I’m taking a group of Japanese students on a study/self-catering trip to the UK this spring and thought it would be helpful if they had a paperback phrasebook with useful expressions that they could use themselves to give them confidence and make the leap from seeing English as a set of grammar rules to something that they can use to communicate with to get food and drink.
It’s made with my specific students in mind, but it would be ideal for use by any Japanese teen or adult planning a trip to the UK and in need of a refresher in basic communication or statements for use in daily activities.
Each expression is organised by topic and is translated into Japanese, with four alternative expressions written in English on each page using similar grammar or vocab so the student can use the book without a teacher, but the book can form the basis of several lessons with no extra preparation needed by the teacher. I give my students 10 expressions to practice for homework then go over the book at the beginning of each lesson for 10 minutes. Easy, fun and useful.
Topics covered are:
• On the airplane 飛行機内
• Immigration 入国管理局
• At the money exchange 両替所
• Asking for directions 道順を聞く
• In the car 車内
• Preparing meals 食事の準備中
• Having a meal 食事の時
• In a restaurant レストラン
• Shopping 買い物
• Around the house 家の中
• Buying transport tickets 乗車券購入
• Chatting with the locals 現地の人とおしゃべり
• Leaving a UK airport 英国空港出発時
• Problems 問題発生
The book is available as a pocket-sized paperback from all Amazon sites. It’s currently on sale for ¥799 from Amazon.co.jp here, £5.99 from Amazon.co.uk, here. $6.99 from Amazon.com here, and a similar amount in euros from all European Amazon stores. But I’ll be raising the price to its normal ¥999/ $9.99 price soon.
Patrick Sherriff 