Like many others here, I have decided to create a study log to keep myself accountable.
Current main short-term goal
-To pass the JLPT N1.
I passed N2 last July and I’ve applied for the upcoming July test. When I got my N2 pass results, I was really happy, but it also showed me a few places I need to work on.
I got full points for the listening section - living in Japan means free listening practice every day whether I want to or not. So, I don’t plan to worry too much about listening this time around either.
Reading was average. Since taking the N2 I’ve started reading more books, but they’ve been mostly fun novels and light novels, not academic text. My plan going forward is to completely go through the 新完全マスター reading textbook at least one time before the test.
Grammar and vocab were… ギリギリ. For the upcoming test, I’ve been doing a drill book for each. I went through both once already, now I’m going through them again and putting the ones I’m still missing or hesitant on into an anki deck. Then two weeks before the test I’ll go through each book one more time.
Also to supplement my study I meet with an iTalki teacher once a week and she takes me through grammar points and test drills. It’s so helpful because she can explain why I’m wrong in real time with extra examples and details.
Current main long-term goal
To become a Japanese-to-English translator
I love the written word and I love translation; it’s like a puzzle - you have to match the speaker’s intent and writing voice while still making it sound natural and smooth in your language. And there’s not one set answer, either, which I think is really cool.
Current steps towards this goal:
-I just finished the JET program-sponsored online translation course. I can’t say I recommend it. It was tedious, didn’t really feel authentic, and the tests were wildly different than the lesson content. That being said, I now have a certificate that will look nice on a resume? Maybe?
-Studying for the N1, which also nice on resume?
-Bought some books regarding translation - two in English, one in Japanese
-??? (someone help I don’t know what else to do)
Side Quest goals
-Finish WaniKani. I wanna burn everything by this time next year.
-Review N2 grammar cuz I think I lost at last half of it after the test. Going to use Nihongo no Mori’s Youtube study videos to go through them again.
-Read Lord of the Rings in Japanese. I have them on my shelf, just waiting for me, but gosh darn it’s daunting to start. I finished The Hobbit last year, though, and I felt really accomplished after!
-Be able to feel confident going through a Japanese Drive-Thru. My accent is terrible and I need to point and gesture sometimes when there’s background noise.
I like looking at everyone’s study posts here! They’re full of great time management and study methods, and it’s inspiring to see the “check-in” points where you can see how far the OP has come on their journey!
Do you have any study tips/tricks that, once you started them, made you say “where has this been all my life??”
If so, please share!
