I can’t wait for the update. I think this is a neat idea.
Plus it’s not pushy. It doesn’t say that they have to speak Japanese, it just tells them how best to communicate to you if Japanese is used. It seems harmless. And if a person doesn’t want to, they’ll probably keep speaking English even after pointing it out and that’ll be a big enough hint to not push further.
I’m even wondering if I could use something like that here in the US when I go to Japanese festivals. Maybe someone will see it and want to strike up a conversation.
I mean like others have stated I would be careful about the ここを見てください. I would lose it if I was told that. I understand you don’t see everyone as your Japanese teacher which is good but I would just really think about all the optics so it doesn’t come across that way even if you don’t mean for it to. Obviously it goes without saying but no one has any obligation to speak to us in Japanese, English, or whatever.
From my experience of living in Japan and totally getting spoken to in English sometimes is a simple “日本語は大丈夫ですよ！^_^” works great. They immediately switch to Japanese and we just continue our interaction.
I was thinking the exact same thing! There are some Japanese in Jackson, Mississippi, and I’m often there for shopping, appointments, etc. I think it’s a fun idea.
I’m sure you have nothing but the bestest of intentions.
Just keep in mind that if it came across kinda iffy to some of us, it’s almost inevitably going come across similarly to some random Japanese people. You have the luxury of writing out a long post to explain your intentions on here, but you won’t have that luxury when it comes to a random Japanese person when you just met them and are telling them to ここ見てください, so whatever impression they are left with is the one they’re left with.
Best of luck either way and hope you enjoy your time in japan
My experience is that people here on the forums tend to be way more skeptical and pessimistic than the average Japanese person I will encounter in Japan, who will just try to be helpful.
But I do understand that maybe I should avoid specifically asking people to look at the badge. Just wearing it should be clear enough. That way, people can choose to ignore it – or not.
In my experience, Japanese people don’t like silence. So maybe just saying えっと〜 while you’re thinking about what they said and how to respond might be a game changer. It shows them that you are listening and need a little time to think.
So I just start to Coach other guys who have a lot of people pleasing tendencies which also includes managing the emotions and thoughts from everyone around them.
What you wrote reminds me a lot of these specific patterns. So while there is nothing wrong to be aware of the needs and wants of others I think it is important to still be able to communicate your own wants (which is to practice japanese).
If they want to practice english they are open to communicate that anytime and why not take turns.
In my experience the issue is that the situation is asymmetric: by default people will always end up picking the path of least resistance. If they speak English significantly better than you speak their language then even if you try to go 50/50 then the conversation will always trend towards being mostly in English.
I often hear native English speakers say that they’re frustrated that foreigners use them to practice English and cheat them of Japanese/German/French/etc immersion and it may be true in some cases but in my experience as the person on the other side of this exchange, I think in many instances it’s a mischaracterization of what’s happening.
I’m a native French speaker and sometimes I encounter foreigners, mainly English native speakers, who learn French and want to casually practice with me. Because I study foreign languages myself I know how valuable this can be, so I make an effort to comply, but unless the person has a high level of French fluency what usually happens is that we’re going to go through 10 minutes of awkward chit-chat that’s going to be mentally taxing for the both of us, and then we’ll return to English when we actually need to discuss something that matters.
If your interlocutor does not speak English well at all then using their language could come as a relief for them, certainly. But if they do speak English ok, and nowadays it’s not a rare skill in many places, then it’s kind of the other way around. Speaking your native language with a foreigner who is not fully fluent means having to think about everything you say, avoid complicated vocabulary, grammar and slang while being on the lookout to see if what you’re saying is being understood or if you need to repeat or rephrase it.
So that’s why pretending not to speak English at all works, you just remove this possibility altogether. Or alternatively, if you’re not as much of a rascal as I am, finding people and places with very low English fluency.
