This video was really funny to me as a UA-camr who speaks Japanese and English. But if you want to understand Joey in this video, you need to learn Japanese because there are many "mistakes" in the subtitles. So if you want to learn Japanese with me, I can send you some Japanese lessons where I teach you the kind of Japanese that Japanese people actually speak. Click here and subscribe bit.ly/3i0gdmC
PLEASE REACT TO GEORGE NOZUKA - TALK TO ME AND I PROMISE YOU, ALL OF CANADA WILL SUBSCRIBE TO YOU BECAUSE HE IS HALF JAPANESE HALF WHITE CANADIAN AND MICHAEL JACKSON, THE KING OF POP IS HIS ULTIMATE IDOL 🐷🇯🇵🇨🇦
And sometimes there's no clear answer. Like, I heard "an historic moment" spoken out loud and thought it was odd, but it sounded right given their inflection. Took to Google and learned that more than a third of native English speakers use "an" for historic/historical while still using "a" for history because it just flows better even though it's grammatically incorrect.
@@TakaokiKaimi I don’t see how “an historic” would flow better than the correct “a historic.” The consonant on consonant sound just isn’t very smooth imo. I think the rule: “a” when followed by a vowel sound; “an” when followed by a consonant sound is almost solely to promote smooth sentence flow since the two articles are functionally the same.
@@hatchirolla i believe the subtitles are in place when funi gets the shows, but they change the lines for different reasons. To make it flow better in English, because it might not make sense, because the English translation is to long got the specific scene if spoken... or sometimes political agendas... (which funi likes to do with a bunch of animes)
As a native English speaker, I just want to acknowledge Yuta's humility. He claims that he's still working on his English, but for all intents and purposes, it's grammatically perfect. Not just grammatically but also in terms of his intonation and use of colloquialisms to express meaning. I honestly wonder what it is he feels he still has to work on. Yes - he speaks English with a Japnese accent. But that doesn't detract in any way from his fluency and ability to express himself in English. If anything, I think it adds to his charm and authenticity as someone who has a passion for language and communcation.
Yuta's English is very easy to understand even with his Japanese accent unlike the English of the Japanese I have listened to when they talked at my university. Because of watching anime, I got used to hearing (but not really understanding) Japanese syllables but I still had a hard time mapping their heavily accented English to actual English words. It caused me to not understand about three-fourths of the content of their research presentation which was very technical and in turn added another layer of difficulty in understanding. It was a shame because I was actually interested in their presentation. My main point is, simply understanding and knowing how to read and write in a language is a very different skill to listening and speaking.
He's fluent but not native level. Native speakers of a language can talk really fast and use slang so that only other native speakers can keep up. Its extremely difficult for anyone who didnt grow up speaking a language to become a native-level speaker.
You're scaring me Yuta. I'm taking Japanese at my college, and in the third semester, I feel like I'm about as capable as a 3 year old. You're telling me I'm overestimating myself. Is this language even learnable!!!??
@@_Dynamight_ I was really just joking. Hyperbolic absolutisms are very common in todays vernacular and I was poking fun at it. Basically, I don't think I'm overestimating myself. I'm getting all A's, but I'm not under any illusion that it means I am somehow a capable Japanese speaker. I only have to compare it to what I could understand when I was learning English to know where I am at. 3 year old is pretty accurate, I believe. I sound funny, I can form simple statements, but coherent speech is a herculean effort for me. I probably actually have less vocabulary than a 3 year old, but I have an adult understanding of the vocabulary I do have. As for people saying that language class is not useful, I don't agree. I'm in my 30s, and I've been interested in learning japanese since my teens. It is only now, when I am paying someone a significant sum of money to teach me, that I value that desire enough to consistently study and memorize the language. In 1 year, I learned more japanese with a teacher assisting me than I had in over 10 years on my own initiative. A teacher keeps you focused, gives you achievable goals, and has a roadmap for you to follow. The monetary investment that you give the teacher provides extra impetus to strive towards learning the material.
@@MarSprite I know it's a joke. ^_^ > I sound funny, I can form simple statements, but coherent speech is a herculean effort for me. I probably actually have less vocabulary than a 3 year old, but I have an adult understanding of the vocabulary I do have. Yup, that's why learning a new language is not easy. And language classes are useful, of course. I'm here at this level now because of my teacher. >The monetary investment that you give the teacher provides extra impetus to strive towards learning the material. Yeah, everything becomes serious when money's involved.
I think most people change their personality depending on the language. Some might have minor changes, while others do a complete 180 like for example when I’m speaking my native language I’m more polite and formal. when speaking English, I’m very very informal, vulgar, and more carefree. I do however know how to speak English politely and formal, but I rarely do as most of my English interactions are in game chats, chat, or comment sections where that isn’t as important.
Well, you clearly explained it yourself. It's not that your personality changes, it's just that you speak one language in informal settings only. You'd be informal in your native tongue too if you were to use it in the same contexts.
I can relate to the last part. The only times I really speak much english are online, so my social skills in an english environment irl are comparable to a grade schooler (literally, I moved away after finishing first grade)
Same, I tend to be more polite and reserved on my Native language (i.e. I don't say any cuss words, don't talk much or talk short sentences) but I become a bit of a chatterbox in English and I just say anything that comes to mind XD
Me too lol. When I'm speaking my mother tongue and Japanese, I sound way more formal since it's baked into the language and I use it mostly in real life and formal situations compared to English which I only use online and to myself where I don't need to be formal
After learning Japanese for 7 years now, I think "I still have a long way to go" has kind of become my mantra... I think a lot of people can be spoiled if they talk to Japanese people as well because, just like how in English we'll often talk slower or choose simpler phrases when talking to someone learning English, Japanese people do the same thing, and it can give an unrealistic assessment of how far we've progressed. When talking to a tutor there can be one or two words I get caught on in the hour, but you keep the conversation going.... But then you watch Japanese Twitch streamers or youtubers who create content for a Japanese audience and...... yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...... good luck :P I think Comedy especially is the best metric for how you're doing in a language because comedy often relies on fast talking, and a deep understanding of witty wordplay and cultural references. (Think Gintama for instance) Right now the two major hurdles I'm trying to conquer is reading a full novel instead of just picture books or manga, and being able to listen to Japanese UA-camrs or shows without subtitles, but even that will be a far cry from the final goal of being able to find my own voice in Japanese. Then again, considering that by University standards I've aced all my English courses but still have a TON I don't know in English, I feel like language is something you're never really "done learning"
@@lukastreuer8121 This does also make it trickier :P It's actually interesting as I find a lot of people who immigrate to other countries end up having their original language stop at the point they came over. This becomes more interesting when you have their kids and grandkids using slang from back in the 70's
@@SarthakBhardwaj369 Hahaha I see... It will be a channel with anime and meme content. I also plan to upload anime coub/anime crack mixes. Subscribe if that's what floats your boat.
His content is getting better and better. Edit: Bruh I love the monogatari references, very cool that one of my favourite youtuber is a monogatari fan too.
I have mad respect for Joey, although his mom was japanese, he learned japanese by himself, and practiced a lot. He also read a book of kanji translations, just for fun when he was younger.
As a professional translator and subtitler myself, I can tell you why Netflix and other platforms have questionable translations. Because they pay their translators peanuts. So you get what you pay for. There are excellent translators out there who are great at what they do, but those are expensive. Translation takes research, it takes creativity, it takes good communication between the translator and the client to make sure the intended meaning and style are there. Basically, it takes time. If the translator is poorly paid, they will likely have to rush the job just to stay profitable. That's where mistakes are introduced. That or simply because the rates are so low they only attract unqualified and inexperienced translators. The field of subtitling is especially tricky and requires specialists, not just any translator.
Add to that the hot new toy: post-editing. Read, translations made by AI, with a human just proofreading. But with even less pay, less time and less resources to do their job, of course. The sad thing is that many clients are in a rush to get to a point when they won't have to pay any human wages at all. Hence why they are pushing for this technology so aggressively. Despite the fact that's been proven to be grossly unreliable, and that's not gonna change with our current technology.
Don’t forget: and experts don’t remember what it’s truly like not to know; they assume their knowledge and the connectedness of their understanding is more common than it really is. Or something like that
For intermediate learners, it's the realization that ignorance is bliss. The intermediate stage is the longest and most depressing part of learning any skill, including Japanese, I can say that now, as someone on the cusp of moving from being what I'd call an upper intermediate learner to an advanced learner (in fact I've been at this transition for maybe at least a year). Just for perspective, measuring in JLPT levels isn't a good way measure actual language ability, but I'd say at some point after N1 level that's when you become an advanced learner. Honestly, when I was a beginner, I thought "after I read x, y, and z textbooks, I'll be an advanced learner!" It was only after years and finally doing all those things that I realized I had been a beginner the whole time, and that original "advanced" level I had imagined, that was really just the beginning of the very, very long low intermediate phase (which I realized shortly after rounding that beginner peak of max over-confidence). It's a long journey. Don't ever think you can rush it. And once you're an intermediate learner, don't ever give up because it seems like the path ahead is too long. You do have to constantly put in effort to progress, but making sure you don't get burned out after X years is the most important thing. The benefits will come slowly but surely, I promise. Set your expectations, learn to be content with your progress, and do what you can every day.
@@WeirdAlSuperFan I 100% agree, and I think I just hit that long, long middle zone in my Japanese just a little while ago. That being said, there are things I’ve noticed that can definitely help speed it up a bit or slow it wayy down
@@WeirdAlSuperFan I believe that most learners have the false notion that textbooks will get you to fluency (hint: it never does). That is why it takes such en excruciatingly long time for them to get anywhere substantial. However, learning most important grammar and then going straight to immersion is honestly the best and most efficient way to go about it. Why would you even spend your time using a bunch of textbooks when you could be engaging with anime, movies, books, etc. in Japanese?
「口だけ番長」 this is one of those expressions that I really like to have memorized but would probably never find myself in a situation where I'd actually use it XD but I guess I'll probably come across it in a manga/light novel/anime one of those days
The struggle of finding cool expression but never having the chance to use them, or they don't come to your mind while speaking. Happens a lot while reading.
@@Hideyoshi1991 This is someone who is talking big/boastful in order to get respect but doesn't actually live up to what they say. Very similar to "all mouth no trousers" but more like "all mouth big guy(gang leader)". It's a parody of the manga title "夕やけ番長" apparently.
@@san0mad More like saying one thing (in order to show they are a great person) but their true character is something else. 'All bark no bite' is more specific, someone who wouldn't take action against someone else despite saying they will. The one example I saw online was a site describing bad people to work with. The example for kuchidakebanchou was a senior colleague who tells you they will take on some of your responsibilities for you (to show you how great a guy they are) but when those responsibilities aren't fulfilled will throw you under the bus to their senior telling them how much they tried to get you to do it.
I still think it's good to have a sense of confidence when you're speaking a new language, even if you aren't fluent, and if someone doesn't understand you, you figure the words out a different way or are corrected, and that's how you learn.
@@リアプロ Lol, my native language is Arabic and English but I’m learning Japanese and Spanish at the same time so I often confuse all of them up 😂 My Japanese is decent at the moment I’ve learned Hiragana and Katakana a few months ago and I know maybe 30 kanji
I remember there is one time I have a translating assignment in my Japanese class. What my brain does is I will translate it from Japanese to Vietnamese and then Vietnamese to English. The sentence was "This guy is tall". But what happen is "tall" and "high" in Vietnamese are the same word. so I said "This guy is high" instead. The entire class was looking at me for a brief seconds and then I realize my mistake.
This was beautiful. In so many ways. Actually made me like Joey a lot more. *Incidentally, CR does use multiple translators for their anime. Their subs have mistakes because everyone is on a ridiculously tight schedule and is grossly underpaid.
The way translators are poorly treated and underpaid is just gross, we wouldn't even be able to watch anime without their hard work! I think translators really need to unionize. That should help.
having different levels of politeness when talking different languages is definitely real. I also come across as way more casual when speaking english. A fairly popular example of this right now can be seen in the hololive vtuber Kiara, who has a klutzy and slightly lewd speech pattern when she's speaking english, but comes across as seiso when speaking japanese.
@@corasundae basically, fake sexual harrassment to her fellow vtubers. she comes off as a bit of a perv to some of them when talking in english. clearly in character and doesn't take it too far, but it's there.
Yuta is always spitting facts. I felt that when he said the more he learn the more he doesn’t know. YAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSS THE SHOUT OUT TO ASOBI ASOBASE
The part at the end about translations is so funny to me because I spent years doing Korean fansubs and it would take me hours to complete even a ten minute video (though I did eventually get faster) and people who have never done it always take it for granted like it's not easy and it take soo much time~ Shout out to all the subbers out there I love you
My Neighbor Totoro was my first exposure to japanese culture as a kid. i grew up in a very rural area of America, so when i got the VHS of Totoro as a kid i was instantly obsessed with anime. if i ever have children i definitely plan on showing them Totoro too!
Thank you for taking the time to add some perspective on what can be viewed as a touch subject! I would like to add that your English is excellent in my book! One point of consideration in regards to subtitles in anime and other media; While the translations may not be 100% accurate, the emotion and essence is often carried through by the absolutely stunning voice actors and actresses! The level of detail put into the visuals also fills in the gaps that perhaps the subtitles miss! Anyway, thank you again for taking the time to make this video and raise awareness on the effort required to subtitle videos. I really appreciate it!
You are the first person I've seen reference Asobi Asobase. Much respect! It is one of my favorite comedy anime of all time. It is hilarious! i recommend it to anyone that has not seen it yet.
I've seen a few different bilingual people describe switching languages as also changing personality a little. Probably something to do with the syntax change.
I can relate to this. The book i first used "Minna no Nihongo" focuses more on polite way of speaking Japanese. I thought at first I am good enough because I can understand whatever I read in that book but when I encountered Japanese persons talking to each other I dont have an idea what they are talking about. I can only understand some words but that's it lol.
thats why the most important thing is listening to and reading real native speech every day via native media and articles or books in japanese that japanese people read. textbooks can not make you fluent.
In Arabic it's even worse because written Arabic and spoken Arabic are literally different languages, as in they are not mutually comprehensible. So you could be fluent in written Arabic when you talk to people on the street they respond in the local dialect of Arabic which you won't understand. It's a common dilemma.
I feel like the intermediate level is characterized by the realization that ignorance is bliss (to put it as positively as possible). The intermediate stage is the longest and most depressing part of learning any skill, including Japanese, I can say now, being someone that's on the cusp of moving from being what I'd call an upper intermediate learner to bring an advanced learner (in fact I've been at this transition for maybe at least a year). Just for perspective, measuring in JLPT levels isn't a good way measure actual language ability, but I'd say at some point after N1 level that's when you become an advanced learner. Honestly, when I was a beginner, I thought "after I read x, y, and z textbooks, I'll be an advanced learner!" It was only after years and finally doing all those things that I realized I had been a beginner the whole time, and that at that original "advanced" level I had imagined, that was really just the beginning of the very, very long low intermediate phase. On the bright side, you realize that shortly after rounding that beginner peak of max over-confidence. It's a long journey. Don't ever think you can rush it. And to the intermediate learners out there, don't ever give up just because it seems like the path ahead is too long. You do have to constantly put in effort to progress, but making sure you don't get burned out after X years is the most important thing. The benefits will come slowly but surely, I promise. Set your expectations, learn to be content with your progress, and do what you can every day. This just might be the biggest exercise of your life in pursuing long-term goals.
A few years back I thought my Japanese had become well enough to try to fansub an anime. All I can say is I had no idea how hard it would be. I translated from Japanese to English, neither of which is my native language, so sometimes I'd get stuck on a scene where I couldn't make out what they were saying, and sometimes on how to make an English sentence make sense. All while viewers and the fansub coordinator were going "is it done yet? is it done yet? is it done yet?" xD What I want to say is, mad respect to all the subbers around the globe, I did not appreciate you enough before.
@@miyamotomusashi6450 he’s currently clean shaven and has shorter hair on the Podcast. Took me a second to realize him and the anime man were the same person 😂
You make such great points, Yuta! I've lived in Japan now going on 13 years, and, like most foreigners, I went in my first handful of years gung-ho about "mastering" Japanese. Well, as you said - the more I learned, the more I realized I'd be lucky if my Japanese ever got past Passable For Basic Communication, so I don't really sweat it anymore. I learn as I go, now, according to the situation. I study new vocabulary when I need it, or as my interests require, and don't worry too much about complicated grammar. I'll always be at basic level, and honestly, in Japanese society, people seem to feel more comfortable with that anyway. I'd rather be "taken care of" by locals than frozen out due to some kind of weird intimidation factor coming from behaving too boldly or something...hard to explain, but I've experienced both, and I'd prefer to be treated like the Dumb Foreigner. Sometimes it's just easier to let shit slide and go with it. My Japanese tryhard days are long since over! ;)
Me: telling someone I've had ~3 years of language classes in Japanese Them (a non-japanese speaker): thoroughly impressed by me saying this phrase in Japanese "I can speak a little Japanese but am not good at it" For example, the other day I was telling someone this to which they proceeded to tell me they planned on tracking down their friend/coworker in the building who is a native speaker to talk to me. I insisted I was very uncomfortable with that and in classes, we were taught basic introductions/likes/dislikes/etc, but not how to actually carry a "natural" conversation. I think people forget that learning a language "in school" is very different from learning in context. Luckily that person went home and I didn't have the chance to embarrass myself. xD
You shouldn't be turning down opportunities to learn "natural" conversations! It's absolutely very cute whenever a foreigner says something in a local language. Most people get happy whenever someone tries to say hello to them in the local language, haha.
I love this because I don't know who the anime guy is but I understand him perfectly and he's trolling so hard. He's hilarious. i have become a fan. Yuta's content is great as always. Thank you for this video Yuta.
I have this way of learning a language by trying to put myself into the eyes of a kid exploring the world. As a toddler you don’t know how to form sentences, yet over time you see words represent objects and actions and then over more time be able to imitate and put things together. In early elementary school you can talk fluently but you still make common mistakes, especially with grammar. I found that with teaching myself Japanese it’s easier to learn by pointing to the door and going “door!!” so to speak. Language learning really is all about repetition, recognition, and seeing the patterns each language has. When you hear people use certain words, endings, etc you start to realize the context and how they use them. It’s eye opening. Japanese is a really good language for this type of thing, especially when it comes to the use of kara, no de, dakara, etc. Every part of a language has its rules and if you stop trying to learn how to say things word for word and literally, it’s easier to pick up said rules and speech. I don’t know if I’m making any sense in my explanation, but trying to learn from just....understanding what you’re TRYING to convey vs trying to translate literally somehow can be a lot more soothing and your brain picks up so much more.
I was so proud that I could tell when the subtitles were trolling... But then I realized it was because I knew the information already, not because I understood what he was saying, lol
Several years ago: "Oh, I understand every games, English isn't hard." English person comes: "Sorry, ummmm... my English is bad." Not too long ago: "I understood this anime episode without subtitles. I'm pretty good." Japanese person comes: -remain silent- Well, I sang a song and got praised for my pronounciation, but still couldn't speak. Fun fact: When it comes to English, for me Japanese accent may be the easiest to understand. Of course if that person's English is good. Yours is good.
Dunning Krueger effect can happen in just about any skill you learn, it's like the irl learning curve, unlike games that always go up, it first peaks then drops *and then* gradually goes up
As a native English speaker, I realize there’s a lot about my own language that I _still_ don’t understand ever after attaining a “college level” - there’s a reason we call it “language arts”
Yuta. I have been watching your videos for some time. And as time has gone on. I can tell just in that time that your english has gotten much better. I do not speak japanese, but your english accent and pronunciation has gotten much better.
@@toshiro-kano “the year it came out”... and still popular like Attack on Titan 3 and Overlord III that came out the same season... oh please. Tell me more.
@@fandyllic1975 overlord season 3 was NOT that popular. Most people didn't like season 3. And attack on titan is always overhyped in my opinion. Two other popular shows in the same year doesn't mean other shows can't be popular. Notice how I said "one of the most popular" not "the most popular" read before you reply next time.
@@toshiro-kano But its fanbase is quite small overall (from an international perspective). The manga doesn't have an official translation and even the subreddit has only 2.4k members. It very rarely shows up on 'best comedy anime' lists and even I discovered it accidentally because it's available for free (legally) on UA-cam in my country. And even if it was popular when it came out, people barely talk about it anymore.
One thing about translation is that you often have to consider the trade-off between being more faithful to the original and being more natural-sounding in the target language. Sometimes, it's better to be less accurate so that the translation flows better. Another thing is that sometimes things are lost in translation. Not necessarily because the translator is not skilled enough, but because of the inherent differences in the languages themselves. Of course, if you are working as a translator and being paid peanuts to do your job, there is very little motivation to do your work to the best of your abilities.
I'm from the UK, and have had lecturers from many different countries. Most of them speak English very well (like Yuta), but some are around the level of 'decent' to 'good'. Yuta definitely has better, more understandable English than a handful of lecturers (all had PhDs in subjects in and around computer science, mathematics, artificial intelligence, robotics, engineering etc- so usually requires a decent-level of English anyway), and they were from countries such as Germany, Korea and China- all countries which generally have a higher-level of English than Japan. Yuta, you're very humble, but you've achieved a very high-level of fluency!
I'm full Japanese but my Japanese speaking is not very good and I can barely read most of the kanjis lol. Thats why I get nervous whenever I speak Japanese because people might think I'm a poser haha
@@minutekanji7082 if I were to recommend somewhat similar shows, my list would be: Grand Blue The disasterous life of Saiki K. Azumanga Daioh Aho girl Daily lives of highschool boys Nichijou Lucky star ... Etc. But still nothing like Asobi Asobase!
That beginners bias you were talking about is interesting. I didn't notice it at first, but in retrospect I definitely had that when I was learning Spanish. And now I'm determined to not make that mistake with japanese.
That point in 11:17... I can totally relate hahaha! You make effort in producing a video for hours yet no one is watching then you make a new video in a short time and that's what everyone watches.
Also, I think your English is VERY good. I know you were saying that at first it wasn't, but in case you weren't sure how it is now - it's really, really good. I know PLENTY of Americans that speak English terribly, even though it's the Native/first and ONLY language lol. So to see someone learn it as a second language and be better at it than a lot of Americans is really impressive, I think. I'm always really impressed when anyone can become fluent in another language, because for me it's so, so hard.
Me 4 years ago: "My English is so amazing, wow, I think I almost sound native!" Also me 4 years ago (taken from my actual English exam that time): "My favorite sport is inline skating. You need pads and helmet to dont die. If I'm boring, I will take my inline skates and go outside. There is a good street, because she is very big. I don't go on a half-pipe, because that is to high. You can go inline skating alone or with friends, so it is very cool."
I do appreciate you pointing out the importance of pitch accent. I had no idea about it when I started about 2 weeks ago and practicing my hiragana. Now I am trying to practice the pitch of each of those phonetics while I do my drills on memorization of the alphabet. Well the first of 3 alphabets.
As a Japanese learner,, Idk what it is but when I hear native English speakers like Joey speaking Japanese, they're clearly understandable and I can understand about 90% of what they're saying but when I'm hearing native speakers, it's only 60-70% range. Speed, unclear speech, use of subtle nuances, or any combination of these are my problems when encountering native speech.
@@DundeeZhang Nah, native speaker of any language just tend to speak faster and they don't care about making grammatical mistakes because they are natives Lots of Americans willingly say things wrong all the time
It’s his accent. Two separate people reacting said that he has a half accent which is due to Joey picking up English first before Japanese. So while the two languages are his first ones, he spoke English a little before Japanese ( and I mean a little before because his mother used a non responding method to get Joey to speak Japanese at a early age after he spoke English normally to everyone else)
I love to see and hear you talking :) It really calms me and makes me feel comfortable. You look alot like a professor of my highschool and I remember how I loved those lessons. Thank you Yuta :)
Yuta talking about Japanese vs English sentence structure and noticing him talking with his hands made me randomly remember an article I read that gestures when you’re talking vary from language to language, based on sentence structures among other things. I’m curious how being bilingual affects that, and whether some people gesture in one language but not the other.
Totoro was also very popular in America. My friends and I watched it all the time as kids. Most people I grew up with did. We didnt even know it was Japanese because we were so young. Its become very popular here in America to buy Totoro merchandise as adults now because of all the nostalgia
Not a soul: 1:29 Yuta subtitles: ふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇ
I am slowly learning Japanese with the Genki books as well as the Japanese From Zero series. It always excites me when I piece together what something is based on the words that I do know.
I feel like Joey gave the english subtitles a little twist on purpose. Especially in this video, where the audience was targeted at the native japanese people, who obviously understands english as well. Filthy frank did these things too where he spoke in japanese but wrote completely different idiotic things in the english subtitle.
Ironically I think it's this Dunning-Kruger effect that kept me going when studying Japanese. If I had known how much I didn't know back when I first started, I might've given up from looking at the sheer mountain of knowledge I would have to learn. I always thought "just another few months and I'll be perfectly fluent for sure!!". But as I went along and made progress, I was constantly met with humbling moments where I just kept discovering that there is just more and more I would have to know. Now I just accept that wherever my Japanese is, it can always be better and I just gotta enjoy where I'm at 🤷
I tend to speak my native English in a rather "old fashioned" way, so I thought I'd prefer to also speak Japanese that way. However, the problem arises when you can't understand daily things (because I'm unable to make the connection between many formal words and their informal counterparts) so you must relearn a lot of the language in a casual way. I'm still learning Japanese.
I miss learning Japanese with Yuuta-sensei. I’m glad I have access to the content still! Please make a Swahili with Yuta haha ;) so easy to learn from your teaching material
regarding Dunning-Kruger effect (mentioned in 4:10). Wall of text incoming. It seems to me that the Dunning-Kruger effect can be explained at least in part by behavioral biases such as the overconfidence bias and human emotions such as pride. (note: whenever I say "you", I'm not referring to anyone in particular. It's the generic "you") In general, people want to have pride in whatever they are doing, and this is especially true for their hobbies. In general, people like to compare themselves with others and want to believe that they are more skilled or knowledgeable than the average guy who shares the same or similar hobbies. In the case of anime, the relevant skill in question is knowledge and fluency in the Japanese language and culture. As such, native speakers and those who passed high levels of JLPT tests (N1 and N2) are often granted elite-level status. People want to be part of the elite club, and will often delude themselves into thinking that they are more skilled than they actually are. The Dunning-Kruger is apparent here, since these people often are not knowledgeable enough to evaluate their own level of fluency and will mistakenly believe that they are above average. I also mentioned at the beginning about overconfidence. Absent real life experience telling them otherwise, people will often feel overconfident in their own abilities. In the case of animated shows, these tend to use simpler to understand words and expressions - possibly to avoid homonyms or because simpler words "flow" better in an anime setting. The human brain is actually really good at filling in the blanks, which means that even if you only understand part of a sentence, you can often guess the blank spots. This has the unfortunate effect of making you think that you understand a sentence when you really only understand part of the sentence. Your brain automatically fills in the parts you don't know, and as a result, you feel more confident about your Japanese knowledge than is justified. In addition to being able to infer what the characters are saying by filling-in the blanks, body language is another factor that worsens overconfidence. Quite often, one can guess what a character is saying just by looking at their body language, their facial expression, the scenery, and the accompanying background music. Even the tone in the character's voice can give you hints of what they are trying to say. This is arguably one reason it is harder to understand Japanese when you see someone speaking the language showing little to no emotion and in (or close to) a monotone. The use of body language and the brain automatically filling-in the blanks makes it relatively easy for someone who is relatively new to the language to have a mistaken belief that they know the language better than they actually do. Being aware that the brain automatically fills-in the blanks and that reading body language skews your perception of how much you understand the language is one step towards becoming proficient in the language. One rule of thumb I propose is this: if you can write the spoken sentence in Japanese without consulting the dictionary, and are able to explain its meaning, then you probably understand said sentence. If you have a hard time writing down said sentence, then you probably don't understand the sentence as well as you think.
This video was really funny to me as a UA-camr who speaks Japanese and English.
But if you want to understand Joey in this video, you need to learn Japanese because there are many "mistakes" in the subtitles.
So if you want to learn Japanese with me, I can send you some Japanese lessons where I teach you the kind of Japanese that Japanese people actually speak. Click here and subscribe bit.ly/3i0gdmC
And you made mistakes in that comment.
ジョーイのゴミポッドキャストにアクセスしてください。
Are you saying you are the new gimmeabreakman?
PLEASE REACT TO GEORGE NOZUKA - TALK TO ME
AND I PROMISE YOU, ALL OF CANADA WILL SUBSCRIBE TO YOU BECAUSE HE IS HALF JAPANESE HALF WHITE CANADIAN AND MICHAEL JACKSON, THE KING OF POP IS HIS ULTIMATE IDOL 🐷🇯🇵🇨🇦
There seems to be more differences between Japanese and English than similarities.
Yuta as a guest on the Trash Taste Podcast, It’s gotta happen now
i need that
Hopefully soon :)
Yeah, hopefully
Signed
@The Anime Man please, do it! I wanna see him on the podcast!
Yuta: ... And sometimes I say something and it doesn't feel quite right so I google... "
Me: Yuta, even native English speakers do that lol.
lol.... I can relate that.
@Luthfi Kukuh Raharjo Fr
And sometimes there's no clear answer. Like, I heard "an historic moment" spoken out loud and thought it was odd, but it sounded right given their inflection. Took to Google and learned that more than a third of native English speakers use "an" for historic/historical while still using "a" for history because it just flows better even though it's grammatically incorrect.
I'm fairly fluent with English and I do this all the time lol. Sometimes I even wonder if Im disabled lol
@@TakaokiKaimi I don’t see how “an historic” would flow better than the correct “a historic.” The consonant on consonant sound just isn’t very smooth imo.
I think the rule: “a” when followed by a vowel sound; “an” when followed by a consonant sound is almost solely to promote smooth sentence flow since the two articles are functionally the same.
Petition for Yuta to make a japanese only video as a listening comprehension test for his viewers! :P
Yeah, It would be a blessing.
Up
I use Ask Japanese videos for listening practice and man I still suck so bad lol
@@pisicafairy That German lady?
@@yogeshghadge5748 is she german?I'm not sure
That's thumbnail kills me everytime... Yuta, you're honestly an artist
That thumbnail is kinda funny
I love your profile pic
@@catlady96 reigen best boi
"You can't really trust the subtitle 100%."
Funimation: “I didn't know you were a pedophile.”
@@otakuparadise3585 why are their subtitles inaccurate?
@@hatchirolla They censor
@@hatchirolla i believe the subtitles are in place when funi gets the shows, but they change the lines for different reasons. To make it flow better in English, because it might not make sense, because the English translation is to long got the specific scene if spoken... or sometimes political agendas... (which funi likes to do with a bunch of animes)
@@otakuparadise3585 Same.
@@otakuparadise3585 same
As a native English speaker, I just want to acknowledge Yuta's humility. He claims that he's still working on his English, but for all intents and purposes, it's grammatically perfect. Not just grammatically but also in terms of his intonation and use of colloquialisms to express meaning. I honestly wonder what it is he feels he still has to work on. Yes - he speaks English with a Japnese accent. But that doesn't detract in any way from his fluency and ability to express himself in English. If anything, I think it adds to his charm and authenticity as someone who has a passion for language and communcation.
I agree
Yuta's English is very easy to understand even with his Japanese accent unlike the English of the Japanese I have listened to when they talked at my university. Because of watching anime, I got used to hearing (but not really understanding) Japanese syllables but I still had a hard time mapping their heavily accented English to actual English words. It caused me to not understand about three-fourths of the content of their research presentation which was very technical and in turn added another layer of difficulty in understanding. It was a shame because I was actually interested in their presentation.
My main point is, simply understanding and knowing how to read and write in a language is a very different skill to listening and speaking.
He’s done really well I want to speak Japanese at that level
He could work on idiomatic speech, but his English is definitely excellent for a non-native speaker.
He's fluent but not native level. Native speakers of a language can talk really fast and use slang so that only other native speakers can keep up. Its extremely difficult for anyone who didnt grow up speaking a language to become a native-level speaker.
"All talk and no action."
There is an English equivalent idiom. "All bark and no bite."
Heehee.. in short. N.A.T.O = No action,Talk only. Lol!!!!
hey fellow atheist :D
In the UK we often say "all mouth and no trousers"
@@NorbiCircusArtist no we do not wtf is that LMFAO
@@ミリア-d1q I did wonder if it was just me, haha, so I checked and there are sources online mentioning it’s British slang.
You're scaring me Yuta. I'm taking Japanese at my college, and in the third semester, I feel like I'm about as capable as a 3 year old. You're telling me I'm overestimating myself. Is this language even learnable!!!??
I studied for 3 years and was only just able to survive a semester in Tokyo-you've got a long way to go.
studying language in school is a joke. I would recommend immersing through MIA or something on the side.
Definitely learnable. Not that hard, but a lot of things to memorize. Also pronunciation. But it's doable. A lot of people have done it already.
@@_Dynamight_ I was really just joking. Hyperbolic absolutisms are very common in todays vernacular and I was poking fun at it.
Basically, I don't think I'm overestimating myself. I'm getting all A's, but I'm not under any illusion that it means I am somehow a capable Japanese speaker. I only have to compare it to what I could understand when I was learning English to know where I am at. 3 year old is pretty accurate, I believe.
I sound funny, I can form simple statements, but coherent speech is a herculean effort for me. I probably actually have less vocabulary than a 3 year old, but I have an adult understanding of the vocabulary I do have.
As for people saying that language class is not useful, I don't agree.
I'm in my 30s, and I've been interested in learning japanese since my teens. It is only now, when I am paying someone a significant sum of money to teach me, that I value that desire enough to consistently study and memorize the language. In 1 year, I learned more japanese with a teacher assisting me than I had in over 10 years on my own initiative.
A teacher keeps you focused, gives you achievable goals, and has a roadmap for you to follow. The monetary investment that you give the teacher provides extra impetus to strive towards learning the material.
@@MarSprite I know it's a joke. ^_^
> I sound funny, I can form simple statements, but coherent speech is a herculean effort for me. I probably actually have less vocabulary than a 3 year old, but I have an adult understanding of the vocabulary I do have.
Yup, that's why learning a new language is not easy.
And language classes are useful, of course. I'm here at this level now because of my teacher.
>The monetary investment that you give the teacher provides extra impetus to strive towards learning the material.
Yeah, everything becomes serious when money's involved.
I think most people change their personality depending on the language. Some might have minor changes, while others do a complete 180
like for example when I’m speaking my native language I’m more polite and formal. when speaking English, I’m very very informal, vulgar, and more carefree. I do however know how to speak English politely and formal, but I rarely do as most of my English interactions are in game chats, chat, or comment sections where that isn’t as important.
I'm definitely more curious when I speak Japanese and more polite
Well, you clearly explained it yourself. It's not that your personality changes, it's just that you speak one language in informal settings only. You'd be informal in your native tongue too if you were to use it in the same contexts.
I can relate to the last part. The only times I really speak much english are online, so my social skills in an english environment irl are comparable to a grade schooler (literally, I moved away after finishing first grade)
Same, I tend to be more polite and reserved on my Native language (i.e. I don't say any cuss words, don't talk much or talk short sentences) but I become a bit of a chatterbox in English and I just say anything that comes to mind XD
Me too lol. When I'm speaking my mother tongue and Japanese, I sound way more formal since it's baked into the language and I use it mostly in real life and formal situations compared to English which I only use online and to myself where I don't need to be formal
After learning Japanese for 7 years now, I think "I still have a long way to go" has kind of become my mantra... I think a lot of people can be spoiled if they talk to Japanese people as well because, just like how in English we'll often talk slower or choose simpler phrases when talking to someone learning English, Japanese people do the same thing, and it can give an unrealistic assessment of how far we've progressed. When talking to a tutor there can be one or two words I get caught on in the hour, but you keep the conversation going.... But then you watch Japanese Twitch streamers or youtubers who create content for a Japanese audience and...... yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...... good luck :P
I think Comedy especially is the best metric for how you're doing in a language because comedy often relies on fast talking, and a deep understanding of witty wordplay and cultural references. (Think Gintama for instance)
Right now the two major hurdles I'm trying to conquer is reading a full novel instead of just picture books or manga, and being able to listen to Japanese UA-camrs or shows without subtitles, but even that will be a far cry from the final goal of being able to find my own voice in Japanese.
Then again, considering that by University standards I've aced all my English courses but still have a TON I don't know in English, I feel like language is something you're never really "done learning"
Not to mention that japanese people are always telling you that your japanese is great regardless of how bad it is
just like with every skill you attain, did not grew up with honestly
This comment speaks volumes👏
True. Also, don't forget the fact that languages are constantly evolving and changing.
@@lukastreuer8121 This does also make it trickier :P It's actually interesting as I find a lot of people who immigrate to other countries end up having their original language stop at the point they came over. This becomes more interesting when you have their kids and grandkids using slang from back in the 70's
I never overestimate my ability to speak Japanese. My self esteem won’t let me
That "kamimamita" hits the spot man.
Love Monogatari Series
Kamimamita is always satisfying.
@@benjiusofficial I sense culture in ur profile pic
Fami ma mita?
@@SarthakBhardwaj369 Who hurt you bro?
@@SarthakBhardwaj369 Hahaha I see... It will be a channel with anime and meme content. I also plan to upload anime coub/anime crack mixes. Subscribe if that's what floats your boat.
Watching Yuta giggle at his favourite comedy type of comedy is super wholesome lmao
His content is getting better and better.
Edit: Bruh I love the monogatari references, very cool that one of my favourite youtuber is a monogatari fan too.
Monogatari is love.
Monogatari is life.
best anime
Isn't that evangelion music though?
@@ky_jellybean nah monogatari
The pedo show?
I have mad respect for Joey, although his mom was japanese, he learned japanese by himself, and practiced a lot. He also read a book of kanji translations, just for fun when he was younger.
As a professional translator and subtitler myself, I can tell you why Netflix and other platforms have questionable translations. Because they pay their translators peanuts. So you get what you pay for. There are excellent translators out there who are great at what they do, but those are expensive. Translation takes research, it takes creativity, it takes good communication between the translator and the client to make sure the intended meaning and style are there. Basically, it takes time. If the translator is poorly paid, they will likely have to rush the job just to stay profitable. That's where mistakes are introduced. That or simply because the rates are so low they only attract unqualified and inexperienced translators. The field of subtitling is especially tricky and requires specialists, not just any translator.
Add to that the hot new toy: post-editing.
Read, translations made by AI, with a human just proofreading. But with even less pay, less time and less resources to do their job, of course.
The sad thing is that many clients are in a rush to get to a point when they won't have to pay any human wages at all. Hence why they are pushing for this technology so aggressively.
Despite the fact that's been proven to be grossly unreliable, and that's not gonna change with our current technology.
My brother was watching ''Casa de Papel'' and he told me how wrong the English subtitles are even though he knows below a hundred words of Spanish.
Asobi Asobase and Monogatari... Yuta-Sensei, you are a man of culture!
They are one of my fav too.
@Rousokuzawa 👍👍👍
@@marxiewasalittlegirl puella magi madoka magica
?
Honestly yeah
Marvel: Infinity War is the most ambitious crossover of all time.
Me:
Same
Wait until Yuta appears in Trash Taste podcast.
Oh no
Your comment has 420 likes, do what you want with that
damn, i cant like because its at 420
I think I managed to sum up what the Dunning-Kruger effect is: A beginner doesn't know what he doesn't know; he only knows what he knows.
I see what you did there 👀
Don’t forget: and experts don’t remember what it’s truly like not to know; they assume their knowledge and the connectedness of their understanding is more common than it really is.
Or something like that
For intermediate learners, it's the realization that ignorance is bliss. The intermediate stage is the longest and most depressing part of learning any skill, including Japanese, I can say that now, as someone on the cusp of moving from being what I'd call an upper intermediate learner to an advanced learner (in fact I've been at this transition for maybe at least a year). Just for perspective, measuring in JLPT levels isn't a good way measure actual language ability, but I'd say at some point after N1 level that's when you become an advanced learner. Honestly, when I was a beginner, I thought "after I read x, y, and z textbooks, I'll be an advanced learner!" It was only after years and finally doing all those things that I realized I had been a beginner the whole time, and that original "advanced" level I had imagined, that was really just the beginning of the very, very long low intermediate phase (which I realized shortly after rounding that beginner peak of max over-confidence). It's a long journey. Don't ever think you can rush it. And once you're an intermediate learner, don't ever give up because it seems like the path ahead is too long. You do have to constantly put in effort to progress, but making sure you don't get burned out after X years is the most important thing. The benefits will come slowly but surely, I promise. Set your expectations, learn to be content with your progress, and do what you can every day.
@@WeirdAlSuperFan
I 100% agree, and I think I just hit that long, long middle zone in my Japanese just a little while ago. That being said, there are things I’ve noticed that can definitely help speed it up a bit or slow it wayy down
@@WeirdAlSuperFan I believe that most learners have the false notion that textbooks will get you to fluency (hint: it never does). That is why it takes such en excruciatingly long time for them to get anywhere substantial. However, learning most important grammar and then going straight to immersion is honestly the best and most efficient way to go about it. Why would you even spend your time using a bunch of textbooks when you could be engaging with anime, movies, books, etc. in Japanese?
I learned new japanese slang 「口だけ番長」😅
What does that say
@@ItssKiriko he said in the video, all talk no action
@@wizcloifa ohh, aight
I learned that recently but the first time I heard it I was very confused.😂
Oh, I think the kanji is literally "Mouth only boss (thug-type boss)"
So it's like a gang leader that can only use their mouth.
Very cool
Yuta noticing the monogatari music is peak taste.
「口だけ番長」 this is one of those expressions that I really like to have memorized but would probably never find myself in a situation where I'd actually use it XD but I guess I'll probably come across it in a manga/light novel/anime one of those days
The struggle of finding cool expression but never having the chance to use them, or they don't come to your mind while speaking. Happens a lot while reading.
my japanese isn't very good but I'm assuming it's similar to saying someone's talking out their arse, but maybe more polite.
@@Hideyoshi1991 This is someone who is talking big/boastful in order to get respect but doesn't actually live up to what they say. Very similar to "all mouth no trousers" but more like "all mouth big guy(gang leader)". It's a parody of the manga title "夕やけ番長" apparently.
@@kevinscales All bark no bite?
@@san0mad More like saying one thing (in order to show they are a great person) but their true character is something else. 'All bark no bite' is more specific, someone who wouldn't take action against someone else despite saying they will.
The one example I saw online was a site describing bad people to work with. The example for kuchidakebanchou was a senior colleague who tells you they will take on some of your responsibilities for you (to show you how great a guy they are) but when those responsibilities aren't fulfilled will throw you under the bus to their senior telling them how much they tried to get you to do it.
I still think it's good to have a sense of confidence when you're speaking a new language, even if you aren't fluent, and if someone doesn't understand you, you figure the words out a different way or are corrected, and that's how you learn.
Only bilinguals(edit: or more) know the struggle in speaking two languages and mixing them up 😂
Oh trust me trilingials struggle more
@@リアプロ Lol, my native language is Arabic and English but I’m learning Japanese and Spanish at the same time so I often confuse all of them up 😂
My Japanese is decent at the moment I’ve learned Hiragana and Katakana a few months ago and I know maybe 30 kanji
@@Prem-j9l3s cant tell if youre joking or not
I remember there is one time I have a translating assignment in my Japanese class. What my brain does is I will translate it from Japanese to Vietnamese and then Vietnamese to English. The sentence was "This guy is tall". But what happen is "tall" and "high" in Vietnamese are the same word. so I said "This guy is high" instead. The entire class was looking at me for a brief seconds and then I realize my mistake.
@@hobbeliljevall3006 joking about what? I’m not joking lol
This was beautiful. In so many ways. Actually made me like Joey a lot more. *Incidentally, CR does use multiple translators for their anime. Their subs have mistakes because everyone is on a ridiculously tight schedule and is grossly underpaid.
I didn’t know you watched Yuta’s videos! I been binging your videos for the past week and they have been helpful in my own Japanese journey.
@@FourteenthAngel oh yeah, I've been following Yuta for years. 😀
The translation and dubbing industry is really need some proper fucking support man you guys do gods work lol
And Japanese(written or spoken) are like alien languages to any indo-aryan language tree
The way translators are poorly treated and underpaid is just gross, we wouldn't even be able to watch anime without their hard work! I think translators really need to unionize. That should help.
having different levels of politeness when talking different languages is definitely real. I also come across as way more casual when speaking english. A fairly popular example of this right now can be seen in the hololive vtuber Kiara, who has a klutzy and slightly lewd speech pattern when she's speaking english, but comes across as seiso when speaking japanese.
What the hell is a "lewd speech pattern"?
@@corasundae basically, fake sexual harrassment to her fellow vtubers. she comes off as a bit of a perv to some of them when talking in english.
clearly in character and doesn't take it too far, but it's there.
@ボイス I know what I said.
Ah, a fellow member of the rabbit hole.
Your English is getting a lot better, Yuta! Keep it up!
Yuta is always spitting facts. I felt that when he said the more he learn the more he doesn’t know. YAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSS THE SHOUT OUT TO ASOBI ASOBASE
Stfu
@@vincevvn Wtf???
YAAAAASSS MY FAV ANIME
I'm proud of myself for being able to notice the subtitles were off when I first watched Joey's video.
Why am I so happy watching Yuta enjoying another youtuber 😂
The part at the end about translations is so funny to me because I spent years doing Korean fansubs and it would take me hours to complete even a ten minute video (though I did eventually get faster) and people who have never done it always take it for granted like it's not easy and it take soo much time~ Shout out to all the subbers out there I love you
4:19 I thought Yuta'd say, "...but If you want to know what you don't know and learn Japanese with me I can teach you the kind of Japanese..."😂😂
Same here😂😂
Imagine if Yuta had segues into his Japanese lessons like LinusTechTips:
"Anyways, speaking of Japanese, _JAPANESE, FEATURING ME!"_
Private Internet Access. Tunnelbear. Glasswire. I got them by heart now. It works
what are the chances of finding a linustechtips viewer here
@@wngdhssr reporting in！ はい、失礼します！
My Neighbor Totoro was my first exposure to japanese culture as a kid. i grew up in a very rural area of America, so when i got the VHS of Totoro as a kid i was instantly obsessed with anime. if i ever have children i definitely plan on showing them Totoro too!
Everyone gangsta till Joey comments on this video.
Thank you for taking the time to add some perspective on what can be viewed as a touch subject! I would like to add that your English is excellent in my book!
One point of consideration in regards to subtitles in anime and other media; While the translations may not be 100% accurate, the emotion and essence is often carried through by the absolutely stunning voice actors and actresses! The level of detail put into the visuals also fills in the gaps that perhaps the subtitles miss!
Anyway, thank you again for taking the time to make this video and raise awareness on the effort required to subtitle videos. I really appreciate it!
You are the first person I've seen reference Asobi Asobase. Much respect! It is one of my favorite comedy anime of all time. It is hilarious! i recommend it to anyone that has not seen it yet.
I've seen a few different bilingual people describe switching languages as also changing personality a little.
Probably something to do with the syntax change.
Maybe also the teacher, if it was picked up 2nd.
I can relate to this. The book i first used "Minna no Nihongo" focuses more on polite way of speaking Japanese. I thought at first I am good enough because I can understand whatever I read in that book but when I encountered Japanese persons talking to each other I dont have an idea what they are talking about. I can only understand some words but that's it lol.
thats why the most important thing is listening to and reading real native speech every day via native media and articles or books in japanese that japanese people read. textbooks can not make you fluent.
The more I hear about this textbook, the more I get the impression it doesn't teach Japanese but rather, "Japanese."
In Arabic it's even worse because written Arabic and spoken Arabic are literally different languages, as in they are not mutually comprehensible. So you could be fluent in written Arabic when you talk to people on the street they respond in the local dialect of Arabic which you won't understand. It's a common dilemma.
You are a simple, pratical japanese man that explains the real japanese of the streets in japan, thanks a lot yuta arigato 🙏🙏🙏
I love how he doesn't miss a chance to promote his Japanese courses lol 😂
Given Yuta's reaction to the subtitles here, I think we need his reaction to a Sally Amaki video next.
We should have That Japanese Man Yuta react to that video of Hideo Kojima talking about Metal Gear Survive
Yes pls
I feel like the intermediate level is characterized by the realization that ignorance is bliss (to put it as positively as possible). The intermediate stage is the longest and most depressing part of learning any skill, including Japanese, I can say now, being someone that's on the cusp of moving from being what I'd call an upper intermediate learner to bring an advanced learner (in fact I've been at this transition for maybe at least a year). Just for perspective, measuring in JLPT levels isn't a good way measure actual language ability, but I'd say at some point after N1 level that's when you become an advanced learner. Honestly, when I was a beginner, I thought "after I read x, y, and z textbooks, I'll be an advanced learner!" It was only after years and finally doing all those things that I realized I had been a beginner the whole time, and that at that original "advanced" level I had imagined, that was really just the beginning of the very, very long low intermediate phase. On the bright side, you realize that shortly after rounding that beginner peak of max over-confidence. It's a long journey. Don't ever think you can rush it. And to the intermediate learners out there, don't ever give up just because it seems like the path ahead is too long. You do have to constantly put in effort to progress, but making sure you don't get burned out after X years is the most important thing. The benefits will come slowly but surely, I promise. Set your expectations, learn to be content with your progress, and do what you can every day. This just might be the biggest exercise of your life in pursuing long-term goals.
I'm currently in the same situation with my Russian :/
Doh
A few years back I thought my Japanese had become well enough to try to fansub an anime.
All I can say is I had no idea how hard it would be. I translated from Japanese to English, neither of which is my native language, so sometimes I'd get stuck on a scene where I couldn't make out what they were saying, and sometimes on how to make an English sentence make sense. All while viewers and the fansub coordinator were going "is it done yet? is it done yet? is it done yet?" xD
What I want to say is, mad respect to all the subbers around the globe, I did not appreciate you enough before.
Yuta is the most wholesome human. Must always protect Yuta!!
Joey looks so much more professional ever since he started cutting his hair.
Lol I like his bogan face more tho.
This was years ago by the way, before he started growing his hair out.
Also with the beard
@@miyamotomusashi6450 he’s currently clean shaven and has shorter hair on the Podcast. Took me a second to realize him and the anime man were the same person 😂
If only he could stop rubbing his eyes now.
You make such great points, Yuta! I've lived in Japan now going on 13 years, and, like most foreigners, I went in my first handful of years gung-ho about "mastering" Japanese. Well, as you said - the more I learned, the more I realized I'd be lucky if my Japanese ever got past Passable For Basic Communication, so I don't really sweat it anymore. I learn as I go, now, according to the situation. I study new vocabulary when I need it, or as my interests require, and don't worry too much about complicated grammar. I'll always be at basic level, and honestly, in Japanese society, people seem to feel more comfortable with that anyway. I'd rather be "taken care of" by locals than frozen out due to some kind of weird intimidation factor coming from behaving too boldly or something...hard to explain, but I've experienced both, and I'd prefer to be treated like the Dumb Foreigner. Sometimes it's just easier to let shit slide and go with it. My Japanese tryhard days are long since over! ;)
Dang, that's sad. I'm just starting, and these stories make it seem pointless and stupid to even try.
This is inspiring actually lol 😊
Me: telling someone I've had ~3 years of language classes in Japanese
Them (a non-japanese speaker): thoroughly impressed by me saying this phrase in Japanese "I can speak a little Japanese but am not good at it"
For example, the other day I was telling someone this to which they proceeded to tell me they planned on tracking down their friend/coworker in the building who is a native speaker to talk to me. I insisted I was very uncomfortable with that and in classes, we were taught basic introductions/likes/dislikes/etc, but not how to actually carry a "natural" conversation. I think people forget that learning a language "in school" is very different from learning in context. Luckily that person went home and I didn't have the chance to embarrass myself. xD
You shouldn't be turning down opportunities to learn "natural" conversations! It's absolutely very cute whenever a foreigner says something in a local language. Most people get happy whenever someone tries to say hello to them in the local language, haha.
1:11 it's Suteki meppou on Joey's bgm.
I love that bgm
(and it is indeed a Monogatari ost... just to specify, for those who don't know the names of the music)
I love this because I don't know who the anime guy is but I understand him perfectly and he's trolling so hard. He's hilarious. i have become a fan. Yuta's content is great as always. Thank you for this video Yuta.
This man really has the smoothest transitions from the video to "learn Japanese with me here" 😂
I like how yuta throws a Monogatari reference in there
I have this way of learning a language by trying to put myself into the eyes of a kid exploring the world. As a toddler you don’t know how to form sentences, yet over time you see words represent objects and actions and then over more time be able to imitate and put things together. In early elementary school you can talk fluently but you still make common mistakes, especially with grammar. I found that with teaching myself Japanese it’s easier to learn by pointing to the door and going “door!!” so to speak. Language learning really is all about repetition, recognition, and seeing the patterns each language has. When you hear people use certain words, endings, etc you start to realize the context and how they use them. It’s eye opening. Japanese is a really good language for this type of thing, especially when it comes to the use of kara, no de, dakara, etc. Every part of a language has its rules and if you stop trying to learn how to say things word for word and literally, it’s easier to pick up said rules and speech. I don’t know if I’m making any sense in my explanation, but trying to learn from just....understanding what you’re TRYING to convey vs trying to translate literally somehow can be a lot more soothing and your brain picks up so much more.
I was so proud that I could tell when the subtitles were trolling... But then I realized it was because I knew the information already, not because I understood what he was saying, lol
What I like is that Yuta-San in every video, no matter the topic, manages to advertise his lessons. At least twice. Always.
Several years ago: "Oh, I understand every games, English isn't hard."
English person comes: "Sorry, ummmm... my English is bad."
Not too long ago: "I understood this anime episode without subtitles. I'm pretty good."
Japanese person comes: -remain silent-
Well, I sang a song and got praised for my pronounciation, but still couldn't speak.
Fun fact: When it comes to English, for me Japanese accent may be the easiest to understand. Of course if that person's English is good. Yours is good.
Dunning Krueger effect can happen in just about any skill you learn, it's like the irl learning curve, unlike games that always go up, it first peaks then drops *and then* gradually goes up
As a native English speaker, I realize there’s a lot about my own language that I _still_ don’t understand ever after attaining a “college level” - there’s a reason we call it “language arts”
That's a funny thing, one could well say after speaking to some native speakers, "Man, I wish they were still working on their language skills."
Yuta. I have been watching your videos for some time. And as time has gone on. I can tell just in that time that your english has gotten much better. I do not speak japanese, but your english accent and pronunciation has gotten much better.
I’m glad you recommended Asobi Asobase, because it is an underrated and completely subversive anime about friends at all girls school.
Underrated? It was one of the most popular shows in the season\year it came out
@@toshiro-kano “the year it came out”... and still popular like Attack on Titan 3 and Overlord III that came out the same season... oh please. Tell me more.
@@fandyllic1975 overlord season 3 was NOT that popular. Most people didn't like season 3. And attack on titan is always overhyped in my opinion. Two other popular shows in the same year doesn't mean other shows can't be popular. Notice how I said "one of the most popular" not "the most popular" read before you reply next time.
@@toshiro-kano But its fanbase is quite small overall (from an international perspective). The manga doesn't have an official translation and even the subreddit has only 2.4k members. It very rarely shows up on 'best comedy anime' lists and even I discovered it accidentally because it's available for free (legally) on UA-cam in my country. And even if it was popular when it came out, people barely talk about it anymore.
I wouldn't call it underrated by any means but it's definitely a great recommendation.
Joey has strong Australian English in his genes that's why he has the opposite attitude, compared to him speaking Japanese
One thing about translation is that you often have to consider the trade-off between being more faithful to the original and being more natural-sounding in the target language. Sometimes, it's better to be less accurate so that the translation flows better. Another thing is that sometimes things are lost in translation. Not necessarily because the translator is not skilled enough, but because of the inherent differences in the languages themselves. Of course, if you are working as a translator and being paid peanuts to do your job, there is very little motivation to do your work to the best of your abilities.
I'm from the UK, and have had lecturers from many different countries. Most of them speak English very well (like Yuta), but some are around the level of 'decent' to 'good'. Yuta definitely has better, more understandable English than a handful of lecturers (all had PhDs in subjects in and around computer science, mathematics, artificial intelligence, robotics, engineering etc- so usually requires a decent-level of English anyway), and they were from countries such as Germany, Korea and China- all countries which generally have a higher-level of English than Japan.
Yuta, you're very humble, but you've achieved a very high-level of fluency!
The captions are supposed to be wrong lol that's the point
He knows lol
1:28
I think he understands that, he's playing along with the joke
r/whooosh
I'm full Japanese but my Japanese speaking is not very good and I can barely read most of the kanjis lol. Thats why I get nervous whenever I speak Japanese because people might think I'm a poser haha
You need to be confident, like the guy from your avatar :)
If people judge you, just say "Yare Yare Daze".
@@DragonSkull4312 shut up jojo fan
I'm hispanic yet I barely know Spanish
You're doing great
'Yesss! 'Asobi asobase' is SO funny!
I wish there were more seasons 😄
yuta recognizing the monogatari ost is the best part of the video!! #respect
Asobi Asobase is an amazing series! Glad you recommended it.
Yesss! I wish it was longer though...
So so funny!
@@minutekanji7082 agree 100%.. somehow all the good shows only last one season
@@kenkawakami1566 can you recommend another one similiar to Asobi?
@@minutekanji7082 no, sorry. I do not know anything similar to that. It's one of a kind lol
@@minutekanji7082 if I were to recommend somewhat similar shows, my list would be:
Grand Blue
The disasterous life of Saiki K.
Azumanga Daioh
Aho girl
Daily lives of highschool boys
Nichijou
Lucky star
... Etc. But still nothing like Asobi Asobase!
That beginners bias you were talking about is interesting. I didn't notice it at first, but in retrospect I definitely had that when I was learning Spanish. And now I'm determined to not make that mistake with japanese.
Yuta, you have an impeccable grasp on English. But there's always more to learn
Yuta is so cute reacting . I love your videos, greets from brazil :)
Your english is actually very good and I appreciate all your videos and learning more Japanese with you, ありがとう!!
Lol as a Japanese-English speaking bilingual, I actually really enjoyed Joey’s Japanese video
That point in 11:17... I can totally relate hahaha!
You make effort in producing a video for hours yet no one is watching then you make a new video in a short time and that's what everyone watches.
The monogatari reference hit me like a train, I love that running gag
Also, I think your English is VERY good. I know you were saying that at first it wasn't, but in case you weren't sure how it is now - it's really, really good. I know PLENTY of Americans that speak English terribly, even though it's the Native/first and ONLY language lol. So to see someone learn it as a second language and be better at it than a lot of Americans is really impressive, I think. I'm always really impressed when anyone can become fluent in another language, because for me it's so, so hard.
Yes, the song in the background is 素敵滅法 (suteki meppo) from monogatari
@Justin 12O16E26 Sutekimeppou I think the name is
@Justin 12O16E26 Yeah suteki meppou lemme edit that
Love your reaction video lad. Very good. Self awareness is the key to success.
Can you do how Kyon speaks Japanese in the Suzumiya Haruhi series (or maybe Suzumiya Haruhi herself, if not another character)?
FINALLY I can learn something I wanna learn and have it be fun at the same time, Yuta you're a gem🤣
Me 4 years ago: "My English is so amazing, wow, I think I almost sound native!"
Also me 4 years ago (taken from my actual English exam that time):
"My favorite sport is inline skating. You need pads and helmet to dont die. If I'm boring, I will take my inline skates and go outside. There is a good street, because she is very big. I don't go on a half-pipe, because that is to high.
You can go inline skating alone or with friends, so it is very cool."
I do appreciate you pointing out the importance of pitch accent. I had no idea about it when I started about 2 weeks ago and practicing my hiragana. Now I am trying to practice the pitch of each of those phonetics while I do my drills on memorization of the alphabet. Well the first of 3 alphabets.
As a Japanese learner,, Idk what it is but when I hear native English speakers like Joey speaking Japanese, they're clearly understandable and I can understand about 90% of what they're saying but when I'm hearing native speakers, it's only 60-70% range. Speed, unclear speech, use of subtle nuances, or any combination of these are my problems when encountering native speech.
its because joeys japanese is really good even compared to many natives.
@@DundeeZhang
Nah, native speaker of any language just tend to speak faster and they don't care about making grammatical mistakes because they are natives
Lots of Americans willingly say things wrong all the time
It’s his accent. Two separate people reacting said that he has a half accent which is due to Joey picking up English first before Japanese. So while the two languages are his first ones, he spoke English a little before Japanese ( and I mean a little before because his mother used a non responding method to get Joey to speak Japanese at a early age after he spoke English normally to everyone else)
I love to see and hear you talking :) It really calms me and makes me feel comfortable. You look alot like a professor of my highschool and I remember how I loved those lessons. Thank you Yuta :)
I'll wait for the CC in this video, thanks afterwards
Yuta talking about Japanese vs English sentence structure and noticing him talking with his hands made me randomly remember an article I read that gestures when you’re talking vary from language to language, based on sentence structures among other things. I’m curious how being bilingual affects that, and whether some people gesture in one language but not the other.
I’m Australian. I wish I had Joey’s Japanese skills omg
It would be awesome to have a parent that speaks Japanese.
You got me with that Araragi and Hachikuji reference at the end, now that I know you're also a man of culture I had to subscribe.
Totoro was also very popular in America. My friends and I watched it all the time as kids. Most people I grew up with did. We didnt even know it was Japanese because we were so young. Its become very popular here in America to buy Totoro merchandise as adults now because of all the nostalgia
7:35 It's also German childhood memories as they stream the Ghibli films on German TV for years now and I hope that won't change.
Not a soul:
1:29 Yuta subtitles: ふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇふぇ
I am slowly learning Japanese with the Genki books as well as the Japanese From Zero series. It always excites me when I piece together what something is based on the words that I do know.
I feel like Joey gave the english subtitles a little twist on purpose. Especially in this video, where the audience was targeted at the native japanese people, who obviously understands english as well. Filthy frank did these things too where he spoke in japanese but wrote completely different idiotic things in the english subtitle.
Ironically I think it's this Dunning-Kruger effect that kept me going when studying Japanese. If I had known how much I didn't know back when I first started, I might've given up from looking at the sheer mountain of knowledge I would have to learn. I always thought "just another few months and I'll be perfectly fluent for sure!!". But as I went along and made progress, I was constantly met with humbling moments where I just kept discovering that there is just more and more I would have to know. Now I just accept that wherever my Japanese is, it can always be better and I just gotta enjoy where I'm at 🤷
I tend to speak my native English in a rather "old fashioned" way, so I thought I'd prefer to also speak Japanese that way. However, the problem arises when you can't understand daily things (because I'm unable to make the connection between many formal words and their informal counterparts) so you must relearn a lot of the language in a casual way. I'm still learning Japanese.
I miss learning Japanese with Yuuta-sensei. I’m glad I have access to the content still! Please make a Swahili with Yuta haha ;) so easy to learn from your teaching material
My first language is English but Yuta teaches me more English and japanese than any of my teachers have ever did. LMFAO
regarding Dunning-Kruger effect (mentioned in 4:10). Wall of text incoming.
It seems to me that the Dunning-Kruger effect can be explained at least in part by behavioral biases such as the overconfidence bias and human emotions such as pride. (note: whenever I say "you", I'm not referring to anyone in particular. It's the generic "you")
In general, people want to have pride in whatever they are doing, and this is especially true for their hobbies. In general, people like to compare themselves with others and want to believe that they are more skilled or knowledgeable than the average guy who shares the same or similar hobbies. In the case of anime, the relevant skill in question is knowledge and fluency in the Japanese language and culture. As such, native speakers and those who passed high levels of JLPT tests (N1 and N2) are often granted elite-level status. People want to be part of the elite club, and will often delude themselves into thinking that they are more skilled than they actually are. The Dunning-Kruger is apparent here, since these people often are not knowledgeable enough to evaluate their own level of fluency and will mistakenly believe that they are above average.
I also mentioned at the beginning about overconfidence. Absent real life experience telling them otherwise, people will often feel overconfident in their own abilities. In the case of animated shows, these tend to use simpler to understand words and expressions - possibly to avoid homonyms or because simpler words "flow" better in an anime setting. The human brain is actually really good at filling in the blanks, which means that even if you only understand part of a sentence, you can often guess the blank spots. This has the unfortunate effect of making you think that you understand a sentence when you really only understand part of the sentence. Your brain automatically fills in the parts you don't know, and as a result, you feel more confident about your Japanese knowledge than is justified.
In addition to being able to infer what the characters are saying by filling-in the blanks, body language is another factor that worsens overconfidence. Quite often, one can guess what a character is saying just by looking at their body language, their facial expression, the scenery, and the accompanying background music. Even the tone in the character's voice can give you hints of what they are trying to say. This is arguably one reason it is harder to understand Japanese when you see someone speaking the language showing little to no emotion and in (or close to) a monotone. The use of body language and the brain automatically filling-in the blanks makes it relatively easy for someone who is relatively new to the language to have a mistaken belief that they know the language better than they actually do.
Being aware that the brain automatically fills-in the blanks and that reading body language skews your perception of how much you understand the language is one step towards becoming proficient in the language. One rule of thumb I propose is this: if you can write the spoken sentence in Japanese without consulting the dictionary, and are able to explain its meaning, then you probably understand said sentence. If you have a hard time writing down said sentence, then you probably don't understand the sentence as well as you think.