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Common Challenges in English for Japanese Native Speakers - TEFL Blog
Mon, 13 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Common Challenges in English for Japanese Native Speakers
If you ever find yourself driving in French Canada, you will be stopped by stop signs that say 'arrêt', which is stopped in French. Almost all drivers in North America would know that this means stop because it's the same octagon red stop sign. In Japan it's very different, stop signs are triangular with Japanese script on them but, beneath the Japanese, you can find English subtitles which read 'stop'. In fact, if you travel anywhere in Japan, the majority of signs and announcements related to travel are offered in Japanese and English. English has been taught in Japanese schools since the American occupation after World War Two. However, according to an EF English... [Read more]
The Struggles for Japanese Students When Learning English - TEFL Blog
Thu, 24 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
The Struggles for Japanese Students When Learning English
I have been teaching in Japan for over 12 years in three different locations ranging from the southernmost part of Hokkaido to the southern island of Kyushu, where I presently reside. The youngest students I have had were children not even two years of age, whereas my older students were in their seventies. This is a very common situation for those who teach here in Japan; a country where the English boom occurred not too long after they rebuilt their nation following the Second World War.
Table of Contents
Interest
Popular Culture Influence
Pronunciation Difficulties
Language Systems
Confidence
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The Most Common Obstacles for Japanese Learners of English - TEFL Blog
Thu, 30 Jul 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
The Most Common Obstacles for Japanese Learners of English
Formal English education first took root in Japan with the creation of the first English schools in 1865 and has since steamrolled into an aggressive effort by the government to produce an English-proficient population. The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET) was established to introduce native speakers into English classrooms, and English instruction continues to become mandatory for increasingly younger students in primary schools. Despite these efforts, an English Proficiency Index conducted by the organization English First gave Japan a "low proficiency" score, with the island country lagging not just the multicultural countries of Singapore and Malaysia but... [Read more]
The Most Challenging Aspects in English for Japanese Students - TEFL Blog
Mon, 29 Mar 2021 Elizaveta Pachina
TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas
The Most Challenging Aspects in English for Japanese Students
Description: When teaching English in Japan, there are a few common problems all learners, young and old, face. Two main issues students face are with grammar, as well as pronouncing and hearing certain sounds. As this course was designed for teaching young learners, in this paper, I will address the issues above and possible solutions as they apply to this age group.
Table of Contents
Grammar Tricks
Pronunciation Tricks
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Rebecca E. Please note that... [Read more]
Why Is English Challenging to Learn for Japanese Students? - TEFL Blog
Wed, 17 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Why Is English Challenging to Learn for Japanese Students?
Japanese are known for being disciplined, dedicated, and hardworking individuals not only in their work but also in other aspects of their life like hobbies and studies. But why is it difficult for them to learn English despite their strong dedication, patience, efforts, and determination?
Table of Contents
My Teaching Experience
But still, the Japanese cannot speak English, why is that?
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Princess D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
My Teaching Experience
I've been teaching English... [Read more]
What is Challenging in English Pronunciation for Japanese Native Speakers? - TEFL Blog
Mon, 04 Nov 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
What is Challenging in English Pronunciation for Japanese Native Speakers?
What's the most difficult part of learning a new language? Is it writing? Perhaps it's the reading or memorizing new vocabulary? Well for some it's speaking the new language, specifically when it comes to pronunciation. Every language has its unique ways or pronouncing their vowels and constants as well as how they form their sentence structure. Especially this write up will focus on Japanese English as a Second Language (ESL) students and the difficulties they face while learning English and its pronunciation.
Table of Contents
Japanese Writing
Teaching Approach
Pronunciation Differences
Further Steps
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Easy Solutions for Problems Faced by Japanese Students in English - TEFL Blog
Wed, 22 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Easy Solutions for Problems Faced by Japanese Students in English
Learning a second language can be difficult and depending on the learner's mother tongue, it can present challenges unique to a certain group of people. More specifically, there are several unique challenges for Japanese native speakers who are learning English and vice versa. English can be difficult for Japanese native speakers for various reasons such as difficulty distinguishing certain sounds, the use of katakana to teach English words, and drastically different sentence structure.
Table of Contents
Difficult Sounds
Vocabulary Typical to Japanese Only
Sentence Structure
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Problems That the Japanese Might Face When Learning English - TEFL Blog
Fri, 20 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Problems That the Japanese Might Face When Learning English
Learners from Japan have to face cultural issues as well as phonetic problems when learning English.
Table of Contents
Social Pressure
Motivation Challenges
Sound Awareness
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Susanne W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Social Pressure
Like in many other Asian countries, Japanese students are used to ex-cathedra teaching, rather than actively participating and contributing to the lessons. One of their biggest fears is to 'lose face' in front of others, which not only means losing... [Read more]
Three Typical Pronunciation Problems for Japanese ESL Students - TEFL Blog
Tue, 17 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Three Typical Pronunciation Problems for Japanese ESL Students
According to a study by scholars and experts in the field of linguistics, more specifically in the article of Riney & Anderson-Hsieh from International Christian University, the native language (L1) is a good predictor of pronunciation accuracy in English as researched by Suter in 1976. In the same article, it was mentioned that a subsequent study by Purcell and Suter in 1980, found that non-native speakers who are most likely to pronounce English (L2) poorly, fit the profile in Japanese ESL students.
Table of Contents
1. /L/ and /R/ sound
2. /ng/ sound
3. /th/ Fricatives
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How Japanese as a Native Language Causes Problems for Students Learning English in Japan - TEFL Blog
Tue, 28 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
How Japanese as a Native Language Causes Problems for Students Learning English in Japan
This essay seeks to explain how the Japanese 'Katakana' and 'Romaji' alphabets cause barriers to the introduction of English education in Japanese elementary schools. It will look at how these alphabets affect the pronunciation, writing, and reading abilities of Japanese students.
Table of Contents
The Japanese language arguably has four different alphabets.
Chart 1: Examples of Katakana and Romaji
English word(s)/ English pronunciation/ Katakana/ Katakana pronunciation/ Romaji
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Last posts written by Elizaveta from: 1500
Elizaveta Pachina
Liza is a translator, freelancer and ESL teacher from Russia. She had been teaching in a Chinese bilingual school for more than two years and recently moved to Thiland to run her blog about teaching and freelance job.
Read my articles
Top Tips for Teaching English to Younger Students Online | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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Alumni Experiences
In this blog post, our TEFL graduate shares their experience of working with ESL children online. They explain all possible difficulties and benefits.
What is Challenging in English Pronunciation for Japanese Native Speakers? | ITTT | TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
This blog post is devoted to the problem of pronunciation. Our TEFL graduate shares their experience of teaching Japanese native speakers.... [Read more]
Last posts written by Elizaveta from: 696
Elizaveta Pachina
Liza is a translator, freelancer and ESL teacher from Russia. She had been teaching in a Chinese bilingual school for more than two years and recently moved to Thiland to run her blog about teaching and freelance job.
Read my articles
How to Teach English Grammar Communicatively | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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English can be taught in many ways. In this blog post, our TEFL graduate considers the communicative approach.
How to Develop the Speaking Abilities of Kindergarten Level Students | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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The Importance of Business English | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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In this article, our TEFL... [Read more]
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Liza is a translator, freelancer and ESL teacher from Russia. She had been teaching in a Chinese bilingual school for more than two years and recently moved to Thiland to run her blog about teaching and freelance job.
Read my articles
How Does a Teacher Successfully Manage a Classroom? | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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Teaching Ideas
The problem of classroom management is relevant to many teachers both experienced and inexperienced. Our TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on how to work it through.
Why Is English Challenging to Learn for Japanese Students? | ITTT | TEFL Blog
Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
In this blog post, our TEFL graduate answers the question "Why is it challenging to Japanese native speakers to learn English?".
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Elizaveta Pachina
Liza is a translator, freelancer and ESL teacher from Russia. She had been teaching in a Chinese bilingual school for more than two years and recently moved to Thiland to run her blog about teaching and freelance job.
Read my articles
How do Japanese Students Respond to Some Common Challenges in English? | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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Teaching Ideas
This blog post is devoted to some most common issues of the Japanese students in English and their attitude towards it.
The Most Common Pronunciation Problems for English Learners in Myanmar | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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In this article, our TEFL graduate shares their experience of working with students from Myanmar.
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Tefl reviews - Tesol Tefl Reviews Video Testimonial Leslie - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
TESOL TEFL Reviews - Video Testimonial - Leslie
Leslie is a Canadian English teacher at a junior high school in the Japanese countryside. In this TESOL review, Leslie tells us she is looking to open her own English language day care centre at her home and with this in mind she took the 120-hour certificate course with ITTT as well as the 50-hour young learners course to bring her qualifications up to date. Hopefully for Leslie this will be the first step on a rewarding career as the owner of a successful English language school in Japan.
Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This... [Read more]
Last posts written by Elizaveta from: 936
Elizaveta Pachina
Liza is a translator, freelancer and ESL teacher from Russia. She had been teaching in a Chinese bilingual school for more than two years and recently moved to Thiland to run her blog about teaching and freelance job.
Read my articles
Solving Common Problems Encountered by Lao Students of English | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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Alumni Experiences
In this blog post, our TEFL graduate shares their experience of working with students from Laos.
Typical Challenges for Japanese Native Speakers in ESL | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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Liza is a translator, freelancer and ESL teacher from Russia. She had been teaching in a Chinese bilingual school for more than two years and recently moved to Thiland to run her blog about teaching and freelance job.
Read my articles
What is Lesson Planning and How to Implement it in The TEFL Work? | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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Teaching Ideas
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TEFL Course as a Necessity for Personal and Professional Growth | ITTT | TEFL Blog
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Alumni Experiences
Our TEFL graduate shares their opinion towards TEFL certification. They explain why this course is important for non-native teachers.
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Typical Challenges for Japanese Native Speakers in ESL - TEFL Blog
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Typical Challenges for Japanese Native Speakers in ESL
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Daisy C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Table of Contents
Grammar
Pronunciation
Japanese schools
Japanese culture
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Grammar
One problem facing many Japanese students learning English is differentiating between countable and uncountable nouns. In the Japanese language, the same word is often used for 'much' and 'many'. In English, 'much' is used to describe countable nouns, and 'many' is used to describe uncountable nouns.
A problem facing many EFL learners, especially Japanese learners,... [Read more]
The Main Problems of ESL Learners From Japan - TEFL Blog
Thu, 13 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
The Main Problems of ESL Learners From Japan
Regardless of the Japanese government's efforts to increase the number of foreign tourists to be a tourism-oriented country and to have been retaining compulsory English education for decades, Japanese people still have a reputation of being bad at English. The average TOEIC and TOEFL scores for Japanese are one of the worst among advanced nations. South Korea was also one of the worst in the past, but they are getting better and better these days. However, there are still some obstacles for many Japanese English learners to get over.
Table of Contents
1. First, there are very few teachers in Japan who can teach students how to speak and write English with confidence.
2. Secondly, the... [Read more]
Organizations Recommended TEFL - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Organizations Recommended TEFL
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E.B - Japan said:
Problems for learners in JapanIn the present article I will offer an opinion about the origins of the difficulties that japanese learners face while studying English. The potential range of the topic is so broad that would require hundreds of pages to be discussed exhaustively. I will therefore concentrate my attention on three major issue: the impact of modern history on the japanese psychology, the introduction of English words in modern... [Read more]
College TEFL Fees - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
College TEFL Fees
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This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned:
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A.R. - Japan said:
Problems for learners in Japan For many Westerners visiting Japan, the japanese way is simply an awareness that overcomes you while you make your way through the overcrowded streets of Shibuya, or attempt to slurp your first bowl of ramen noodles. However, in the classroom, the japanese way plays a much more significant role. Foreign teachers of English in Japan recognize it as a glass wall that insinuates itself between them and their students; the manifestation... [Read more]
Common Problems Japanese Learners of English Experience - TEFL Blog
Wed, 09 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
Common Problems Japanese Learners of English Experience
Japan is an island nation and is a recognized homogenous society with a very small percentage of foreign permanent residence and more than half of the adult population lacks the necessary skills to speak English proficiently. Because of this, English as a Second Language is in high demand with young learners being a focus group in Japan. English is taught in the school environment during nearly all of a child's primary education years, but this, unfortunately, doesn't translate to a proficient English-speaking Japanese population.
Table of Contents
Global Opportunities
Differences in Language Structure
Cultural Challenges
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course!... [Read more]
The Usual Problems of Japanese Students in English - TEFL Blog
Fri, 01 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
The Usual Problems of Japanese Students in English
A large number of obstacles can arise for the students when learning a foreign language. Some of these problems are related to the contrast between the mother language and the learned language. About the differences between L1 and L2, there is plenty of research in the field of contrastive linguistics. Moreover, regarding that topic, many papers can be found comparing English to Japanese with the aim to address the problems of Japanese learners of English. However, other predicaments with the apprehension of the L2 can develop when teachers underestimate the importance of the cultural dimension of the language taught. Concerning that particular impediment, less scientific literature... [Read more]
What are The Challenges for English Learners in Japan? - TEFL Blog
Mon, 25 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
What are The Challenges for English Learners in Japan?
I have taught in a Japanese high school for the past four years as an assistant language teacher, which gives me a particular insight into the problems and advantages of EFL in that area. This will naturally require some generalizations. Individuals have very different problems from one another, but broader shared issues do crop up.
Table of Contents
My experience
Japanese average
Gap between two languages
Japanese culture can also make teaching difficult
Another aspect of the culture that can make things difficult is the island mentality of Japan
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An Overview of Common Challenges of ESL Students from Japan - TEFL Blog
Mon, 04 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
An Overview of Common Challenges of ESL Students from Japan
Japan is a nation that has tried to increase its citizens' English ability, especially with the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games being held in their country. However, progress has been slow and not fruitful. There are various reasons for this slow stagnation of the nation's English abilities such as the larger academic system and access to proper education in rural areas. However, I will focus on three main hurdles that Japanese learners of English must face that can impede their English education.
Table of Contents
Japanese vs. English
Phonetics
Alphabet
Japanese English Class
Style Problems
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The Most Common Issues Faced by English Learners in Japan - TEFL Blog
Fri, 17 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Teaching Ideas
The Most Common Issues Faced by English Learners in Japan
Given the increase in globalization during the late 20th and early 21st centuries and the growing inter-dependencies of domestic economies within the international marketplace, English, as a primary language medium for conducting international business arrangements, has become an increased priority both socially and within the business environment. However, notwithstanding the importance of English fluency within contemporary society, Japan and Japanese English learners face difficulties when trying to achieve competency. These difficulties and issues can be shown by the 2018 EF English Proficiency Index which ranked the English level of Japanese learners as rank 49 out of 88... [Read more]
Why Japanese Students Struggle with Communicating in English - TEFL Blog
Mon, 06 Jul 2020 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
Why Japanese Students Struggle with Communicating in English
During my stay in Japan, Japanese people often told me how they can't communicate in English despite studying the language for six or more years in school. In Japan, students in junior and senior high learn English grammar and vocabulary in compulsory formal English classes. English is also taught in elementary school as foreign language activities. Yet despite spending several hours in English classes, many Japanese people graduate high school with poor English communication skills.
Table of Contents
Education system
Class culture
Learning goals
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Centre Internet TEFL - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Centre Internet TEFL
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This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned:
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A.J. - Japan said:
Problems for Learners in JapanEnglish is a compulsory subject in all japanese schools and is studied for a minimum of seven years if not longer. Very few of these students, however, will become proficient enough to be considered at an advanced and in many cases not even an intermediate level. Those few that do excel at English are students that are motivated from outside of the classroom and/or have spent time abroad in a country where English is commonly... [Read more]
Class Location TEFL - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ ITTT
Class Location TEFL
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This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned:
Check out ITTT's Blog Posts
W.P. - U.S.A. said:
Pronunciation Problems in JapanEnglish pronunciation for japanese learners is very difficult compared to many other languages such as the Romantic ones. Not only does Japan have a different style of writing (non-Roman alphabet) but it has rules of speaking that limit how words are pronounced. They also add items to a word such as extra syllables or letters so that the English spoken word fits in with their known, existing japanese rules of speech.
Since the... [Read more]
There Is No L (And Other Differences Between Japanese and English) - TEFL Blog
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina
Alumni Experiences
There Is No L (And Other Differences Between Japanese and English)
Throughout high school and college, I mainly focused on learning how to speak Japanese as my second language. Unlike English, Japanese is a fairly phonetic language. Two of its three writing systems, hiragana and katakana, are phonetic. This makes it easy for foreigners to learn because each syllable, also known as sound clusters in some circles, is almost always said exactly how it is spelled. The third writing system, kanji, is not and, as such, is much more difficult for foreigners to learn because kanji are essentially pictures that describe their meaning. They are much more difficult to learn and use in everyday speech.
Table of Contents
Differences in... [Read more]