Most people who want to speak a language mostly wish to speak it confidently, like their native language. But how does one acquire the skill to speak a foreign language with confidence? By reading books and gaining knowledge, of course! And when it comes to Japanese, Speaking Japanese with Confidence is a great book to turn to thanks to its simple flow, small size and quality information.
"The book is heavy on text and there aren’t any fun pictures or illustrations to give more depth to each chapter."
Unlike most Japanese course books, Speaking Japanese with Confidence is completely written in English. The book goes over all sorts of topics for everyday communication like phone calls, asking for things, being a guest at someone’s home, expressing feelings and a whole lot more. Each unit includes a dialogue written in Romanji (Japanese written out using the alphabet) and a translated version in English to help your understanding the information in each conversation. Below these dialogues (which are also on CD), there are also some “Insights” boxes to give students tips on pronunciation and information on Japanese culture. Occasionally students will also come across some “Survival Phrases” that are worth remembering and coming back to in the future. The book basically follows this structure throughout its light 80-page frame. The routine is simple with dialogue followed by listening, insight, then phrases. The book is heavy on text and there aren’t any fun pictures or illustrations to give more depth to each chapter.
In each lesson students will start off by listening to a specific conversation while reading along with the text in the book. After listening to the dialogue, the student will work on pronunciation and vocabulary; once this is done the student will go over the translation of each conversation and test their comprehension. This same flow continues throughout the whole book and it is very easy to follow, even for absolute beginners!
Pros:
· Simple set up throughout the book makes it easy to transition from chapter to chapter.
· A lot of focus is placed on pronunciation and listening.
· Several useful phrases and vocabulary are offered.
· Chapters are short and to the point.
Cons:
· The dialogues are too brief.
· No pictures or illustrations.
· No grammar exercises or writing tasks. Just reading and listening.
Recommended For:
· People who have a good understanding of grammar, but want to practice their listening and reading skills.
· Solo learners who just want to gain confidence in their language skill and learn some expressions.
· Absolute beginner students, since this book is completely in English and only focuses on the basics of Japanese.
Speak Japanese with Confidence is a great book for students who want to improve their knowledge of the language and learn some valuable vocabulary and phrases. The book is very simple in its design and the units are easy to work with. If you practice the phrases and listen to the CD time after time again, then you will speak with more confidence and improve your overall skill in the language. Even though the book is somewhat thin, it covers some useful information for communicating in Japanese. The book will not help you go over basic grammar structures, but will definitely help you improve your basic conversational Japanese skills.
