Hello, I am Shuntaro Tanaka. I am 17 years old, a 3rd-year student currently studying in New Zealand, and I will be turning 18 soon. Living in New Zealand during this period of my life, when I am experiencing some of the biggest changes, means there are so many things to learn.
　About five months have passed, and I have learned many things and changed in various ways. I might not be fully aware of all those changes, but there are definitely many moments when I clearly feel, “I have changed.” So, this time, I want to share one key idea with you. The title is “Language Skills I Could Only Learn Through Studying Abroad.” Let me give you the conclusion first: “The only way to gain English skills that cannot be measured by numbers is through studying abroad.” Studying abroad allows you to develop English skills that cannot be reflected in test scores or numerical results. That is what I would like to talk about today.
　Before reaching this conclusion, many things happened. It wasn't one specific event, but if I were to pick one, it was when I got sick. It was August, the middle of winter in New Zealand. I caught a cold because I was a little careless. At that time, I had to tell my host mother about my health condition. It was really hard to explain symptoms like having a headache, a runny nose, or joint pain.
　Of course, a big reason was that I didn't know the specific words for those symptoms. But an even bigger challenge was "paraphrasing" (saying things in a different way).
When learning English, there is a technique called paraphrasing. Simply put, it is a skill to rephrase sentences using easy words you already know. I was really bad at this, so I couldn't express myself well. I tended to think, "I want to change Japanese sentences directly into English while keeping the exact same nuance."
　Why do I feel this way? It's because I think about my own theory: "the uniqueness of things." When people see something they don't know, they compare it to something they already know, right? For example, have you ever heard people say, "Frog tastes like chicken"? But a frog tastes like a frog, doesn't it? It cannot be chicken. For people who usually eat both chicken and frog, chicken is chicken, and frog meat is frog meat. It might be a little different, but language is similar. When we translate, we bring a word into something that matches our own language.
　"Telephone = Denwa (電話)" is obvious now. But originally, the telephone was developed in Western countries, and the word "telephone" comes from the Greek words tele ("far") and phone ("voice" or "sound"). When this concept came to Japan, people thought hard about what to call it. They took the main point—"a machine that uses electricity to talk with people far away"—and created the Japanese word "denwa" (電話), which literally combines the ideas of electricity and communication. When you say "Telephone" overseas, people might strongly picture an older landline phone. But when you say "Denwa" in Japan, most people think of a smartphone. Even with a direct translation of an object like "Telephone," there is a slight gap in nuance. So, when it comes to idioms, the gap becomes even bigger.
　In other words, you cannot simply match English and Japanese one-to-one. So, if you try to keep the exact nuance, you have to break down the meaning, recognition, and emotion created in one language, and rebuild them in a similar shape within the structure of another language. I end up thinking, "Isn't that something only language experts can do?" That is why I am not very good at paraphrasing.
　In the end, I compromise by thinking, "If I say it this way, it will probably get across." But somewhere in my heart, I still want to translate it into English without losing the Japanese nuance as much as possible. This is not just about English ability; it is a sense of how to deal with language itself.
　This isn't just about Japanese and English. It changes depending on the cultural background of Thai, Chinese, Arabic, and so on. Taking it further, even in the same language, what people receive from words changes depending on where they lived, what they saw, and who they talked with.
　Let me give you another example: the word "mate." It is often used in British English, and in American English, there is a word like "bro." It means "friend" or "best friend," but it is a very broad term that you can use casually even if the person is not your best friend. Also, the impression of the word "mate" differs from person to person. If someone you consider a "mate" is a very energetic person who drinks and says, "Yo, yo, mate!", you might have a bright and energetic image of the word "mate." But for you, a "mate" might be someone with whom you can quietly open your heart and talk about values. Therefore, the feeling associated with the word changes from person to person. Even if the dictionary definition is the same, the sense of distance changes.
　In short, language is not just a simple collection of words and grammar. In the end, learning a language means learning about a person's culture, environment, and identity, what they saw, felt, and how they came to stand where they are now. This is what I have wanted to say ever since I started studying abroad.
　While studying abroad, there are also many times when I look back at the Japanese language. Even in Japanese, I might think, "This person grew up in this environment with these people around them, so their words sound a bit strong." It is the same thing. It is not just about whether you can communicate or not, but about how people receive words and feelings.
　I believe you can truly feel these things only by traveling or studying abroad. Therefore, you shouldn't go overseas simply to study English. By stepping outside of the senses you take for granted, you can feel your own position and the relationship between language and environment.
　I was able to gain this broader perspective. So, as I said at the beginning, "You can only gain English skills that cannot be measured by numbers through studying abroad." When you start thinking about how another person receives your words, their language, culture, environment, and the person themselves, you reach a higher level of English ability that cannot be measured by numbers. It won't show up on a resume, but it is definitely a valuable strength that stays with you. Gaining this ability may be one of the special privileges of studying abroad.
　Thank you very much for reading this long essay. I hope this message reaches people who are going to study abroad or are interested in studying abroad.

Shuntaro Tanaka