TOEIC in Japan: I don't speak Japanese!

[japan]

Hello,

I will take TOEIC test in Japan in fews days. However, I feel a bit scary because I do not speak japanese at all !

Do you think it is a big problem if I don't speak japanese? Will I be able to take the test without problems? If the staff explain only in Japanese, what I can I do?

I hope to get an answer as soon as possible.

Thank you

[Torsten]

Dear Japan,

Many thanks for your question. I think you will manage to take the TOEIC test perfectly if you communicate with the administrators in English because the TOEIC is the Test of English for International Communication and the main idea really is to be able to communicate in English. Also, if you read the information on how to take the TOEIC on our website you will be well prepared. In addition, there will be people at the day of your examination whose English is sufficient to explain anything you have to know.
May I ask where you are from originally? Are you French?
Regards
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[japan]

Hello Torsten,

Thank you very much for your quick answer!
As you probably know, Japanese don't speak English well. But if you think the staff will be able to speak English, then no problem! I will just feel boring when the staff will explain everything in Japanese...

As you guessed, I am French. How did you notice? Because my English is terrible

Thanks again. And well done for this website/forum.

[Torsten]

Hi again Japan,

You will certainly be able to maintain communication with Japanese TOEIC administrators - at any rate you should be able to speak English with the other test candidates - otherwise why would they take the TOEIC test?
Why are you in Japan? I suppose you work there? As for your nationality - your email address has got the French domain so I figured you are French.
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[japan]

Hello Torsten,

I arrived in Japan few months ago. I'm trying to find a job there and it's quite difficult because I don't speak Japanese yet. I decided to take the TOEIC test to show to International Company in Japan I can speak English. I can understand English without problems; however, my grammar is not so good. Anyway, it's the first time for me to take the TOEIC test, and I will be happy to know my score

[Torsten]

Japan (by the way, what is your real name?),

You might want to read the first part of an interview with Jeff Hock, the founder of Phrasebase.com - he was pretty much in the same situation like you:
http://www.english-test.net/esl-cafe/12/index.html

As far as I know French grammar can be very difficult too - the TOEIC emphasizes the importance of listening comprehension and the ability to understand written communication rather than grammar issues which is very practical and I'm sure if practice some TOEIC questions you will achieve a decent score.

Why did you decide to go to Japan instead of a European country?
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[japan]

Hi Torsten,

Well, my real name is Julien...

Thank you for the link. I can understand his life was not easy at the beginning...especially when you don't speak Japanese.

Now I'm practicing TOEIC questions. And I can notice I don't know many things ! But these questions are very helpful.

During the last 2 years, I studied abroad (Newcastle-England and Montreal-Canada). In England, I met many students from all over the world, including Japan. I got my diploma this year and then, I decided to start a new adventure in Japan. Japanese people don't speak English. So if you want to survive, you have to learn Japanese very hard and work for a company (Japan is a very expensive country, money is also important...)
Communication is so important if you travel and decide to live abroad. Of course English is very helpful, but not sufficient. I want to speak at least 3 languages (French, English and Japanese). So I decided to go to Japan to discover a new culture and learn Japanese.

[Torsten]

Hi Julien,

Many thanks for sharing your experiences with us. What did you study in Newcastle and Montreal? I guess it requires quite some mental strenght to go to country that is completely new to you. Why did you choose to live and work in Japan?
How did you manage to obtain all the necessary documents? How are getting along with people who don't speak English?
Talk to you soon
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[japan]

Hello Torsten,

Ok, I will answer your questions but I’m not sure if many people will read my small message.

When I was a high school student, I didn’t study English hard... But I realized later English is important, so in 2002, I started to learn English. To achieve this goal, I decided to go to England (Newcastle). I studied International Economics. As you can imagine the first 3 months was horrible, I couldn’t understand anything. After 3 months, I started to see some improvements, and I had more motivation to continue to learn English. At the end of 2003, I was very happy of this experience and I decided to go to Canada (Montreal). Why Newcastle and Montreal? Because my university in France has special agreement with these cities. During the last 2 years, I could meet many students from all over the world : Canadian, American, German, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Russian and so on. I started to have an interest about Asia and particularly about Japan. Then, the best way to learn the language and the culture is to go to the country. Once I got my Master in International Economics (In August 2004) I decided to go to Japan without a job and without speaking Japanese. I have a working holiday visa which is non renewable and will expire in 1 year. So I have 1 year to find a job and then I will be able to stay in Japan longer. It’s not easy for me to communicate with people who don’t speak English, but it helps me to learn Japanese faster !
It’s not difficult to obtain all the necessary documents when you want to live abroad. All you need is motivation. If you are motivated you can find a job and learn the language and finally, live in the country you like. Nothing is impossible...

[Torsten]

Julien,

A lot of people are going to read what you have to say about learning English and your cross-cultural experiences. As you know we learn English not just for the sake of the language but in order to achieve our goals in life. That's why many people will be interested in your thoughts and ideas. Recently Rasa from Vilnus has asked what the best way to learn English might be (http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic1327.html) and I'm sure she is one of those people who will find your proposals very useful. I particularly like your remark

[sunny]

Hi, Torsten and Julien!

A very good topic for this forum and its users! I think that by joining this community, we all display our interest in international contacts and exchange. Experiences such as yours, Julien, are extremely useful because they encourage us in our plans. Even if it was difficult for you in England, you did not give up and this is very important. And more important, of course, is the fact that you tackle the obstacles you have in Japan instead of running away.
A lot of people are afraid of living in a foreign country because certainly it is not easy to leave everything behind and start something new.
So we need some more positive experiences on this site

I can only say that I enjoyed my stay in Canada two years ago. Before I was there I was terribly afraid, during the first week there I was terribly homesick and when I had to leave I was terribly sad because it was too short... I met a lot of people and learned a lot of new things; I gained experiences I will never forget.

I decided to plan a longer stay in a foreign country and I hope that within the next few years this will be possible.

Sunny

[Kumi]

[japan]

Hello

Thank you so much Kumi! Do be honest I feel a bit nervous, but after reading your message I feel better

[japan]

Hello,

I just want to say I had the TOEIC Test last Sunday. I decided to arrive early to ask some questions to the staff. Unfortunately, the supervisor and her 2 assistants couldn't speak English... However, they asked another supervisor who could speak English. So no problem at all!
Also, before the test, there is no more questionnaire (just 2 or 3 questions instead of 23)...
To conclude, I was the only one who couldn't speak Japanese, but the staff did their best to help me

I think I didn't do badly the test. Listening Section was not difficult. However, I think I will lose many points in the Reading Section because I didn’t have time to finish all (I needed 10 more minutes). Anyway, it was a good experience and I hope to get my result sooooooon.

[Torsten]

Dear Julien,

Many thanks for keeping us posted on your latest events. Congratulations on taking the TOEIC, you probably will receive your scores within this year. Why do you think you did better in the listening section than in the reading part? Is it because you have more exposure to spoken English than to written communication? What is the next step for you now? Are you applying for a job?

Kumi, you did an excellent job giving Julien tips on how to communicate with the TOEIC administration staff. It's so pleasant to see that you support each other and share experiences. I hope to see you around often.

Regards
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary