Help/Support ► School Language?

[Blobbit]

I REALLY want to take Japanese this year, but I'm currently signed up for Spanish. I don't want to take spanish because it's spanish 1 and I probably already know everything because I was in advanced spanish in Middle School. The problem is, my parents don't want to switch me into Japanese because it "won't help me in life". I've also heard that the Spanish teacher is bad too, so I don't really know what to do. Should I take Japanese or Spanish?

 

[khlover7]

Well Spanish is very useful and has helped me a few times. I myself will one day learn Japanese, but who knows?
Anyway I think this should be your decision, and you should tell your parents about the Spanish teacher. Learning any language is useful, Spanish is a good language to know imo, it's a good stepladder in the language world. Italian, Portuguese, French and many others are very similar.

I think you should take the class you want, you'll just have to convince your parents.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Well Spanish is very useful and has helped me a few times. I myself will one day learn Japanese, but who knows?
Anyway I think this should be your decision, and you should tell your parents about the Spanish teacher. Learning any language is useful, Spanish is a good language to know imo, it's a good stepladder in the language world. Italian, Portuguese, French and many others are very similar.

I think you should take the class you want, you'll just have to convince your parents.

My sentiments exactly. Although I find Spanish to be more useful and practical in the USA, it never hurts to expand your linguistics and learn what you want to. It's ultimately your choice, you just have to explain to your parents to the best of your ability that you would rather take Japanese.

 

[ZiggyK]

I REALLY want to take Japanese this year, but I'm currently signed up for Spanish. I don't want to take spanish because it's spanish 1 and I probably already know everything because I was in advanced spanish in Middle School. The problem is, my parents don't want to switch me into Japanese because it "won't help me in life". I've also heard that the Spanish teacher is bad too, so I don't really know what to do. Should I take Japanese or Spanish?

This is kind of like me. I took Spanish, even though I wanted to take Japanese. Now I regret it so much (especially since I'm a much bigger weeaboo than I was then and I DONT WANT TO WAIT FOR BIRTH BY SLEEP ANYMORE!!)

How is Spanish going to help you anyway, just because its diversely spoken, its never going to benefit you outside of those countries. It depends what you want.

If you're a massive weeaboo, take Japanese. If you think spanish will benefit you, take Spanish.

Spanish is ultimately easier seeing as it is a latin language that uses the latin alphabet, like English.

If I was in your situation, I'd take Japanese.. sounds like you want to take it, if you don't, you'll regret it.

 

[impart]

take Japanese


Spanish is probably a smarter choice, cence it will probably be waaay more useful to you, but on the contrary

Japanese is a beautiful language

 

[KeyofEvil'sBane]

Take Japanese and consider yourself lucky.
In my school, I had to take Spanish because the only other option is French, and had Japanese been an option, I would still be in it al the way to AP classes

 

[Annoyance]

Do what you love. Also, since you already know some Spanish it's good to know more than one language. REGARDLESS, having two languages on a resume looks impressive. Especially a "hard" language like Japanese. Spanish will help you talk to the foreign workers, Japanese will just make you look smart.

You just have to promise yourself that you won't give up with Japanese because it IS intimidating, yes, but if you give up or half ass it, it will kick your ass. It isn't that hard to learn once you buckle down and STUDY.
I need to study more myself. Hehehe.



Also, learning spanish (resources speaking, of course) is easier. There aren't a lot of places to learn Japanese else than in college and some special high schools. There are a LOT less books out there for it as well.

 

[Ehres]

As a speaker of four languages myself, here is some valuable advice: don't choose to study a language because you like video games/anime/etc. No offence, but you probably aren't going to go into those fields and you probably aren't going to move to Japan. Spanish is much more useful and much more widely spoken, and is also helpful with other Roman languages should you choose to pick one of those up later on (French, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, etc.).

However, if this is just as a hobby, go with Japanese. It can't hurt. Academically I would say Japanese would be a waste of your time, especially if you're not going to go anywhere with it. Spanish will get you much, much further.

Additional note: you're also 13 years of age. Please don't think I'm condescending but pretty much every 13 year old on this site wants to learn Japanese. It's probably a phase and you'll probably regret going with Japanese once you grow out of it. I was the exact same, though I never took Japanese on (thank God). I could be totally wrong, of course, but consider this.

 

[Marly]

Hmm, assuming you aren't lying about your age; 13, I would say to just take both. My favorite classes in all of high school were Spanish 1 and Spanish 2. Unfortunately I didn't do my homework so my teacher wouldn't sign for me to take Spanish 3, so that kind of sucks. But anyway, I don't see why taking both isn't an option.

 

[Blobbit]

Also, learning spanish (resources speaking, of course) is easier. There aren't a lot of places to learn Japanese else than in college and some special high schools. There are a LOT less books out there for it as well.

Exactly what I was thinking. There's plenty of books and learning devices out there for Spanish, so if I ever actually need to learn it, I can always check out one of those, but for Japanese, it's rare to ever see a book or something else to teach me.

My family also always talks in Filipino(heavily influenced by Spanish) so I could probably speak fluent Spanish very easily if I gave the effort. And yeah I'm really 13, but I can't take more than one language because my school requires you to have credits in all the different fields of electives(fine arts, language, health/fitness, etc)

 

[Jesus]

spanish like, others said before me, is extremely useful in the US, whereas japanese is not needed
ever

 

[Ehres]

spanish like, others said before me, is extremely useful in the US, whereas japanese is not needed
ever

I wouldn't say not needed ever; you just have to think to yourself if you're ever going to really go to Japan or work in a situation in which you would be communicating with Japanese-speaking people. I mean, you can say, "Yeah, I'm going to live/work in Japan some day," but would you really keep practising your Japanese every day until that 'some day' came?

 

[Haeralis]

lulz I have no Japanese class

I used to want to speak it, I guess it could be somewhat useful.

 

[ZiggyK]

don't choose to study a language because you like video games/anime/etc.

I actually think this would be a good reason to study a language.

Learning a language isn't easy, this would give you the drive to do it, and to do it well. Me, I hated spanish with a passion, and if you don't wanna do it OP, then you will too.

And don't learn spanish 'because it's useful'. As I said it before, just because its diverse, doesn't mean you'll find a use for it. Just like japanese, unless you actually go to a country where it is the most spoken language, it still won't help.

If you want to learn a language 'because it's useful' then learn Mandarin or Cantonese.

 

[Ehres]

Actually, Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world. Having Spanish under your belt - and a piece of paper that says you have adequate qualifications in it - will get you much further than Japanese. An employer will look at Spanish and think, "ah, that's useful, since it's widely spoken all over the globe," whereas with Japanese they'll probably question why you chose to study it. I could be wrong, of course.

 

[ZiggyK]

Actually, Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world. Having Spanish under your belt - and a piece of paper that says you have adequate qualifications in it - will get you much further than Japanese. An employer will look at Spanish and think, "ah, that's useful, since it's widely spoken all over the globe," whereas with Japanese they'll probably question why you chose to study it. I could be wrong, of course.

Spanish is one of the more spoken languages, and having ANY language on your CV works in your favour.

But the same thing applies with Spanish as it does to Japanese, and with any other language (with the exception of English and possibly Mandarin/Cantonese in the future) if you don't put yourself in a situation where you need to speak it (going to a country where it is spoken, speaking to someone who speaks that language) then you're never going to need it. Quite frankily I'd rather go on holiday to Japan than to Spain or Peru.

 

[Gram]

spanish is the smarter choice but if you know japanese you can move there and be in video game heaven

 

[Annoyance]

How about this:

Do Spanish in school a couple years, Senior year take Japanese, and do Japanese on your own time through HS... and then in college study another language. :3

 

[ZiggyK]

Do Spanish at school and pay Goldpanner to teach you japanese xD

 

[Roa]

Consider yourself lucky you have Japanese.

We only have spanish here, and you take it in the tenth grade.

But as everybody else said, if you really think you'll enjoy japanese and watn to learn it, go ahead. But as soluus said, Spanish is much more widely spoken. Having it under your belt on a job application/whatever you want to apply for will help out a lot in getting it. (Well a lot of things, not all of course)

and being bi-lingual fluently helps either way. 8D