[byoung2]

After 4 years of studying Japanese, I can speak enough to carry on a conversation with strangers in Tokyo, order food in a restaurant, and flirt with girls. Writing is a different story, though. I learned hiragana and katakana, but nowhere near the 2000 kanji that a high-schooler knows. I doubt most people would learn enough Japanese to be able to work in a highly technical field where Japanese is spoken and written.