Keep from drowning in your conversations
Have you ever had a conversation or language exchange that went something like this:
A: Hi, why are you studying Japanese?
B: I like anime.
A: How long have you studied?
B: Two years.
A: What are your hobbies?
B: Watching movies.
A: What do you do for work?
B: I’m an engineer.
A: 😒 (gets bored and leaves)
When you’re unsure or unable to give richer answers and keep the converstion going, it begins to feel more like an interrogation to your partner and quickly fades out. I know, I’ve been there.
Fortunately for us, Boris Shekhtman has graciously provided us with seven simple tools that will help keep the conversation alive and kicking, one of which I’ll introduce here.
First, by way of background, I first heard of Mr. Shekhtman from a book review written by famed polyglot Luca Lampariello. Shekhtman was a noted Russian instructor at the Foreign Service Institute at the U.S. State Department and was renowned for his ability to help students rapidly reach the very highest levels of competency.
Now for the good part…
What Are Language Islands?
Shekhtman uses an analogy that speaking in a foreign language is like swimming, i.e. you’re pushed off “land” into an unfamiliar language environment as if it were a large body of water. And over time, you become fatigued and will drown if you don’t have a place to rest: an island, if you will.
He suggests that you create some conversational islands in advance related to specific topics that you can fall back on when needed and take a mental rest. These are short, memorized, well-practiced speeches or monologues that you can pull up in response to common questions or topics. You can deliver your prepared answer then follow up with a question of your own to pass the conversational ball back to your partner (to mix metaphors).
Let’s revisit the conversation above and I’ll share some examples from my own life (imagine these in Japanese):
A: Hi, why are you studying Japanese?
B: I love languages and got interested in Japanese thirty years ago. I came here in 1991 to visit a friend who was living in Nagoya and I fell in love with the country. Since then, I came here many times until I was finally able to get a job here. Do you use English in your job? What kind of work do you do?
A: (answers my question, then asks about my job.)
B: I lead a team of data scientists who build machine-learning systems. Are you familiar with machine-learning? It’s one type of AI in which computers “learn” from data in order to make predictions. I’ve loved programming since I was a middle-school student. I’m a total computer nerd! I should live in Akihabara! 😆 (and so on).
Each of the islands above are answers I can reel off without thinking too much about it, as I’ve given those responses so many times when meeting new people. Mind you, I started them simply and expanded over time as my knowledge and vocabulary grew.
Action Step
Start by coming up with a few islands related to yourself, your interests, your work and so on, then add in some questions that can steer the conversation from one island to the next, as I did in the example above, leading the conversation into the topic of careers. Your islands might include topics such as:
- yourself (i.e. your standard 自己紹介 self-introduction);
- what you do for a living (or what you are studying, if in school);
- favorite places you’ve traveled;
- where you live (e/g/ what it’s like, famous foods or sites, things to do);
- your hobbies and interests;
- your favorite books, movies or music;
- how long you’ve studied Japanese and how do you do it (I get asked about this all the time);
- whatever you enjoy talking about.
Keep your islands small and modular, practice them well, and continue to evolve and expand them as you gain practice. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how much smoother your conversations will flow. Moreover, your partner will be, too.