tokyostyle Wrote:

rich_f Wrote:Japan Times has a book targeted for Intermediate level Japanese learners just about writing business e-mails.

I just bought that book yesterday actually. It covers all forms of e-mail and only one chapter is specifically about writing business emails.

So I picked up しごとの日本語　メールの書き方編 as well. The series is quite interesting since there is very little English used. In the book about email there is an introduction in four languages and then a very small vocab list for each example. It seems like that believe in the idea of learning the language in the language.

Probably best if we start a new thread to continue on the e-mail / business Japanese discussion though.

Agreed. Nice find on that ALC series. I just ordered the Japan Times book last night, so I groaned a little when I found out it only has one chapter on business e-mails, but the ALC books look like they'll be useful down the road.

I figured it would be a good idea to pluck this out and give it its own thread so people doing searches might actually find what they're looking for.

I moved this from another thread:

tokyostyle Wrote:College graduates do not have to be taught how to answer the phone, how to compose e-mail, and how to talk to customers.

wccrawford Wrote:Every single job I've ever had that required me to answer the phone (even the software developer job I'm doing right now) has had instruction on how to answer the phone. Usually it's just and hour-long video, and it's pretty simple, but that's still teaching.

And yes, this is a valid analogy since the Japanese -are- exposed to keigo through the media, whether it be J-drama or anime or whatever. They actually have -some- preconception of what it is before they go take a class.

So just like everything else, they've been exposed to it and -could- learn it without taking structured education, but it is far, far faster to take structured learning to get the basics down properly. (Notice I didn't say a class, just 'structured learning'.

Just to clarify: I wouldn't say Japanese need to learn the basics. I think everyone knows keigo and uses some form of it regularly. Again, the purpose is really to practice a particularly high level of keigo used for guests, customers. Skills vary - it's quality control.

It's not really just like everything else. Daily life doesn't give enough exposure/practice - so whatever way it's learned will necessarily be structured or focused learning (book, class, follow an employee around, watch certain scenes in Hotel repeatedly...). As you say, it's picking the fastest one. [deleted]

Using keigo well is also connected to a certain snobbery or class issue as well I think - suggesting someone has spent more time in formal situations or was 'brought up well' or some such nonsense. (Perhaps not unlike knowing which fork to use?)

Whether this all exists in English to a much lesser degree is kind of besides the point. It's different in Japanese - that's the interesting part for me.

Countdown until katsuo makes a list out of the book: 10