Learning Japanese and Loving It
Friday, August 21, 2009
Tan Weng Chen is intrigued by the beautiful sounds of the Japanese language.
Reading a dictionary may not seem like the most inspiring way to learn a language, but for Sec 3 student Tan Weng Chen of CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School, it's set her on a path to falling in love with the Japanese language. The pleasure of enunciating the words as they rolled off her tongue has given her a richer appreciation of the language, and of Japanese culture as well.
Weng Chen's interest in the Japanese language was sparked during a trip to the mall, of all places. She recalls, "I heard a couple speaking to each other in a foreign language and I was struck by how beautiful the language sounds. I asked my father what language it was and he told me it was Japanese. Coincidentally we were in Ngee Ann City that day - so I went to the Kinokuniya bookstore immediately to pick up a Japanese dictionary."
That was four years ago. Today, Weng Chen is in her third year of studying Japanese at the Ministry of Education Language Centre (MOELC), and she's still curious and intrigued to want to "learn more and more" about the language.
Weng Chen took the top prize at the Japanese Speech Competition in July 2009.
Passion keeps her going
She also didn't shy away from challenging herself to improve in the language. When she was a Sec 2 student, she chanced upon a poster in the MOELC library calling for participants in a Japanese-language speaking competition, organised by the Japanese Association, Singapore. The plucky student decided she would give it a shot - even after she learned that the competition was targeted at Sec 3 students and older.
Weng Chen remembers saying to herself, "Oh well, I'm joining it anyway!" She didn't win any awards then, but with the experience of last year's competition under her belt, she tried again this year. Her passion and diligence paid off - at the competition in July, she bagged the top prize in the secondary school category. The judges even commented that she outshone speakers in the other three categories in her oratorical skills.
Weng Chen's strong sense of self-motivation was one of the key factors in her mastery of the Japanese language. Her Japanese language teacher Ms Chia Guan Sey praises the student's strong drive. "She succeeds due to her hard work and insatiable interest in the language. At the preparation stage for this year's competition, I looked through her script and found they hardly needed any amendments anyway!"
Her weekly Japanese lessons at MOELC energise Weng Chen's passion for the language.
MOELC has also provided support for Weng Chen's appetite for learning. "This centre teaches at a fast pace so you can absorb a lot," says Weng Chen. "You can see the teachers after class as some of them are still around at 8 p.m. If you have a novel you find difficulty in understanding, they are on hand to help you."
Bridging different cultures
As her knowledge in the Japanese language is growing, so is Weng Chen's personal collection of Japanese paraphernalia. "I try not to go overboard with my collection, but the things still spill over from my room to other parts of the house!" She is the proud owner of many Japanese music CDs, novels and posters, and is most excited about her pictures of Japanese food. "My Japanese friend Chiyo likes food a lot and she keeps giving me pictures of food, encouraging me to try them!"
Weng Chen's Japanese language teacher, Ms Chia Guan Sey, has strongly supported her learning of the Japanese language at MOELC.
It was also the topic of food that gave Weng Chen the inspiration for her prize-winning speech "Are you kiasu?" at the competition. Just as she is enthralled with the Japanese language and culture, she is also eager to share and highlight a quirk of Singapore culture. For the speech, she drew on a recent experience at a food court. "I was surprised when a couple reprimanded me for taking 'their' table. They pointed me to a packet of tissue paper they had placed there, to 'signal' that the table was already reserved. It made such an impression on me that I thought it might be a good topic for my speech."
Though the competition is over, Weng Chen will have the opportunity to test herself on a larger stage next year, when she competes in the Tokyo Speech Competition. "Eventually, I hope to be able to go to Tokyo University to study and later work in Japan," she adds. "I would be very honoured if I can contribute towards being a link between Singapore and Japan, to bridge the differences and share the similarities of our cultures."