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РусскийInterview 2: Tatsuya and His Family!
Student Interview
All about taking lessons as a family!
Student Profile
40s/Male/Shiga Prefecture/Marketing Director for a sensor manufacturing company
Cafetalk History
About 1 year and 9 months
Cafetalk Usage
Once or twice a week
Also on Cafetalk Day (the 19th) and during other events.
Currently Studying
English
Sometimes French and Chinese
Favorite Lesson
Proofreading Lesson / Lady Ayame
It’s surprisingly difficult to get my own ideas down in writing!
Favorite Teacher
I've challenged myself to try all kinds of different classes with different teachers, so I can't really say I have a favorite. I think they are all wonderful.
Once I counted, I realized that I've been taught by a total of 58 tutors on this site.
So it seems like you are taking lessons as a family! Who is taking what?
I have three daughters, and the second and third daughter have just started taking English lessons. My second daughter has just become friends with a transfer student from overseas, so she is especially interested in studying language now. They are currently taking classes about once every two weeks.
I am focusing mainly on English, but sometimes I take French and Chinese too. I currently take English about once or twice a week primarily taking classes with Patricia. I also take French from a teacher who can't speak Japanese so that I am taught in English. I take Chinese lessons with Eiko before my business trips to China.
Can you tell us how your language abilities were when you first started Cafetalk?
When I first started, I could speak a little bit of English. 2010 I had a TOEIC score of 715 and in 2011 I got a 780.
As for French, when I went France on business, French people refused to speak to me in English, even though they could. I was really frustrated, so I decided to start learning French too. In the beginning I didn't know anything and couldn't speak a word, but now I have a level 4 in the APEF.
Do you normally have any chances to use English at work or at home?
Sometimes I use English to send emails at work, but it's not every day.
Since I don't have too many chances to put my thoughts out in foreign languages, I try my best to update my facebook in English and French.
It seems like your children take lessons pretty regularly! How do you get them to keep going without getting tired of it?
I think it's because they learn from teachers like Eby and Sakura, who can speak Japanese too. Talking to the teachers is like having a conversation with friends, making it fun for them to learn English.
When you first started using Cafetalk, what did you think were the biggest benefits?
- I remember when I had to go on an overseas business trip by myself for the first time. I had some presentation documents and so forth checked by teachers like Sam and Dan. It was so helpful!
- I take early morning lessons, so sometimes I snooze and only wake up 5 minutes before class, then have to start talking right away. As I got used to that, all of a sudden I was able to talk to people from other countries without feeling nervous anymore, haha.
- Since I'm taking French from a teacher who can't speak Japanese, I feel like communicating in English has become a little easier and I think it has helped me improve.
What do you like about Cafetalk?
It might be too obvious, but I like that you can choose any time and any teacher that you want.Especially since I can take classes early in the morning while my family is still asleep. I am grateful that I can take advantage of my time like that.
Recently there have been a lot of promotions like Cafetalk Day, so I have been enjoying a variety of classes.
As for my kids, it's probably the fact that they can take classes at home and have teachers who are like good friends.
Please tell us about your family's goals!
Hmmm, maybe if my kids get a little more used to English we'll go on an trip overseas...
As for me, I'd like to be able to give a presentation in French to a French audience.
Tatsuya and family, thank you very much!
Guess what? Tatsuya actually wrote for Cafetalk's 3rd monitor blog!
Not only did he write about regular lessons, but he also wrote a special edition about his children's English classes and TOEIC. It's a great reference point!
See the Monitor Blog here.
