are many, many reasons why you should learn Japanese!

Okay then, we've talked about *why* you should start learning a language, and why
you should start learning *Japanese*, but how should they get started Risa?

How to get started.

Well it's as simple as learning your first word in Japanese and building up from there!

The good news though, is that you *already* know *some* Japanese!

寿司、侍、カラオケ...

These are words that have made their way into English, but the reverse is also true.
Many English words have also made their way into Japanese. In fact, 10% of ALL
Japanese words used today, *come* from English!

アイスクリーム、ビール、バター...

This means that you *already* know a little more than 10% of ALL the words that exist
in Japanese!

Let's teach you something that you might not know, but is very useful.

ありがとう

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It means, "thank you" in Japanese.

That's a useful phrase. Can you explain a little bit about what these characters are
though?

Sure.

That's actually the Japanese writing system called かな, and it's not as hard as it looks.

Japanese doesn't use alphabetical letters in its writing system like English does.

Instead, we use a set of characters called かな.

You can think of each character as a syllable.

あ-り-が-と-う

You'll learn the Japanese writing system eventually, but for now let's put up some
romanization to help get you started.

This romanization is called ローマ字, and it allows you to read Japanese before you
become familiar with Japanese characters.

That certainly makes things much easier to learn. Well okay then, now listen and
repeat after Risa.

ありがとう

Now *you* try!

ありがとう

Your turn again!

ありがとう

Well done. Now you know how to say "thank you" in Japanese!

We've covered a lot of things already, so why don't we wrap up the first lesson and
recap on what we've learned.

In this lesson, you learned that studying another language has many benefits such as

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providing new job and business opportunities.

Japan has a colorful history, with many things for you to see and learn.

And to say "thank you" in Japanese, it's...

ありがとう

In the next lesson, we're going to demystify Japanese pronunciation by taking a look at
the *sounds* of Japanese, so be sure to watch the next video.

See you in the next lesson. Bye!Bye~!

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