English Writing Metamorphosis

Of the four skills in language acquisition, writing is more challenging than speaking, listening, and reading. Admittedly, it is possible to write simple personal letters, fill out applications forms, and compose business emails with some accuracy. But writing down one’s own creation, whether it be academic or deeply personal, requires a high level of understanding of a language.

Doing this in your own language is possible over a lifetime of practice. Doing this in another language is far more challenging. For a native speaker of English to do this in Japanese or for a native speaker of Japanese to do this in English is an enormous accomplishment. Few people ever achieve that level of expertise in these two very different languages in a lifetime.

Several years ago, I discovered a native speaker of Japanese who not only managed to do this but was also eager to teach students how to develop that skill. I first contacted Suzuki Takeshi out of sheer curiosity. How, I inquired, had he managed to achieve this ability? This led to multiple exchanges, meetings, and, now, a book whose title is at the top of this article. He elucidates the fundamental knowledge and skills that are necessary for native speakers of Japanese to write competently in English.

One fundamental requirement is to learn to think in English, not “translate” from Japanese into English. Writing in English requires serious devotion to reading in English, learning how English is phrased, and when certain phrases are appropriate. Needless to say, this holds true for the other three skills as well.

English Writing Metamorphosis 英文ライティングのメタモルフォーゼ is a superb book, not only for those who want to write English better, but also for those who want to make that frightening leap from thinking in Japanese to thinking in Japanese. I highly recommend it.

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