JJapanese

Speaking stage fright

Hey all, I’ve been studying Japanese for a little over a year now but not rigorous so it’s been a little touch and go at times. I’m having a bit of stage fright though whenever I come across a native Japanese speaker and instead of trying to introduce myself in Japanese, I clam up. I’ve previously learned Spanish for a much longer time and still get that stage fright when coming in contact with native speakers. I think it’s a mix of worrying I’ll say the wrong thing, worrying that I’ll stumble, etc so by the time I’ve talked myself into giving it a shot I feel like I missed my window of opportunity. Can anyone else relate and maybe have any good strategies for this? I kind of kick myself afterwards for not even making an attempt 🙁

6 comments

  1. I can relate, however, most Japanese people are VERY polite, and if you have only been studying for over a year or so, they will know.

    And also Japanese people tend to never point out your mistakes (they may say that your Japanese is good as an encouragement — they appreciate that foreigners are studying their language)

    So I guess your best bet is to just do it, because trust me, you will never really be “ready”, so just do it.

  2. I feel you. I had too many encounters where I just spoke either English with them, or kept my mouth shut. I guess the only solution is to stop caring about what they think about you and have confidence in yourself and know that making mistakes is not the end of the world and something completely normal. Easier said then done ofc 😀

  3. Yes, exactly what you’re describing has happened to me multiple times. I find myself practising the sentences, I’m gonna say to them internally, until they leave or the window passes. What helps me is to force myself not to ‘practice’ in my head. Just go up and simply say ‘こんにちは’ or ‘hola’. They’ll be surprised and as soon as you’re in conversation, you’ll remember What you’ve learned. It’s a bit nerve-wrecking the first few times, but give it a shot!

  5. I was the same when I was first in Japan, but a lot of the time the people I would be speaking to didn’t know any English so I just had to do it, so the repetition makes it less scary. Maybe you could try practicing with a friend or someone online so it’d be less scary first?

  6. I’ll tell what worked for me. I always practice these kind of situation and practice what I would say and possible phrases this way whenever im in that situation at least I’m prepared. It will not go perfect but it will not get nervous. And if you get yourself in more situations like that it will become natural. So in the end, practice makes it perfect. Do your best.

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