Case Studies: Clients

Good day, Alice! We’re delighted to speak with you about your Language Trainers experience! Maybe you could start by telling us something about you?

Absolutely! I currently live in the UK and I am a lead programmer who creates various applications for clients.

And why did you want to learn a language, and which one did you choose?

I chose to study Japanese. It has always amazed me and I have a great amount of exposure to it, with it being prevalent in the games and anime I enjoyed. I always wanted to understand it a bit more, even at university, but I was too busy with my studies and working to support myself to attend any of the courses they offered. Once I had graduated and felt stable within my job, I finally decided to pursue my interest in Japanese. I used many apps, such as Kanji Teacher, Memrise and Kana Drill. I began to learn simple words and their meaning and I was making good progress. Also, I began to pick up some words from Japanese media; however, I noticed the spoken words often didn’t match the subtitles. I knew at this point there was no going back: I wanted to understand Japanese, so I could understand the true meaning behind the words. I tried another app called Busuu, which helped me to learn some new vocabulary and how to write. However, I began to realise how important Kanji (Japanese characters) is to the context of the word. I wanted to learn but many apps are peculiar about how Kanji is learnt and Busuu couldn’t help me. While searching through some online forums, I found a lot of people suggesting two things: first, learning from a Japanese teacher is better than learning from a robot; and second, speaking Japanese to learn it is important. So, I decided I needed to invest myself more into the concept of learning Japanese and to take some official classes.

Wow, so this really is a language you feel passionate about! It certainly is better to learn a language from a teacher, but why did you choose a programme by Language Trainers?

I had a few problems learning Japanese. I didn’t live close to anywhere that offered classes. Plus, I rent from my parents, so it was unfair to ask them to accommodate a teacher coming to the house at least once a week. In the end, I found two options that allowed me to video chat with a Japanese Teacher: iTalki and Language Trainers. iTalki was difficult: I would have to find a teacher that was qualified in my language, had the same ideas as me and could match my schedule. Language Trainers takes on those difficulties on your behalf and manages them for you without too much of a price difference, while also allowing you to switch teachers if you think your current one isn’t suited to your style.

We certainly do our best to make your language learning experience as easy and convenient as possible! And would you say Language Trainers was worth the investment?

Language Trainers are definitely worth it! And fortunately, I never had to switch teachers! My teacher was amazing from the start. And I really like that Language Trainers value loyalty to their service.

I am pleased to hear you say that! We try to match our clients with their ideal teacher from the start, so it’s nice to know we got it right for you first time! Can you think of some helpful and rewarding parts of the course to your language development?

The most helpful things about the course is that it gave me a place to start and establish a routine for my language learning. I definitely noticed an improvement. Since September last year, my teacher has guided me through Genki 1 and I’m ready to move on to Genki 2; something I never imagined I would be doing within the same year. I know this because I recently passed an N5 practice test. Although it was close, it was something I never thought possible as people usually say you need to complete Genki 1 and 2 to pass the test. It felt rewarding because it is proof that I am making progress.

Would you recommend Language Trainers?

Yes, although I would always recommend that people do some self-study before jumping into Language Trainers. Language Trainers works best if you are committed to your language and willing to put in extra time to complement your classes.

Thank you so much for telling us your story and experiences, Alice! Lastly, we like to finish by asking each student what is their favourite saying in their new language? Have you got a favourite Japanese phrase?

“頑張って!” (がんばって)” which means “do your best”. Learning a new language is difficult and a lot of people have many different preferred ways of learning. The teachers at Language Trainers are willing to tailor the lessons to your learning style, so if you think you can learn something more efficiently by taking a different approach, just speak to your teacher or advisor and they will help you figure something out!