Hi there. I’m so excited to tell you about this funny press release. The Japanese biggest(and most famous) condom company decided to provide such a crazy condom – art condom.
One of the design, they have Japanese traditional art like Utagawa Kunisada’s portrait of a kabuki actor in the role of samurai Kudo Suketsune, and The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai. The below is one of the design.
OKAMOTO INDUSTRIES,INC. is the company that has No.1 share of producing condoms in Japan and they have tried to sell unique condoms so far. Like 0.01mm condoms. (I assume it’s made in Japan, so you know, it’s definitely Japanese quality! Let’s try.)
And this time, they produced 2 kinds of condoms, the one – the condoms that has VivaGel, and designed condoms.
In Japan, there’s a problem that about 70% of people have had sex without condoms and also there’re the people who don’t put condoms at all(22.2%). It’s over 1/5!!
Thus, it is said that there was a pandemic of syphilis in Japan. The number of infected syphilis people has been growing from 2013 and in 2018, the number reported as 6,923 people has syphilis.
Moreover, naturally, the number of HIV/AIDS also is getting high like 1,288 people have the disease.
In my opinion, it’s there’s more and more people who have that kinds of disease because it’s not so common to take the test for it in Japan.
So, the company Okamoto Industries, Inc. develop a critical feeling about it, and decide to produce the new product. And they are also aiming at the increasing demands of stuffs for people from abroad since we have Tokyo Olympic in 2020.
Design condoms
This is the condoms that can be printed on it. They will go on sale this summer. Currently planed to be printing Japanese traditional art and some various others.
#MeToo in Japan: The woman speaking out against rape
[anchor]
In 2015, she was a journalism intern looking her big break. She went to a restaurant to discuss a job opportunity with her boss from the Tokyo Broadcasting System. But she claims that he then drugged and raped her. Our perspective guest today is the women’s rights campaigner, Shiori Ito, who joins us now live from London.
[anchor]
Thank you very much for being with us here on France 24. First of all, this must clearly have been a very brave decision to make three years ago to come out and accuse such a high-profile biographer/journalist, but you were adamant that this story had to be told.
[Shiori]
Yes, because I think no one wants to share such a private and horrific experience of rape, and I didn’t want to, but what I wanted to do is to change what I experienced afterwards in Japan.
② I didn’t want to
これ、私だったら I don’t want toにしてたかも。
本来ならこんなことしたくなかった、っていうニュアンスは日本語でも同じはずなのに、英語だとこういう時制の使い方忘れちゃうな〜
③afterwards (=afterward)
意味：at a later or future time.
日本語の辞書では「(すでに言及した出来事の)あとで[に]; 〖文頭で〗その後」と出てきました。 私の記憶にある限りこの単語を使って文章作った覚えはないぞ。
あと文頭でしか見ない単語かも。
これ私だったら what I experienced after the accidents in Japan. とか言いそう。
便利な単語やね、afterwards。
[Shiori] There is so little help that we have in Japan socially and legally… and that is the main reason why I spoke out.
④There is so little
There is no〜とかThere is nothing to〜とかよく聞くけどlittleはそういえば自分ではあまり使ってなかったな、と気づきの意味でマーク。
fewと同じように使えますが、a very fewとは言えてもa very littleとは言えません。 とは、辞書より。
語法 ①a few(↑1)とfew(↓2)のどちらを用いるかは, 明確な基準があるわけではなく話者の心理による. 同じ数量であっても, 肯定的に「少しはある」「ないよりまし」ととらえればa fewを, 否定的に「ほとんどない」「少ししかない」ととらえればfewを用いる. ②U名詞には(a) fewの代わりに(a) littleを用いる ▸ a little [little] money少しの[わずかしかない]お金. ③複数形代名詞を修飾する場合はofを伴う ▸ a few of us(!╳a few usとしない; ↓代名詞1, 2) . ④a fewはa littleと違って(→little 8語法), 強意のためveryを伴うことがある ▸ We have a very few weeks to go before the exam. 試験まで本当にあと数週間だ
[anchor]
When you decided to come forward, you were met with somewhat of barrage of negativity of hate mail and public criticism. How do you explain that negative reaction to your ordeal?
[Shiori]
Well, culturally rape is quite (a) taboo topic and also it has strong stigma against rape victims. So, I was aware what sort of reaction I’d get after speaking up, but I would say it was much more than I expected. I got threats for my life, backlash, online violence and in the end I had to move to London away from my family. So, it wasn’t easy things to do.
⑤strong stigma
意味：a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.
ここで私がほほう！と思ったのには2つ理由があって、
1. stigmaを強調するのにはstrongとの相性が良い（bigとかlargeじゃないんだね、ということ）
2. 日本語だとdisgraceも「汚名」を意味するけど、stigmaはより社会的というか、状況に即している感じ。
*disgrace 意味：loss of reputation or respect as the result of a dishonourable action.
「スティグマ」という単語自体は小難しい論文とか高校の現代文とかでたまに見かけるけど、単なる「汚名」というより根深い意味を内包しているんだなと思った次第です。
⑥I was aware what sort of reaction I’d get after speaking up,
「想像に難くない」「予期していた」「わかってたけど」みたいに言いたい時にはawareを使えばええんや！ という発見。
私ならI could have imagined what kind of reaction I would get after speaking upって言ってたと思う。長いな。
そういえばkind of とsort ofってどう使い分ければいいんだろう？ と思ったらここにまとまってました。Sort of X and kind of X can be analysed as simple Noun Phrases in examples like this:
– It’s a sort of toy.
– It’s a kind of instrument.
Here we have the nouns sort and kind taking preposition phrases: of X, where X is a noun. The meaning in each case is almost exactly the same. It just indicates that the subject of the sentence is a variety of X, a type of X. In the examples above, a type of toy, or a type of instrument.
Sort of is less useful with biological things:
– It’s a sort of elephant. (awkward)
– It’s a kind of elephant.要は、だいたい同じでどちらも「○○の一種」みたいな意味だけど、生物にsort of を使うのはなんかおかしい。 またスピーチなど、フォーマルな場合もkind ofを使ったほうが良いらしい。
⑦I would say
これまじで日本語で説明するの複雑なんですが、私はこれ「強いて言うなら」とか「言おうじゃないか」みたいなニュアンスで読んでます。
なんでって、
but it was much more than I expected. （私の想像以上でした）でもなく、
but I can say it was much more than I expected（私の想像以上だったと断言できます）でもなく
but I would say it was much more than I expected. というところがミソかなと思って。
[anchor]
Your attacker… just talk about him very briefly. Your attacker continues to deny all wrongdoings in this whole affair but have your claims, given that he’s so high-profile, have your claims changed people’s perceptions of him in Japan?
⑧as well
これは普通に読めるけど、私だとtooとかalso使ってしのぎそう。 ボキャ貧だから。 って意味でマーク。 こんな風にas well使いたいね。
What I wanted to do to speak out is to be able to create the space to be able to talk about such a sensitive topic, and It’s been quite taboo topic to talk about even in Japanese media, and media is one of the male dominated industry we have in Japan. But I think it’s slowly is changing.
[Shiori]
Umm, I’m not sure what he has received. I haven’t been communicated things with him. But I believe so but this entire reality and what I spoke out is I didn’t do this to accuse him. Of course, he should this is not my work to do. It should have been if our social and legal system was working properly, I didn’t have to do anything. So why the reason why I’m speaking out is to ask Japan and Japanese society what we’re missing.
[anchor]
You have of course been campaigning as you’ve been saying, for the actual terminology about the the word rape or sexual assault in criminal law in Japan to be changed. Talk us through and explain to us why that terminology is currently so confusing?
[Shiori]
Umm, so well we used to have since last year we had hundred-ten years of rape law, so before if you rape someone, you would go to jail 3 years and if you steal something, you would go to jail 5 years so, you know, object were more worse than women. So it has changed. it is making a progress but it’s just culturally socially it’s quite taboo topic for woman to speak up about sexual violence.
[anchor]
But has in you view anything changed in Japan since the Harvey Weinstein scandal? Is it now more easy for women to come forward and say, you know what, I’ve been raped, I’ve been sexually abused?
[Shiori]
I haven’t yet heard a big #MeToo movement when it comes to rape, but there was one very brave female reporter who talked about her sexual harassment anonymously.
The reason why we have to cover our identity is because we’ve been often targeted and I have to say #MeToo movement to say me too is quite dangerous in Japan. So we came up to say “We too” so no one can target me, or individual.
⑨quite
意味1 : to the utmost or most absolute extent or degree; absolutely; completely.
意味2 : to a certain or fairly significant extent or degree; fairly.
quite a few（かなり多くの）というフレーズでしか使ったことないな。 quite。
使い分けを理解できていないなーということでググってみました。Pretty, fairly, really, very, and quite サクッとまとめると、強意の度合いが強いのがReally, very, and extremely そうでもないのがQuite むしろ弱めるのがFairly, pretty, and somewhat Quiteの例をあげると、
The entertainment was quite good. (=the entertainment was noticeably good, perhaps better than expected)
Blue jays are quite common in this area. (=blue jays are noticeably common, more common than you might expect.)
そのショーは目立って良かったけんども、印象としては「思っていたより良かった」程度。 ブルージェイはかなり一般的に見られるが、印象としては「思っていたより一般的」という感じ。
⑩we came up to say”We too”
とうとうここまできたか！ みたいな文章を英語に訳せって言われたら多分私無理。
と思ってたけどcome up to使えばいいんだな！ という学び。
合ってるか不安だけど。笑
[anchor]
Okay, Shiori Ito in London, thank you very much.
#MeToo in Japan: The woman speaking out against rape
[anchor]
In 2015, she was a journalism intern looking her big break. She went to a restaurant to discuss a job opportunity with her boss from the Tokyo Broadcasting System.
But she claims that he then drugged and raped her.
Our perspective guest today is the women’s rights campaigner, Shiori Ito, who joins us now live from London.
Thank you very much for being with us here on France 24.
First of all, this must clearly have been a very brave decision to make three years ago to come out and accuse such a high-profile biographer/journalist, but you were adamant that this story had to be told.
[Shiori]
Yes, because I think no one wants to share such a private and horrific experience of rape, and I didn’t want to, but what I wanted to do is to change what I experienced afterwards in Japan.
There is so little help that we have in Japan socially and legally… and that is the main reason why I spoke out.
[anchor]
When you decided to come forward, you were met with somewhat of barrage of negativity of hate mail and public criticism.
How do you explain that negative reaction to your ordeal?
[Shiori]
Well, culturally rape is quite (a) taboo topic and also it has strong stigma against rape victims.
So, I was aware what sort of reaction I’d get after speaking up, but I would say it was much more than I expected.
I got threats for my life, backlash, online violence and in the end I had to move to London away from my family.
So, it wasn’t easy things to do.
[anchor]
Your attacker… just talk about him very briefly.
Your attacker continues to deny all wrongdoings in this whole affair but have your claims, given that he’s so high-profile, have your claims changed people’s perceptions of him in Japan?
[Shiori]
Umm, I feel that Yes, there is (a) positive change slowly, but surely in Japan as well after the #MeToo movement as well.
What I wanted to do to speak out is to be able to create the space to be able to talk about such a sensitive topic, and It’s been quite taboo topic to talk about even in Japanese media, and media is one of the male dominated industry we have in Japan.
But I think it’s slowly is changing.
2:43
[anchor]
But has your attacker faced any kind of backlash in the way that Harvey Weinstein did in Hollywood?
[Shiori]
Could you say repeat again?
[anchor]
Yeah, has your attacker faced any kind of backlash in Japan in the way in the way that Harvey Weinstein did in Hollywood?
（ちなみに Harvey Weinsteinは何年か前に婦女暴行罪で問題になったアメリカのディレクター)
[Shiori]
Umm, I’m not sure what he has received.
I haven’t been communicated things with him.
But I believe so but this entire reality and what I spoke out is I didn’t do this to accuse him.
Of course, he should this is not my work to do.
It should have been if our social and legal system was working properly, I didn’t have to do anything.
So why the reason why I’m speaking out is to ask Japan and Japanese society what we’re missing.
3:36
[anchor]
You have of course been campaigning as you’ve been saying, for the actual terminology about the the word rape or sexual assault in criminal law in Japan to be changed.
Talk us through and explain to us why that terminology is currently so confusing?
[Shiori]
Umm, so well we used to have since last year we had hundred-ten years of rape law, so before if you rape someone, you would go to jail 3 years and if you steal something, you would go to jail 5 years so, you know, object were more worse than women.
So it has changed.
it is making a progress but it’s just culturally socially it’s quite taboo topic for woman to speak up about sexual violence.
4:31
[anchor]
But has in you view anything changed in Japan since the Harvey Weinstein scandal?
Is it now more easy for women to come forward and say, you know what, I’ve been raped, I’ve been sexually abused?
4:45
[Shiori]
I haven’t yet heard a big #MeToo movement when it comes to rape, but there was one very brave female reporter who talked about her sexual harassment anonymously.
The reason why we have to cover our identity is because we’ve been often targeted and I have to say #MeToo movement to say me too is quite dangerous in Japan.
So we came up to say “We too” so no one can target me, or individual. [anchor] Okay, Shiori Ito in London, thank you very much.
14 Methods for Improving Your Spoken English Without a Speaking Partner
ネイティブの助け無しで英語のスピーキングを上達させる14の方法
So, you’re all by yourself. Forever alone.
あんたは永遠に1人。勉強は全部自分一人の力でやらなきゃいけない。
Okay, maybe you’re not forever alone, but right now you need to practice English alone.
っと、いきなりめんごめんご🙏もしかしたら永遠に1人なんてことはないのかもしれないけど、とにかく今は英語を1人で練習しなきゃならないんだよね？
How can you practice speaking English without anybody else to help you?
どうすれば、英会話の相手なしでスピーキングを練習できるんじゃろか。
Writing, reading, listening—these skills can all be practiced alone. Easy.
ライティング、リーディング、リスニング……こういうスキルは1人で勉強できるよね。それはもう簡単。イージー。イージーモードですよ。
Well, you can already write beautiful sentences. You memorized hundreds of vocabulary words.
もしかしたら、あなたはすでによろしい文章を書けるのかもしれない。何百にも及ぶ語彙もちゃんと覚えてて言うことなし！
But when you open your mouth to speak, nothing comes out!
けど、ひとたび口を開くとなると……はっ！何も出てこない！なってこった！（白目）
All the books, websites and apps in the world can’t help you learn how to speak English fluently.
世界中のどんな本も、サイトもアプリも、英語をペラペラに話せるようになるかということに関してはことに役に立たん。
To improve your spoken English, the best thing to do is to talk with a native speaker.
英会話を上達させるには、ネイティブと話すのが1番。
Sometimes we don’t have that option though! What if you don’t know anyone who speaks English? What if you don’t have time? What if you simply don’t feel confident enough yet to practice with a native?
けど、そんなオプションないよねーーー⁉︎
英語話す人が周りにいなかったらどうすんねん。
時間がなかったらどうすんねん。
てか単純にネイティブと話せるほどの英語力がまずねーよ！
Don’t worry. You can still improve your spoken English, even without a speaking partner.
というあなた。朗報です。ネイティブのサポートなしでもスピーキングは伸びます。（迫真）
We’re going to explain how. No speaking partner? No problem!
ってことでどうすればいいのかを説明するよ。NO スピーキングパートナー？ だいじょびだいじょび！
1. Think in English
英語で考えよ
Sometimes the difficult thing about talking in a new language isn’t the language itself, but how you think about it.
始めたばかりの言語で話す小難しい内容は、言葉そのものよりも、その概念が問題であることばしばしば。
If you think in your native language and then try to speak English, you’ll always have to translate between languages. Translating isn’t an easy thing to do! Even people fluent in two or more languages have trouble switching between languages.
もし日本語で考えた文章を英語にするとなると、常に翻訳という作業が必要になっちゃうよね。でも翻訳ってそんな簡単なことじゃねーんだよなめんな。たとえ2つの言語がペラペラの人だって、それらを翻訳しようとするとかなり大変なんだよ。
The solution is to think in English.
じゃあどうすればいいのか、っていうとつまり、英語で考えればいいってこと。
You can do this anywhere, anytime. Try to use English when you’re thinking about your day, or when you’re trying to decide what food to order. Even try to use an English to English dictionary to look up words. That way you never have to use your native language and translate words. You’ll notice that when you think in English, it’s easier for you to speak in English.
これならいつでもどこでもできる。今日の出来事を思い返すとき、あるいは何をオーダーしようか決めているとき、英語で考えてみよう。英語の辞書で単語を探すときでも、英語で考えてみるんだ。それなら、日本語を使うという工程も、並びに翻訳するという工程もこともありゃーしません。英語で考えると、今までより英語を話すのが簡単になってることに気づくはずだよ。
2. Talk to yourself
自問自答
Whenever you’re at home (or alone somewhere else) you can practice your English with your favorite person: yourself.
家にいるとき（あるいはどこかに1人でいるとき）いつでも、超気があう人と英語の練習ができます。超気が合う人？そう、あなたです。あーなーた。
If you’re already thinking in English, try speaking your thoughts out loud. Read out loud, too. Practice is practice, and even if you don’t have anyone to correct your mistakes, just the act of speaking out loud will help you become more comfortable speaking English.
もし既に、頭の中で英語で考えることができるようになっているなら、自分の考えを声に出して言ってみよう。大きな声で声に出す。出すんや！！
そして練習に練習を重ねる。たとえミスを指摘してくれる人がいなくても、大きく声に出すというただそのアクションがスピーキングへの自信につながるはず。
3. Use a Mirror
鏡よ鏡よ鏡さん
Whenever you can, take a few minutes out of your day to stand in front of the mirror and speak. Choose a topic, set a timer for 2 or 3 minutes and just talk.
時間が空いた時はいつも、鏡の前に立ち、英語で今日の出来事を話す時間を2、3分、作ろう。お題を決め、タイマーを2、3分セットしたらただ話すだけです。「Hey Siri, set a timer for 3 minutes!!」
The point of this exercise is to watch your mouth, face and body language as you speak. It also makes you feel like you’re talking to someone, so you can pretend you’re having a discussion with a study buddy.
ここで大事なのは話している時の自分の口元、顔、そしてボディランゲージを見るということ。また、鏡に向かって話しかけているとまるで誰かに話しかけているように感じ、勉強の相方とディスカッションしているかのような模倣ができるんです。
Talk for the full 2 or 3 minutes. Don’t stop! If you get stuck on a word you don’t know, try expressing your idea in a different way. You can always look up how to say that word after the 2-3 minutes end. This will definitely help you find out what kinds of words or sentences you have trouble with.
2、3分フルで話しましょ。言葉を切らすな！カメラを止めるな！（この映画最高でしたね）もしわからない言葉でつまずいたら、違う言葉でその考えを表現できないか考える。2、3分後にはいつでもその単語なんて調べられるんだから。この練習によって、あなたの苦手な単語やセンテンスが露わになります。ひゃ〜♡
4. Focus on Fluency, Not Grammar
スムーズを意識せよ。文法は後だ！
When you speak in English, how often do you stop?
英語を話すとき、どれくらい言葉につまってしまいますか？
The more you stop, the less confident you sound and the less comfortable you become. Try the mirror exercise above, but challenge yourself to speak without stopping or stammering (taking pauses between your words) the entire time.
言葉につまればつまるほど、自信が無さそうに見えるし、あなた自身も何か気持ちよくないでしょ？そうでしょ？シャランラ！このミラーエクササイズをする上では、言葉につまったり文章の途中で止まらないように意識してみてほしい。
This might mean that your sentences won’t be grammatically perfect, and that’s okay! If you focus on speaking fluently instead of correctly, you’ll still be understood and you’ll sound better. You can fill in the correct grammar and word rules as you learn them better.
これはつまり、例え文法が完ぺきでなくともオッケーということ！正確に話すんでなくスムーズに話すことに意識してみると、案外分かってもらえるし聞こえもいいです。文法や語法は適宜学んでいけばいいんです。
5. Try Some Tongue Twisters
早口言葉をいくつか試してみよう
Tongue twisters are series of words that are difficult to say quickly. One example is: “The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.” Try saying this a few times! It’s not easy.
英語にも早口言葉はあります。「ブラジル人ミラクルビラ配り」と3回言ってみましょう！案外難しいぜ。
Word games like this will help you find the right placement for your mouth and tongue, and can even help your pronunciation. You can find a list of great tongue twisters here.
こうした言葉遊び（と言うのか？）は口と舌の適切な位置を見つけるのに役立つ（本当か？）上、発音の上達にも一役買います（本当か？）。早口言葉リストを作ったので、参照されたし。
6. Listen and Repeat
聞いて聞いて聞いて聞く
Do you watch TV shows or YouTube videos in English? Use them to improve your fluency. Choose a short part of a show and repeat it line by line. Try to match the tone, speed and even the accent (if you can). It doesn’t matter if you miss a few words, the important thing is to keep talking. Try to sound just like the native speakers on the show.
テレビ番組やYouTubeを英語で見ることはある？見てないならはよ見ろ。上達のためじゃ。短い番組や動画を一行ごとに繰り返してみる。トーンとスピード、そしてできればアクセントも完コピする。ちょっとやそっと間違えたところで問題ないです。ただネイティブみたく聞こえるようにするんす。
（宣伝部分割愛）
7. Pay Attention to Stressed Sounds
強調表現にはい注目！
English uses stresses in words and sentences. That means you’ll need to stress, or emphasize, certain words and syllables (sounds) to give words and sentences different meanings.
英語という言語はですね、単語と文章を強調するんですよ。つまり日本人のあんたでも同じことをする必要があるってこと。
Listen to where native speakers place the emphasis when they speak. Try to repeat it the same way.
ネイティブが話すときに、どこを強調しているかよく聞いてみましょう。そして、マネする。
This won’t only help you speak well, it might even reduce misunderstandings. Sometimes the placing the stress on the wrong syllable completely changes the word. The word ADdress, for instance, isn’t the same as the word adDRESS. ADdress refers to a physical location where someone lives, and adDRESS means to formally speak to a group of people.
これをすることで、スピーキングが上手くなるのみならず、今まで勘違いしていた内容に気づけるはず。変なところを強調すると、その単語の意味さえ変わってしまうこともしばしば。例えばadressのadを強調するのとdressを強調するのとでは意味が異なるよね。前者は「住所」の意味だけど、後者は「演説」の意味になるから。
Learn to hear the difference!
聞いて違いを知るんや〜
8. Sing Along to English Songs
ラララ
Singing along to your favorite English songs will help you become more fluent.
英語の歌を歌うのもおすすめ。
Once you can sing along to Taylor Swift and Jason Mraz, you can test your skills with something a bit more difficult: rap!
テイラースウィフトとジェイソンムラーズを一回歌ってみればわかるよ。ラップとか、ちょっと難しいので試してみるとかね。
Rap is a great way to practice English because often the words are spoken like regular sentences. However, the rapper uses a stronger rhythm and faster speed. Some of the words might not make sense, but if you can keep up with the rapper then you’re on your way to becoming fluent!
ラップはいいぞ〜！何てったって歌詞と違って実際の会話に近いし。ただ、ラップは結構独特だからたまにイミフだけど、まあそれでもラップに合わせて歌えるならかなり上達してきてるってことよ。
9. Learn Word Forms with New Words
新しい単語は型と一緒に覚えよう
Some practice comes before you even open your mouth. Make speaking easier by learning the different forms of any words you learn. You should do this when you’re learning new vocabulary. For example, if you just learned the word write, you should also learn some other forms like wrote and written.
口を開かずともできる練習があ〜る。学んだ単語のいろいろな型を知ることで、スピーキングが楽になるのであ〜る。これは新しいボキャブラリーを勉強している時にすると効率が良い。例えば、もしちょうど”wite”という新しい単語を覚えたとき、その過去形と過去分詞の”wote”と”witten”も一緒に覚える的なね。
Knowing the correct way to use a word in any kind of sentence is important. This knowledge will help you while speaking. You won’t have to stop and think of different words—you’ll know exactly when you need to use that word while speaking.
どんな文章であれ、正しい単語の使い方を知ることも大事。この知識はスピーキングにも役立つんだから。思考を停止するな！常に別の単語について考えよ！さすればスピーキングの際も、この手間暇がいかに大事だったかがいずれ分かるであろう〜。
10. Learn Phrases, Not Words
フレーズで覚えよう
An even better idea is to learn word phrases, not just words.
ただ単語を覚えるんじゃなくて、フレーズで覚えるようにできればもうワンランク上だ。
You might be using correct grammar and vocabulary, but it’s still not how a native speaker would say it.
正しい文法とボキャブラリを使っているかもしれない、けど、それはまだまだネイティブが使うような言い方じゃない。わかるよね？
For example, you can say “how do you feel today?” but a native speaker might say “how’re you doing?” or “what’s up?” instead. Phrases and expressions can be helpful for sounding more natural when you speak.
たとえば、”how do you feel today?”と言ったとする。けど、実際のネイティブはそんな風に言うことは多分なくて、”How’re you doing?”とか”What’s up?”とかって言ったりするのよ。フレーズで覚えるっていうのはつまりそういうこと。「文法的には合っていても自然じゃない話し方」から卒業するために、この練習は役立つよ。
11. Learn Your Most Common Sayings
口癖に気づけ
Take some time to really notice how you speak in your native language.
日本語でどう話しているかをちょっと考えてみましょ。
What words and phrases do you use the most often?
どんな単語やフレーズをよく使ってる？
Learn how to say your most commonly used phrases and words in English. Knowing them in English will help you speak as well in English as you do in your native language.
そういう言葉を英語でどう言うのか調べてみよう。英語でどう言うのかがわかれば、日本語と同じように英語も話せるようになってくるはず。
12. Prepare for Specific Situations
状況に合わせた準備が肝
Are you learning English for a specific reason? For example, are you learning English so you can get a job in an English-speaking company? In that case, practice English that will help you in an interview. Are you learning English so you can make friends in America? Then you would need a different kind of English.
英語を勉強する理由は何？社内公用語が英語の会社で働くため？それなら、英語の勉強の成果は面接で発揮されるよね。それとも、アメリカで友達を作るために勉強してる？それなら、面接のための英語とは違ったアプローチが必要よね。
Before you go to a place where you have to speak English, you can practice what you might have to say. If you’re preparing to go to a restaurant, what might conversations in a restaurant sound like? Answer the questions a waiter might ask you. Try talking about food and menus.
英語を使わなきゃいけないまさにその状況になる前に、必要になるであろう表現を前もって練習しておこう。もしレストランに行くために準備しているなら、その時必要になる会話って例えば何だろう？ウエイターがするであろう質問を考えよう。食事やメニューについて話してみよう。
You’ll feel more confident if you’re prepared!
準備しておけばその分気分よく過ごせるはずですよ。
13. Relax!
肩肘はるでない
You can be your best helper or your worst enemy when learning to speak fluently! We know it’s hard, but you should try not to worry about how you sound when you speak. Just relax!
英語が上手くなるように勉強しているとき、自分自身が敵にも味方にもなりえる。もちろん勉強は大変だけど、でも自分がどんな風に話しているか心配しすぎてもいいことないし、とにかくもうちょっとリラックスすることも必要。
If you get stuck or confused, just take a big breath and start over. Speak slower if you have to. Take time to pause and think about your next sentence.
もし言葉につまってしまったり混乱してしまったら、まず大きく深呼吸して、それからまた再スタートを切ればいいんじゃん？ゆっくり話してもいい。次の言葉を考えるのにたっぷり時間を取ってもいい。
Do whatever it takes to become more comfortable with speaking English.
自分の気持ちいいようにやるのが一番！
14. Tell a Story from Your Language in English
自分の言葉で、英語で話す
Here’s a fun way to test how well your spoken English has developed: choose a story that you know really well and tell it in English.
英語がどれくらい上達したか、テストするのに面白い方法がある。自分が詳しいことについて英語で話すんだ。
Remember to think in English as you’re telling your story. Focus on speaking fluently instead of correctly. Say every sentence out loud to yourself.
その時、話す内容は英語で考えること。正しくというよりも、スムーズに話すことに集中しよう。一文一文を、自分自身に、大きく声に出してみる。
Even if you have nobody to talk to in English, you can still build confidence and master fluency on your own time.
英語で話せる人が一人もいなくても、自分一人の時間があるだけで英語はスムーズに話せるようになるし、それによって自信もつけられる。
In some ways, practicing speaking is even easier by yourself!
自分でやった方が簡単なことだってあるよ。
レッツトライ〜
