What does an English major do?

What the major ways Japanese people use to learn english? And what the major problems/barrier in learning english.

• I'm trying to come-up with an internet product that'll help Japanese people learn english, the fastest and easiest way. I would like to know the methods they currently use which have been successful. One of the methods that I have noticed is they attend international meetup/english language meetup to talk to gaijin in english. Also, what are the things that are expected with such a product. What exactly are the problems they face and what methods they use to overcome those. I know Japanese people are shy to talk in English, but will it help if they have to speak to anonymous guy or a computer?

• Answer:

  "One of the methods that I have noticed is they attend international meetup/english language meetup to talk to gaijin in english." It's hard to generalise, but in many cases, these seem like a flimsy excuse for international romance. However, special interest groups have proliferated through the internet (for example, http://www.meetups.com), which provide opportunities for Japanese and foreigners to interact in accordance with a common interest, hobby, line of work, etc.  This is particularly useful as the cultural and language barriers are lessened by the common ground of shared interests/occupations.  It also means that the language/vocabulary you can learn is of immediate relevance to your life. Also, what are the things that are expected with such a product. What exactly are the problems they face and what methods they use to overcome those. I know Japanese people are shy to talk in English, but will it help if they have to speak to anonymous guy or a computer? One problem I have noticed with Japanese people's English is that they might have a very good level of written (and even listening) comprehension, but they are not aggressive enough in pursuing opportunities to speak and interact with foreigners.  They are (generalising here) more afraid than non-Japanese of making mistakes, even though this is essential to developing the ability to communicate fluidly, and are relatively shy.  If you could find a way to leverage software to encourage more quality interaction and actual use of English, then it might be effective at addressing this problem.  Many software applications use interactive quizzes but few go much beyond that.