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Post by chocopie on Aug 18, 2014 15:45:48 GMT
Thanks Chocopie, that was very helpful. You really have a point in fact, about English translations being useful. I think that while I'll keep all my notes and write in my day planner in Japanese, I won't avoid English altogether in textbooks. I actually love how the dialogues are translated in that Shadowing book you recommended. They're not literal, but rather worded how we'd say it in English so you really get a feel for what the speakers are feeling when they use particular phrases. I've never seen anything translated so consistently like that before. I know! I definitely think English translation is helpful for nuance. It's often much quicker to see a translation and think "Aha! So it's kind of like this!" and that helps you remember it for next time you come across it. £32!!! STOP!!!!!!! They're way cheaper on jpbooks, the new Kanzen Master N2 grammar book is only £15.50, and the Somatome series are all £15.50 as well.
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Post by Jembru on Aug 18, 2014 17:04:05 GMT
You don't know how close I was to ordering it 2 days ago. If it hadn't been for forgetting my log in details for ebay, I'd have gone ahead and bought it. Thanks for saving me! I didn't realise JP.Books had a website. I tried to visit while I was in London and discovered the entire building it had been in was gone. So I just assumed JP.Books was no more.
Maybe I should get the Somatome grammar book after all then. I like the cover ^^ I'm sure there's a proverb about that kind thing...
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Post by Jembru on Aug 22, 2014 15:41:10 GMT
Ordered!! They had the other book I wanted (Pattern betsu Tettei Drill JLPT), but it was the same price as the Japan Centre, so I didn't mind paying a bit more. There were cheaper books with past paper questions in, but this one is all Japanese and actually explains the language points so you understand why a particular choice is right or wrong. Comes with 2 CD's too so should be plenty of listening practice too!
I already had an account. I'd forgotten that I got that Shadowing book from JP books too. See! I always said I have a poor memory! That's my excuse for life now, as to why I learn so slowly despite being such a tragic tryhard! ^^
Thanks again (and to D who also helped me to find some bargains), for saving me from wasting my money.
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Post by 魔 on Aug 26, 2014 1:08:08 GMT
Here's a add on for chrome and firefox. It changes the first letter of a word into the kanji meaning of that word. Or It can replace the entire word. firefoxchrome
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Post by Jembru on Aug 26, 2014 21:50:03 GMT
Not sure what you'd use that for (and it seems to guess the wrong meaning and thus change to the wrong kanji sometimes too), but it's very amusing! There are some very weird and wonderful programs out there!
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Post by Jembru on Sept 4, 2014 21:51:05 GMT
Books came today! They both look useful, especally the Japanese only one because on the page where it gives the answers, it also gives reasons for the answers. Very cool. It depressed me a bit though, because in the introduction it says that N2 typifies around 600 hours of study. I've probably studied for more than twice that and I'm not at N2. next time I pick a new hobby, I hope I'll find something I'm actually good at. I've so far in my life, been below average in everything I've ever worked at.. horse riding, drawing, skateboarding, guitar, Tekken and now Japanese. Surely there's something out there I'm genuinely good at. For once I'd like to get good at something at an average pace.
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Post by chocopie on Sept 6, 2014 12:51:45 GMT
Did you go for soumatome or kanzen master in the end? I wouldn't be disheartened about the 600 hours thing because it does depend on what you study. Especially with vocab, depending on your interests you can learn a lot that would never come up on JLPT. Plus, being N2 level =/= knowing everything on the test, it's knowing enough for the passing mark.
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Post by Jembru on Sept 6, 2014 20:22:32 GMT
I got Soumatome (which I haven't looked at properly yet) and a book called (I think) Pattern betsu tettei drill (パターン別徹底ドリル). The latter covers all test areas and is basically a collection of sample questions (with 2 audio CD's for the listening section, which I totally intend to use with the transcript, as shadowing practice when I'm finished with the questions!). It gives the answers on the following page and then below the answers, there's a section explaining the answers.
Y..y..you mean creeper, abandoned mine-shaft and redstone torch aren't on the JLPT? Seriously though, you do have a point actually. The book may well have been referring to students taking courses specifically aimed at getting them through the exams, rather than people who have just generally been chipping away at the entirety of the language. Much of the time I spent studying was focused on speaking, and looking up how to phrase things naturally in Japanese (which as someone with a passion for translation, you'll know isn't the same as knowing grammar rules) neither of which are tested on the JLPT. Of course, I haven't mastered those skills either, but I think they're both things that develop gradually over time, so I'm not too worried.
Thanks for cheering me up! Hopefully I'll be no more than 50 hours away from catching up to N2 students by the time I start hammering these textbooks in January. That's my generous guess from thumbing through the books at least.
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Post by Bokusenou on Sept 8, 2014 16:54:45 GMT
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Post by Jembru on Sept 8, 2014 20:29:20 GMT
Thanks for sharing that Rin. the author also brings up a good point about classroom time vs total time spent tackling the language. I feel much more that I am at the appropriate point in my studies now then. I only really manage about 40 minutes per day on new material, that is, teaching myself the material I would encounter in a classroom if I weren't self-studying. The rest of the time I am probably doing work that would normally be set as homework. Writing posts for lang-8 for example, is more like a homework assignment. I've never taken Japanese classes, but I did German classes for a year and my teacher did indeed set us short stories or other writing challenges for homework (optional though, because she knew as adults, not everyone has time outside of the classroom). I bet those estimates don't take into account the hours of cramming a student would do in the run up to the exam too!
Thanks.. I can always count on you guys to cheer me up and see my progress in a more positive light. At least I'm not as negative as I was when I first joined this forum. I've definitely lightened up thanks to the support and encouragement of my friends here!
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Post by Bokusenou on Sept 13, 2014 0:50:56 GMT
Here's a list of translations of works from Project Gutenberg: www.genpaku.org/It includes a lot of fairy tales, Treasure Island & Sherlock Holmes, among others. Some of the links are dead, but can be viewed using archive.org BTW, does anyone happen to know where to find Japanese versions of Shakespeare plays, in either text or video form? I like the originals and I'm curious to see how they translated them. I tried to find them a while back and only found the adapted children's versions at genpaku.org. Jembru Glad to hear it!
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Post by chocopie on Sept 13, 2014 10:02:46 GMT
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Post by Bokusenou on Sept 13, 2014 21:21:30 GMT
Oh wow, thanks Chocopie! This is great! It's surprisingly easier to understand than I thought it would be. Hamlet's Japanese especially is more modern than I expected. Thanks again^-^
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Post by chocopie on Sept 14, 2014 9:59:04 GMT
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Post by Bokusenou on Sept 14, 2014 19:53:57 GMT
Woah, there are so many ways to translate it!
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