> I think I just remembered, "加油" means to give it all you've got. I think it means "ganbare" or "huiato". 加 literally means "add" and 油 is "oil". The term is pronounced "jia you" in Mandarin. I'm not too sure about my Ping Ying.
I can confirm that. Second-generation, half-illiterate speaker comin' at ya =)
> I'm no racist at all, but the fact that almost all native English speakers who teach their language in Japan don't speak Japanese has made me think English-speaking people weren't bothered to learn another language, but it seems I'm a bit wrong. I hope your efforts bear fruits in the future.
Maybe that's because there are teaching programs that will accept native speakers who don't know any Japanese...I find that rather surprising, though, because you're right--a foreign language teacher should speak both languages fluently. Is there such a demand for English teachers in Japan?
I've wondered if maybe that could be dependent on how we learn the language. They say "immersion" teaching is quite effective, where you are placed in an environment that requires you to speak and listen to only the foreign language. So maybe it just depends on which form you learn first - verbose or written.
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By the way, have you guys heard of a recent HBO TV show heard "Carnivàle"? I've been hearing nothing but good things about it.