I've said it quite a few times already, but the key to staying motivated and learning the things that are most important (to you) is to continue finding and using media that you enjoy. To this end, you should constantly be seeking out new media and finding things that you can enjoy. This experimentation may lead you to other things in Japanese that you didn't expect to like.
One of things I found highly motivating during my learning was to read or listen to things that did not have an English translation. Because a lot of media has been translated to English, I often felt like I was doing pointless work to use it in Japanese, but by enjoying media that had no English translation I felt like I was gaining access to something new and exciting. Try enjoying something that you couldn't do if you were not learning Japanese and you'll gain a greater appreciation for your skill.
Now that you are learning Japanese you've opened up another entire language's media, so take advantage of that! Start looking for your new favorite authors and favorite shows while tossing out the things that aren't interesting. You're not learning Japanese so that you can drag your way through things you don't care about (unless you're a masochist or something), so go out and find media that you can enjoy! If you find something that seems really interesting, but you can't quite handle the language yet, then set it aside and come back later. It's amazing to see the change in your understanding after even a few weeks. So just start looking for media that you can enjoy and then enjoy it.
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I tried improving my French by reading soft porn novels. By the end I didn't know my ass from my elbow.
ReplyDeleteHarry Potter in translation works better - the first book is for 10 year olds, then 11, etc. I know the plot so can pick up vocab without constant dictionary access.
Did the same with the Spanish translation too.