Welcome

ようこそ

 

"When I took Japanese as a HSC subject, I had never considered that it might one day make me friends in India... "

Laura Hughes - 2006 School Captain

Click here to read more of Laura's story

This web-page has been created from the contributions of students studying Japanese at Wagga Wagga High School and other students who are a part of the ever-growing community of Australians interested in Japanese culture. It provides tips for studying, interesting facts, links to fun games and updates of what we are doing in the classroom. Enjoy! 楽しんでください。

WHY LEARN A LANGUAGE?

Travel to any major city on the coast and you will find Japanese everywhere. Australia has strong links to its Asian neighbours, relying heavily on them for imports and exports, and while China is definitely a growing power in the global economy, it is predicted that Japan will remain a more stable partner until at least 2020. The preponderance of Japanese in our major cities also indicates how much we depend upon Japanese tourism and students will find that no matter where they go, knowing a second-language is an invaluable job skill.

Learning a language helps us become better global citizens. It is surprising for some to realise that not everyone thinks the same way we do and it is important to learn that a difference of opinion is not necessarily wrong, but may simply be due to cultural differences.  By exchanging ideas and opinions and keeping lines of communication open we are helping to create a more understanding world.

Most students in Europe speak at least two languages. As the world's borders become more transparent, people are travelling more and jobs may require us to interact with many different people from a variety of cultures. To remain competitive we must see the value in learning a second language.

Studying Japanese improves our own English skills. The meta-cognitive skills used to learn a second language and the vocabulary utilised to discuss language-learning allows us to better understand the English language.

Finally, learning a language is fun. Anyone who has ever created a secret code to communicate with a friend, took pleasure in putting all parts of an algebraic sum in the correct order, or simply brought a smile to a foreigner's face by saying, 'hello', will understand. It can be fun to talk in a 'secret' language that your other friends and family do not understand. Conversely, there's nothing like the thrill you get when you actually pluck up the courage to try out a sentence of your Japanese on a Japanese person... and are understood! Whatever your reason for learning, we wish you the best of luck!

がんばってください。

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Japanese site last updated by L. Lockwood on the 18th April, 2009.

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