Learning any second language is helpful, it’s very very healthy for your brain (so I’ve heard) to the point it can delay dementia in later life and helps you just generally.
Maybe what I heard is not true but it definitely sounds legit I’ve felt like I’ve been able to think more clearly even this early on in my journey!
Also I’ve heard once you’ve learned a second language, it’s easier to learn others and so if you wanted after Japanese you could learn a third and hopefully the process would be a little easier.
Not to mention if you ever plan on going to Japan or wanted to be a translator etc it’s useful.
Parents have their own vision for their child and so maybe Japanese doesn’t seem useful to them. But it really is useful!
I’m actually learning Japanese as a third language! I come from a South Asian background where parents are really strict about their child’s future, what they learn and what they don’t, so dealing with them has been quite difficult. I do hope to at least visit Japan in the future, assuming I’ve moved out by then.
I’m really sorry your parents aren’t being supportive of your goal to learn Japanese. Is there anyway you can negotiate with them to allow for them to pay the 9 dollars a month for a subscription? I personally would go the route of how good it looks on a resume and college applications to be able to say you know a foreign language and Japanese is still unique enough that it could be a great talking point durning interviews.(Spanish may be a “useful” language, but most students in the US are forced to take it at some point so it doesn’t stick out on applications though I don’t know if you’re in the US) Being able to say that you had the drive to learn on your own at your age makes for a great story at interviews and could even probably be used to answer a college application question. Maybe if you sell it with these types of benefits they may see it as a bit more useful?
I’ve always hated this argument. What language would be helpful? Chinese I guess would be #1 to most. (well, that and English, but you’ve already got that)
But then what? German? French? Why? Are you somehow more likely to get a job with a French company than a Japanese one?
And what determines somethings “helpfulness” anyways? Career/Money of course.
But then, why are parents willing to spend tons of money on sports? Or ballet? Or other extra-curriculars. Its unlikely you’ll get a scholarship out of it, unless you’re the best of the best. So, how it that “helpful”? And if its because they “make you a more well rounded individual”, how would knowing another language not do that as well? If anything, knowing another language would “make you smarter” than being good at kicking a ball.
I definitely will try, but it’ll take a while to convince them. My parents are very hard to sway when it comes to things like this. I do think it would look good on my resume/future college opportunities, and I’ve really tried to get them to see the benefits. Maybe they’ll change their minds about it in the future? I don’t know, all I can really do for now is try my best to show them that it’s something I’m really working hard towards, it might help them open up to it.
I completely agree! I’ve always thought it was such a stupid thought, yeah sure some languages are more internationally spoken than others, but what’s to say that knowing a language like Tagalog or Hindi isn’t helpful at all?
My parents are stuck on the thought that Arabic is the language I should be learning because it’s a language that neither of them ever succeeded in learning. How does that make it an obligation for me to study Arabic instead? I have no idea. They just can’t comprehend that I’m trying to do something for myself without them trying to dictate it.
I’m really sorry that you’re stuck in this situation and I agree, I think just doing what you can to show them how serious you are may be the best strategy. Also if you are able to ever get a little extra money I would just put it on a prepaid visa or something and at least be able to get another month or two. I would recommend seeing if your local library has any textbooks you can use and also checking out youtube videos like Cure Dolly to help with learning grammar. Also, if it makes you feel better I did study Arabic for a while because it is a “useful” language but I ended up dropping it. It’s really hard to learn a language if you’re not really engaged with it and really have no use for it. So, keep doing things that make you happy and are useful to you and in two long years you will have more freedom to be you. Honestly, if you study with free resources until then and restart wanikani when you’re able to you should be able to move through it pretty fast! Also, I’m pretty sure you can still use the wanikani community without a subscription!
Thank you for the support, I really appreciate it. I do plan on checking out the libraries once they open up again. I also did try learning Arabic for them a few years back, but it was never something i was interested in. I only got as far as the alphabet and basic sentence structure and vocabulary. I can carry somewhat of a conversation but it isn’t enough for my parents. Everyone has commented lots of free resources I can use as alternatives to WaniKani, so I think I’m good until I have money to pay for subscriptions. I do have some savings, although it is in cash for now. I can probably figure something out by the summer. Thank you though!
Of course! I really do wish you the best of luck! Also, oh my goodness I can’t imagine trying to learn Arabic at that age Honestly, good on you for even making it that far with it.
Then I can choose when I want to see that card again. If it was hard to remember I will choose to see it again in 10 mins or I will send it away for longer
Seriously, thank you. I’m either really stupid or it’s confusing to figure out how to use because I’ve been staring at it not knowing what to do at all. And don’t worry, It does make sense!
If you are, do some research on that, make a small presentation and show it to your parents. Maybe by knowing that you can go study in Japan with expenses paid they’ll change their minds.
But be prepared to study a lot. And I’m not talking about japanese - although you definitely should study japanese - but rather math, chemistry etc. The MEXT exam is no joke.
If I could go back in time and beat some sense into stupid past me, I would. I can’t imagine how awesome it would be to graduate in Japan.
edit: You could also try mailing WaniKani explaining your situation. I suspect they might give you a discount coupon or something.
You mentioned a South Asian background, but that doesn’t cement a physical location? If you’re in the U.S. or Canada, there are ways to earn money online even at 16. These methods are generally referred to as beermoney and range from doing micro tasks to watching videos with ads to filling out surveys or selling pictures online. Granted, it’s shit pay for the effort, but it’s definitely possible to earn $10/month. Other countries may or may not have as many opportunities since most of the good ones seem aimed toward the U.S. and Canada. Some platforms send the payouts directly to paypal while others may do visa gift cards. Hopefully there’s something you can find to help you keep your passion alive.
I think Duolingo has been getting better and better, and is now very good. Definitely better than Lingodeer, which gives no chance of using it for free.
From a purely utilitarian point of view, they aren’t wrong. But, there’s more to life than the purely utilitarian, so I’m sorry they feel that way.
The answer to that question is in the sentence right before it. They want to live out their objective of succeeding at Arabic through you and you are ruining their potential success by deciding to pick a language that is not “useful” at all .
I’ve done nothing wrong, but the fact that you had to turn to Anki makes me feel like I should be apologizing to you.
Definitely disagree with this. Having to pay for something does not make it worse than the free option. Cases in point: Kitsun vs Anki, WK vs Anki, and probably anything paid vs Anki.
Lingodeer’s content is far better.
@aazrael, I know most of the suggestions that suggest convincing your parents are unlikely to work. The South and East Asian cultures are dramatically different when it comes to education, and so is the attitude towards working at your age.
You mentioned you had some savings in cash, find an older friend you can give the cash to in exchange to them paying for WK by card. Or get a prepaid Visa card. These seem like the most viable options. If you have enough cash, and you’re convinced that WK is for you by the end of the free levels, pay for the lifetime subscription (using the methods suggested above) if you can afford it. It’ll avoid having to worry about the recurring payments.
Stick around on the forums and let us know when you’ve finished the free levels.
I did not say that one being free has anything to do with it being better. Duolingo is better completely independently of people’s capability to use it for free. I used both, deleted Lingodeer after three months of usage, and I am still using Duolingo after four years. I didn’t like the fact that Lingodeer was wasting 80% of my time on tasks that taught me nothing, and presumably served only to bolster me psychologically, like patting on the head and hand-holding. Duolingo doesn’t waste my time in such manner.
Yes, you would never learn how to say such things from Lingodeer. In fact, you wouldn’t learn much at all besides boilerplate tourist phrases from there. Duolingo teaches a language, not the way to move between the airport and the restaurant.
I’m really sorry that you’re stuck in this situation and I agree, I think just doing what you can to show them how serious you are may be the best strategy. Also if you are able to ever get a little extra money I would just put it on a prepaid visa or something and at least be able to get another month or two. I would recommend seeing if your local library has any textbooks you can use and also checking out youtube videos like Cure Dolly to help with learning grammar. Also, if it makes you feel better I did study Arabic for a while because it is a “useful” language but I ended up dropping it. It’s really hard to learn a language if you’re not really engaged with it and really have no use for it. So, keep doing things that make you happy and are useful to you and in two long years you will have more freedom to be you. Honestly, if you study with free resources until then and restart wanikani when you’re able to you should be able to move through it pretty fast! Also, I’m pretty sure you can still use the wanikani community without a subscription!
Honestly, good on you for even making it that far with it.
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