Today I spent the day working in an office in the heart of the business district in Tokyo. It’s the kinda area I guess you’ve generally gotta be pretty cool to work in (which in Japan just basically means you’re nerdier than everyone else).
It’s a company called Innovative Language Learning. They make all kinds of language learning sites based off of podcasts and general iPod/iPhone stuff. I work with the original site – JapanesePod101.com.
I got into JapanesePod about a three years ago now, I guess. I was looking for any kind of resource that might help me pick up a bit of Japanese. I really liked their take on things – use technology and multi-media to make language learning accessible to anyone with a PC. After a while though, I got tired of just listening…without something to look at that’ll focus my attention, my mind wanders pretty quickly, and I didn’t really get that much out of it.
One day, sitting at home listening to one of the podcasts, I thought to myself – wouldn’t be cool if they made something with visual stimulation as well? Then I could focus a little better.
I’m getting into video these days – why don’t I email them and see if they wanna work on something together. Could be fun, right?
About 4 months later, somehow I’m now working at a computer in their office once a week uploading hoards of videos to YouTube and writing out tags and descriptions and the like. It’s not what I envisioned, but I’m learning some skills that may come in handy for my own projects, and it keeps my hand regularly close to video work, so I’m liking it for now.
It often makes me think though – the whole corporate nature of it all really sucks the fun out a lot. There’s a general feeling of being careful. I think it drains the fun out of it for the makers as well as the viewers. That’s too bad, huh… I’ll have to do my best to keep whatever I do small and fresh – it’s more fun for everyone that way!
A full day of that, 1 lesson after (at Starbucks – I swear they were playing Morcheeba…made me miss my English friend Daniel), and a couple beers with some fried chicken cartilage for dinner (shockingly good match) . All-in-all, it was a great day!
sounds so relaxing. The girls take up so much of my time, (as they should,) that I don’t have much time to properly learn the Hindi language. I have learned enough that the last time I went to India, I could actually use some of what I had learned. I was so excited that the people could actually understand what I was saying! Though, I have to admit… it looks pretty funny seeing your face talking, but the words are Japanese. It’s like watching a movie overdubed, backwards!