My Japanese Coach

So, this title may be misleading. My Japanese Coach is in fact a 4 inch digital Japanese woman named Haruka. My friend lent me My Japanese Coach for the Nintendo DS when he learned I was going to Japan. If he does end up reading this, many thanks! Since I just got my wisdom teeth out, I might have what some people would call down time. Through mini-games and exercises, you are able to progress through the Japanese language with the help of Haruka. I'm only on lesson 6, but the game seems to be pretty effective as long as you stay consistent with it. Through everything from word-searches to whack-a-mole, I've learned some basic words, the numbers, colors, and days of the week.

Everything was great in my little world of stylus mashing games. I convinced myself that through this silliness I would show up in Japan speaking like a regular native. Oh wait? What's that? I have to learn the Japanese writing system? The game introduces the kana writing system in lesson 6, starting with Hiragana. Suddenly the learning curve....well....exists. It's still easier and much more fun than playing flashcards, probably the most effective method of learning available to me at this moment. But it ain't all fun and games in learning a language.

I'm completely convinced that my Arabic is slowly slipping from my memory like....well....sand through something with medium-sized holes in it.... The learning CD is in my computer but....whack-a-mole and Haruka are much more appealing. I'm starting with French again next semester, and just received my text book in the mail. The pictures and colors are wonderfully appealing in the beautifully designed Motifs, Fourth Edition. However, Alif Baa Introduction to Arabic is, quite frankly dull. Is it because of the lack of investment in making the textbook? The paperback behemoth was made by Georgetown University Press, so you would hope that if they are making the greatest diplomats to the Arab speaking world they would also make a nicer textbook. All three sources, the French, Arabic, and the Japanese come with videos of dialogue to work on your listening skills. However, the Arabic is by far the worst presented.

I've always known that the teacher of the language makes a huge impact on the learner's interest and opinions of the language, but I can't help but think it even boils down to the packaging of the learning material. Maybe this is why brand-name Rosetta Stone does so well. People would probably enjoy knowing they are using "Rosetta Stone" more than using a random website.I can't help but think from my father's perspective, who has worked for twenty years in advertising, that the packaging and presentation mean more than we even realize.