Mike and Gail Hume, parents of Joshua Hume, talk about their son’s interest in learning Japanese


Two of our children studied Japanese in high school. Both became more interested in the rest of the world, specifically Asia. Both became more appreciative of other cultures, and able to admire customs and values that were different from ours. They also developed a basic sense of what a language is, that it is not merely the substitution of other words for our words and thoughts. Since neither their parents nor most of their peers had studied Japanese, learning Japanese seemed more special to them than if it had been a more commonly studied language. We think they became more self confident and motivated in their studies because of this. One went on to major in Japanese, and is currently teaching in Japan.

Even though we and our children have not learned the same languages, they now share with us the experience of what it is like to participate in another culture and speak another language. It has provided us some interesting conversations and mutual understanding.

We believe a person who learns another language has a window into another culture that can be obtained no other way. Because of the growing influence of Asia, Americans do need to expand their learning beyond European languages and cultures. Japan, specifically, is an important and advanced country with which our country has a close relationship. There are obviously business opportunities that exist for an American familiar with Japanese. And of course many travelers are drawn to visit Japan repeatedly, finding that their other interests such as art, gardening or music have been enriched by exposure to Japanese culture. If a child wants the experience of travel or life in another country, Japan is not only interesting, it is stable, safe and accessible.

To parents, Japanese may appear difficult and exotic. Another language such as Spanish may appear easier to learn and more immediately usable. To my surprise, a counselor advised me that Japanese might be the perfect foreign language for our one son who hated school. She said that the grammar is not intimidating, and the sounds are not hard to pronounce. He loved it immediately. Some undermotivated kids seem to work hard at Japanese because pop culture interests such as anime give them an added incentive.

We would advise parents that in a global economy and with today’s ease of travel, Japanese may well be a language their child would find useful. There are opportunities that may come because it is a language that fewer Americans know. For example, having studied Japanese, one son was able to find work teaching English in Japan. This experience may lead to a variety of future career options for him.

(February 2010)