Hiromi smiles at Shinji and explains what she thinks:
You used the term “I think” several times in your presentation. Your conclusion starts with “I think” as well. The term “I think” is the literal translation of what you’d say in Japanese. But when you say “I think” in English, it sounds more like you are guessing and it doesn’t sound convincing.
Also, when you do a presentation here, you are expected to include many case studies and draw your conclusion from them. Your presentation will be evaluated on whether or not your conclusion was made based on adequate case studies. Your conclusions are expected to be objective rather than sounding like your own opinions.
Shinji understands why the term “I think” wasn’t appropriate, but he can’t quite understand the rest of the explanation.
If case studies are the most important, then is your own opinion secondary to case studies?
As if Hiromi is expecting this question, she replies quickly:
No, it’s not. Choosing which case studies to include is your decision and that is your opinion. After all, you can choose any case studies in order to back up your opinion.
You could say it’s your strategy to convince the audience. Japanese people usually find presentation class to be difficult, but when your presentation skills improve, your English will improve as well for sure.
After hearing Hiromi’s explanation, Shinji feels like he is starting to see the steps to take to improve his English. It makes sense that “like sports, the more you practice English, the better you get at it”.
Shinji thinks to himself: “English speaking people seem to have a different way of thinking. Practice is the only way to understand that difference. Come to think of it, I have been relying only on school to improve my English. But here in Canada, I am now surrounded by an English-speaking environment: the barista at Blenz, bus drivers, patrons in line at the bank, people all talk to me casually in Vancouver. Some people speak with their own strong accents, but they are all speaking English.
The next day, Shinji goes to school earlier than usual and consults with David about his future. Shinji is taking an intensive ESL course now, and would like to master practical English in order to achieve his future plans.
David explains eagerly about the different courses Shinji could take in the future, but when he learns Shinji’s objective of studying in Canada to become an entrepreneur in North America, he suddnely looks confused and speaks to Shinji:
I’d love to assist you, but I would suggest you consult with your parents first.
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