I’m Joanna. I want to learn Japanese because I’d like to learn more about Japanese culture, which I think ultimately can’t really be done without being familiar with the language. I’d also like to visit Japan, but beforehand I definitely want to acquire some decent language skills, so I can make the most of such a trip.
Also, and that probably sounds kind of weird, but it’s actually one of my main motivators to learn Japanese, I want to know what it feels like to speak and read it, since it is so fundamentally different from any other language I am familiar with. I’m fascinated with the idea that the language we speak influences the way we think. So I think learning a new language, especially one so different from my own, is a great opportunity to broaden my horizon.
Finally, it’s a personal challenge. I’ve learned English to a point where it’s basically second nature and I want to push myself to acquire the same level of fluency in another language. If it can be done once, it can be done twice!