Good afternoon. I’m Dr. Rodrichinko, loving Japan and Japanese people.

Tips of English communication is composed of 4 factors as 1) words and phrases, 2) voice and tone, 3) pronunciation, 4) context . Here I’m focusing on “I don’t think it’s is better than I think it’s not .” as 1).

Japanese people place great importance on harmonization among others. It’s one of their genes as I have written in this site. They really would not like to disturb others, to have conflict with surroundings and to deny others. Most of those minds work unconsciously. So that Japanese people automatically speak yes in their usual conversation in English. But they have to use no to agree with others opinion if they have negative sentence. I have mentioned this point before here in this site. There is another situation similar to this.

Japanese people like to use positive sentences as main clause. Then usually use, in Japanese, “I think it is not” to be negative to others’ ideas. This phase is not wrong if it is translated directly into English like “I think it’s not fact.”. However, that is strange in usual English communication. And that sometimes informs opposite meaning especially in quick communications because conclusion is to be first in English conversation. Negative idea must be central part whether people like to say “I don’t think it’s” or “I think it’s not”. So that negative clause, ”I don’t think” is to be likely placed at first.

Conclusion first can be same as other composition of English conversation than
“I don’t think it’s”. In Japanese, they usually talk first about conditions and circumstances of the topic, and then results, decision or conclusion follows. Those order are really upside down.

  Here is an example.

   In Japanese, “It will be raining this afternoon. We are having desk work at our office in the morning, and visiting a customer in the afternoon with much papers and laptops. We have no choice to be active to move rapidly long way. So we have to bring raincoats as well as umbrellas, I think.”.   The most important part this person want to tell , ” we have to bring raincoats. ” is usually be at the end of this talk.

   In contrast, English expression is as follows; ” It’s better for us to bring raincoats as well as umbrellas to go to work, because it will be raining in this afternoon and we have to visit our customers with much luggage in the afternoon. Flexible style would be nicer.”

Like those, conclusion first can be one of very important factor in English communication.

I’ll see you next time. Have a god night.