Japanese Speech Contest

[Yiuel]

I finally decided myself on a poject with my learning of Japanese. Each year, in Montreal, there is a speech contest for Japanese learners. There seems to be a few prizes. I decided to try myself.

I'll give you some notes here on what is happening. For now, I only sent my possible text to my Japanese teachers.

As we say in Japanese, Ganbarou! = I'll try my best!

[King Tutankhamun]

Good luck at it.

Have fun doing it Yiuel.

[akya]

good luck

[Oberinjenkai]

Yes, do your best. Henshini go-go Baby.(Viewtiful Joe 2 is awesome.)

[Jeru]

What will your speech be about? Are you given a topic?

[Dnas]

Oct 27 2004, 12:04 PM

Quite an old topic.

Good luck if it's not over yet

If it is, how'd you do?

[Yiuel]

It is old, but it is not finish, in fact, it didn't really begin. I must still first write it. My last one was a bit too long (I need about 5 minutes, I had for probably 15!), so I'll need to go on essential points.

To answer to Jeru, the title will be "Yayoi no Yume", which means "Dream of Spring", and it will speak about my oldest dream I ever had about society and countries. I once had a dream where I described what is probably my most wished country. (In my speech, I'll call it simply "Kuni", "the Country", marvellous Japanese.) I'll describ it, and try to see how it could ease the world to use such political system.

My BIG problem is that, unlike for most people, I'll be the one to write my text in Japanese. For others, the teachers will help them in translating. It will probably be better this way though, since I'll fully understand what I'll be saying. SO not only will I have to speak it, but I'll have to compose it. I hope to have it done by mid-january. It will be possible, I think.

[Note : I feel like I'll be cheating, though officially I will be all correct. It's because they require two levels : how mny years did you study Japanese at school, and how many years did you live in Japan. Never went there, and only had two small courses, so I'm a "beginner", but I could have gone in the "intermediaire" class, as it is my technical level... My teacher said : take advantage of this and win it all ... ]

I'll give you a glimpse to my speech here (by writing the text in both majiri, kana and rômaji (this last one all will be able to read!) ).

[Oberinjenkai]

Good luck with that and if you win you have to tell my all about it. Why? BecauseI love Japanese Stuff especially anime. Also if you could give me some titlews of the books you use that would be awesome. go win it all.

[Paal_101]

*Tries to spell what he always hears in karate* Hajime! (Begin!) LOL I can count to 10 in Japanese and know various commands, but other than that its limited to kamikaze, katana, naginata, cha, and sake

Good luck with competition!

[Yiuel]

So, here it is, my speech contest. You'll have the text in majiri and furigana, then rômaji, finally translated in English.

MAJIRI-FURIGANA

いじめ

ここで皆（みな）さんに話（はな）したいことは、よくあることで、普通（ふつう）のことと思（おも）う人（ひと）が多（おお）いです。でも、実（じつ）は、社会（しゃかい）の大（おお）きな問題（もんだい）です。それは、私（わたし）にもおこりました。いじめです。もう１０年（じゅうねん）も前（まえ）のことですが、忘（わす）れることができません。

いじめは、なんでしょうか。何才（なんさい）でも、どこでもいじめはありますが、私（わたし）は、子供（こども）のいじめについて話（はな）します。私（わたし）が小学校（しょうがっこう）でいじめにあったからです。

小（ちい）さい時（とき）から、私（わたし）は本（ほん）が好（す）きでした。本（ほん）を読（よ）んでいろいろなことを知（し）りました。ですから、小学校（しょうがっこう）で、先生（せんせい）の質問（しつもん）によく私（わたし）だけ答（こた）えることができました。すると、他（ほか）の子供（こども）はそれが気（き）に入（い）りませんでした。だんだん、誰（だれ）も私と話（はな）さなくなって、学校（がっこう）で一人になりました。はじめは、変（へん）だなあ、と思（おも）いましたが、さびしく感（かん）じませんでした。

少（すこ）し後（あと）になると、私（わたし）をみんながバカにし始（はじ）めました。いじめの始（はじ）まりです。「社会（しゃかい）のゴミ」とか「死（し）んでしまえ」とか、いやなことを私（わたし）に言（い）っていました。私（わたし）は、とても傷付（きずつ）きました。気（き）が重（おも）くなって、何（なに）もしたくなくなり、本当（ほんとう）に死（し）んだほうがいいかな、と思（おも）いました。いじめは、１０歳（じゅっさい）から１４歳（じゅうよんさい）まで、４年（よねん）続（つづ）きました。本当（ほんとう）にさびしく感（かん）じました。

その時（とき）の心（こころ）の傷（きず）はまだのこっていて、思（おも）い出（だ）すと泣（な）きたくなります。でも今（いま）、いじめについて話（はな）しています。それは、この問題（もんだい）の大（おお）きさを皆（みな）さんに分（わ）かってほしいからです。

いじめがいやなので、いろいろ作戦（さくせん）を考（かんが）えてみました。一番目（いちばんめ）は、みんなと同（おな）じようにすることです。誰（だれ）かの悪口（わるくち）をいったり、いじめたり、遊（あそ）んだりしてみました。でも、あまりうまく行（い）きませんでした。それはウソだったからです。

二番目（にばんめ）に、一人（ひとり）でいることをがまんするようにしてみました。悪口（わるくち）やいじめを気（き）にしないようにして、好（ｓ）きな本（ほん）を読（よ）み続（つづ）けました。一番目（いちばんめ）の作戦（さくせん）より、こちらのほうがよかったです。でもやっぱりいじめは続（つづ）きました。

そして、１４才（じゅうよんさい）のときにいじめは無（な）くなりました。それは学校（がっこう）がかわったからです。新（あたら）しい学校（がっこう）では、いい友達（ともだち）が出来（でき）ました。それから、私（わたし）も強（つよ）くなって、自分（じぶん）を信（しん）じるようになりました。それから、私（わたし）の心（こころ）の中（なか）に、場所（ばしょ）を見（み）つけたからです。その場所（ばしょ）はとても大切（たいせつ）です。そこには、何（なん）でも知（し）りたいと思（おも）う私がいます。他（ほか）の人（ひと）と違（ちが）ってもいいと思（おも）う私（わたし）がいます。いい友達（ともだち）と自信（じしん）、この二（ふた）つが出来（でき）て、いじめは終（おわ）りました。

子供（こども）たちに、いじめが悪（わる）いと教（おし）えることは必要（ひつよう）です。でも、もっと大切（たいせつ）な事（こと）があります。それは、一人一人（ひとりひとり）、違（ちが）っていてもいい、と教（おし）えることです。それが分（わ）かったら、心理学者（しんりがくしゃ）の助（たす）けがなくても、大丈夫（だいじょうぶ）だと思（おも）います。

RÔMAJI

Ijime

Koko de minasan ni hana@#$%ai koto ha, yoku aru koto de, futsu no koto to omou hito ga ooi desu. Demo, jitsu ha, shakai no ooki na mondai desu. Sore ha, watashi ni mo okorima@#$%a. Ijime desu. Mou juunen mo mae no koto desu ga, wasureru koto ga dekimasen.

Ijime ha, nan deshou ka? Nansai de mo, doko de mo ijime ha arimasu ga, watashi ha, kodomo no ijime ni tsuite hanashimasu. Watashi ga shougakkou de ijime ni atta kara desu.

Chiisai toki kara, watashi ha hon ga suki de@#$%a. Hon wo yonde iroiro na koto wo shirima@#$%a. Desu kara, shougakkou de, sensei no @#$%sumon ni yoku watashi dake kotaeru koto ga dekima@#$%a. Suru to, hoka no kodomo ha sore ga ki ni irimasen de@#$%a. Dandan, dare mo watashi to hanasanaku natte, gakkou de hitori ni narima@#$%a. Hajime ha, han da naa, to omima@#$%a ga, sabishiku kanjimasen de@#$%a.

Sukoshi ato ni naru to, watashi ha minna ga baka ni shihajimema@#$%a. Ijime no hajimari desu. "Shakai no gomi" to ka "Shinde shimae" to ka, iya na koto wo watashi ni itte ima@#$%a. Watashi ha, totemo kizutsukima@#$%a. Ki ga omoku natte, nani mo @#$%akunaku nari, hontou ni shinda hou ga ii ka na, to omoima@#$%a. Ijime ha jussai kara juuyonsai made yonen tsuzukima@#$%a. Hontou ni sabishiku kanjima@#$%a.

Sono toki no kokoro no kizu ha mada nokotte ite, omoidasu to nakitaku narimasu. Demo ima, ijime ni tsuite hana@#$%e imasu. Sore ha, kono mondai no ookisa wo minasan ni wakatte hoshii kara desu.

Ijime ga iya na no de, iroro sakusen wo kangaete mima@#$%a. Ichibanme ha, minna to onaji ou ni suru koto desu. Dareka no warukuchi wo ittari, ijimetari, asonedari@#$%emima@#$%a. Demo, amari umaku ikimasen de@#$%a. Sore ha uso datta kara desu.

Nibanme ni, hitori de iru koto wo gaman suru you ni @#$%e mima@#$%a. Warukuchi ya ijime wo ki ni shinai you ni @#$%e, suki na hon wo yomitsuzukema@#$%a. Ichibanme no sakusen yori, kochira no hou ga yyokatta desu. Demo, yappari ijime ha tsuzukima@#$%a.

So@#$%e, juuyonsai no toki ni ijime ha nakunarima@#$%a. Sore ha gakkou ga kawatta kara desu. Atarashii gakkou de ha, ii tomodachi ga dekima@#$%a. Sore kara, watashi mo tsuyoku natte, jibun wo shinjiru you ni narima@#$%a. Watashi no kokoro no naka ni, basho wo mitsuketa kara desu. Sono basho ha totemo taisetsu desu. Soko ni ha, nande mo shiritai to omou watashi ga imasu. Hoka no hito to chigatte mo ii to omou watashi ga imasu. Ii tomodachi to jishin, kono futatsu dekite, ijime ha owarima@#$%a.

Kodomo tachi ni, ijime ga warui to oshieru koto hitsuyou desu. Demo, motto taisetsu na koto ga arimasu. Sore ha, hitorihitori, chigatte ite mo ii, to oshieru koto desu. Sore ga wakattara, shinrigakusha no tasuke ga nakutemo, daijoubu da to omoimasu.

Translation (Hearing : Yeah, finally I can understand.)

This is a quick translation

Bullying

There are a lot of people here who thinks to speak about usual things. But, here, it's an important social problem. I also lived it. It's bullying. 10 years ago did it happen, yet I cannot forget.

So, what is bullying. It can happen at any age, at any place. But I want to speak about that bullying that happens at school. It's because I experienced bullying at elementary school.

When I was young, I liked to read books. Reading so much, I learned about several things. So, in school, only I could sometimes answers the teachers question. Being so, children couldn't stand it. Little by little, noone wished to speak with me, so I became lonely in school. Yet, thought I thought of it strangely, I didn't feel bad.

A little later, they began to make fun of me. This is when bullying began. They said things like "you're a rub" or "just die" and such disgusting things. This was hard on me, I felt bad. I began to feel depressed, then becoming unwilling to do anything, finally thinking that dying would be the best. It went on from 10 years old until 14 years old, 4 years did it endure. I felt really sorry.

Those wounds yet haven't disappear. when I think about it, I wish to cry. But I'm now speaking of this to you. The gravity of that problem, I would like you to understand.

So, being that bullying is not ok, we tried a handful of things. First, people wanted me to be as the others. Then, it meaned to be mean as them, bullying even, or just fooling around. But, it didn't went well. To me, it was lying.

Secondly, they tried to make me endure my loneliness. Make it so that bullying and all those bad-sayings were just nothing, and go on and do as I always liked, that is, read books and learn. It was better than the first, but even so, bullying went on.

Then, at 14 years old, bullying stopped. It's because I'ved changed school. In this new school, I coudl make new friends. I grew stronger, I gre to believe in myself. In my haerd, I wound a place. It was very imporant. I could be the one I always wished to be. And I could think there that being different isn't bad. Well, having good friends and beliving in oneself, with those two being possible, finally bullying stopped.

To those children, teach them that bullying is bad is indeed important. Yet, probably more important is something else. This, is that being each person different isn't bad at all. This being understtod, psychologist's help or such is not need, everything goes right.

[Yiuel]

So... It was yesterday... And I got the 2nd place in the beginners' lever. My prize : a kanji usage dictionary (Kanjiyouhoujiten)

[Paal_101]

Congrats! Kanji are always fun to look at they are works of art in their own right.