Interviewing through a Language Barrier

The language barrier was not something I gave a lot of thought to until I came to Japan. I quickly realized that many people did not speak English, and if they did, they were often too shy to speak it in a conversation.

However, for one of my classes, I had to interview people for a story. I got lucky with my first interview because it took place in an English-speaking classroom. The girl I interviewed, Nadia, was able to discuss her childhood experiences with Hello Kitty and how it affects her now.

For my second interview, I paired up with another girl from the English-speaking classroom to help translate unfamiliar words. We traveled to Canal City via subway and stopped at a Sanrio gift shop.

My biggest hope is that Japanese people gain confidence in their English speaking abilities.

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