I’ve been actively focusing on improving my listening skills, but I have always struggled with listening speed and comprehension. I am decently proficent with N4 content, and have started moving into N3 content. Reading is probably my best skill right now, followed by listening, writing, and then speaking. (Thinking in Japanese is still hard for me).
So, I was wondering if any of you guys have any tips or study methods to help improve listening speed and comprehension. I am currently listening to Nihongo con Teppei (around ep.578), this was a big step for me for full immersion, I also watched The Imaginary in Japanese with Japanese subtitles recently and understood maybe 40%? I was recommended to take a 1 minute audio dialogue and just listen to it over and over for a week, which I’ve done and will continue to do with other audio, but I still feel like my brain is translating the Japanese/memorizing the English meaning, not actually taking it in IN Japanese (if that makes sense).
So [Japanese Audio] → [Translate to English] → [Understand].
And I want [Japanese Audio] → [Understand]
Shorter, simpler sentences like “猫は魚を食べました” I can understand quickly, but as soon as they get any longer than that, my brain can’t keep up. I think my brain just got faster at translating those shorter sentences, rather than actually accepting it in it’s Japanese form. Is that how it’s supposed to work? idk.
I had a friend in college who would give presentations in Japanese without a script, and when I asked her how she translated so fast, she said “I don’t translate” and I have never been able to understand how to do that. So I welcome any tips, and study methods, or advice on how to achieve that.
I think the best way is to just keep reading and listening.
As you keep consuming Japanese materials, there will come a point where it would be easier for your brain to just understand it instead of translating it into your native language first.
Or rather, your brain would start translating it directly into your thoughts rather than having to translate it into your native language first.
I think this is a fascinating and difficult question, one that I can’t invest a lot of time into answering rn, but one immediate thing that comes to mind is: context is king.
If you look at a picture of a cat and you can go picture of cat → ねこ, you’ve successfully not translated. You’ve just used the word.
In the example you gave, if you can conjure in your brain a cat that ate some fish without touching English, you haven’t translated.
This scales up to the most complicated usages of language but the difficulty is you won’t always be able to conjure visual imagery. More often it will be a feeling. Does it /feel/ right to use this grammar structure here?
(interesting caveat, we are always translating something as trunklayer mentioned - it’s just a question of if we are translating from concept to japanese or concept to native language to japanese)
I wouldn’t discount trying to output to get better at listening as well.
If you can say something reasonably fast, understanding it when hearing it is child’s play. Don’t let your speaking lag too far behind your listening if at all possible (roughly one N level behind, seems about right)
The problem is how to train output. I have not found a good way for that yet. I should probably try and do some AI speaking + speaking with a tutor for a month some time this year and see if that does help.
For now, I only do output rarely with some friends. The biggest step up in understanding purely in Japanese happened when I lived in Japan for a short while.
What I heard that helps some people is to dive into a new hobby purely in the target language. You can’t translate words if you don’t even know how to say certain things in your native language XD. Although I don’t know if N3 is a strong enough basis for a scheme like that.
I think this is something that becomes better with time. If you’re already not translating simple sentences, just keep going with your studies and eventually longer sentences will become natural as well. Listening is really just a numbers game in my opinion, so just keep doing it and you’ll get better at it.
As a non-native English speaker I agree with what is said here. Practice makes perfect. Use the language a lot, read, listen, watch and speak the language you are learning. By doing that I don’t translate any English I come across.
When I was learning Navajo, it was a matter of studying and listening. Listening was a huge help, and eventually I was dreaming in Navajo. Just keep working at it, and it will come, but it does take time.
Eventually simply perceiving the language will require less effort than translating and you’ll stop doing it naturally.
I know that learners are sometimes told that they shouldn’t translate, but that’s absurd advice, especially for a language whose vocabulary and grammar are completely unlike your mother tongue.
I think a better advice is that you shouldn’t force yourself to translate. If you make sense of the sentence without it, move on. If you think translating will help, do it.
I don’t have practical suggestions other than to keep listening and over time it will (should) come.
I’m currently visiting Japan, and noticing that I’ve been just understanding things a surprising number of times. Yeah, it helps that you have context surrounding your interactions (with a cashier in a store, with a server in a restaurant, listening to a weather forecast or news item on the TV, listening to announcements at train stations).
I’ll try and summarize what everyone’s been saying.
Most everyone said that it’ll just take time and practice and that I should just keep reading and listening. I liked the idea that @trunklayer said, at a certain point it’ll be easier for my brain to just understand it rather than translating it. I hope that’s true! My brain absolutely craaaaves comfort (more than other language learners, I feel), so I pray it makes the switch
I loved the idea that @Gacee gave to “translate” Japanese into imagery rather than English. I started doing this awhile back, but I guess I forgot about it. I’ve been attempting to do that more when listening to Nihongo con Teppei and it feels good in my brain, very comfortable. I feel I’m a very visual learner so maybe that’s why my brain likes it.
@downtimes suggested focusing on output to improve input which I completely agree would help. I don’t have anyone to talk to in Japanese, and my introverted self can’t fathom going out of my way to find someone to do that with, whether that’s a tutor in person or online, or strangers on the internet The hobby idea is great, though I also agree that it might be too advanced for me.
I liked what @polv and @simias said, not needing to translate the whole sentence or force myself to translate, but rather get the bare bones understanding and then move on. I’ve done this a bit with WaniKani context sentences, not looking at the translation when I’m confident in my understanding. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so I want to make sure I get it exactly right and not miss any particle nuance. Sometimes that’s important because a small particle can change the whole meaning of the sentence, but a lot of the times the core concept remains the same.
Thank you all for your thoughts and advice, even if I didn’t @ you here, I read your words and greatly appreciate you!
Just wanna second what simias said. The english translation scaffolding falls away on it’s own naturally. You’ll notice yourself getting the meaning of what you hear before you’re done translating in your head. At least that’s how I’ve noticed it go for simple/common phrases in my case.
The hobby idea is great, though I also agree that it might be too advanced for me.