If I could go back in time when I was studying Japanese to get to an N1/N2 level I wish I could have told myself drop the textbooks and just have fun in the language. I was so determined that I needed to achieve a certain JLPT level before I'd be good enough to read manga, watch

anime and play games in Japanese. And honestly? I wish I'd just jumped right in. I did, to some degree, do that. But I wasted way too much time on flashcards and textbooks when I'd have probably had a more enjoyable time using native materials to learn from.

The biggest piece of advice I want to give anyone who is learning Japanese: if you have a game, a manga or book you want to read in Japanese, just hop in. Yes, it's best to find something close to your level. But have fun in the language, it will make learning it sooo much easier

And let's talk about a related thing... burnout! I went full spartan because I was determined to get an N1 and get into translation. I did not want to be a pro until I had the N1. I got it exactly a year and a half after I passed the N2 and it burned me the hell out.

After I passed the N1, I didn't want to touch anime, manga or games for a LONG time. I still did translation work, but I didn't want to even see Japanese in my free time. Not that I had much of a choice, I moved to Japan and married a Japanese person who didn't speak English.

Best decision of my life, but I won't say that didn't drain me, too. Basically, I know there's a lot of people studying Japanese that aspire to become translators, and I don't want you guys burning yourselves out like I did. There's a better way to get there.