Sainbuyan Odbayar
(Language School Director / Simultaneous Interpreter / Influencer)

It's been 13 years since I arrived in Japan! My name is Sainbuyan Odbayar, though everyone's pet name for me is Ody, which means "star." Currently, I wear multiple hats as a language school manager, university lecturer, simultaneous interpreter, and influencer. My hobbies include video editing, language learning, and fostering international exchange. As we speak, I'm working on learning my sixth language!

Persistence: The Cornerstone of Effort

From a young age, I perceived the world as inherently unequal. This realization fueled my desire to address the disparity in opportunities caused by global educational inequities. I was born on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital. My earliest memories are of living with my older brother and grandmother. My brother was three years my senior, and my grandmother was a language teacher. In our single-parent household, with my mother working abroad, I began helping my grandmother and brother sell homemade food from a mobile stand at the age of five, dedicating my evenings to study.

I learned firsthand how paramount persistence is in any endeavor. When I turned seven, coinciding with my entry into elementary school, we relocated to the town center. There, I began selling secondhand clothes at the market, utilizing any lull in customers as an opportunity to hit the books. In my first year at a regular school, I excelled academically, serving as class president and earning recognition as the mathematics champion. However, I realized that relaxing my efforts could result in others swiftly catching up.

It was a blessing that I was too young to perceive hardship as such. In second grade, I transferred schools and began learning Chinese. The following year, I skipped two grades, advancing to fifth grade in a school specializing in Chinese language education. The struggle to keep pace with my classes was intense. My classmates were fluent in Chinese, while my proficiency was limited to basic greetings. By the time I graduated from middle school, I felt I had mostly learned how to speak. Even now, conversing in Chinese with online friends evokes a sense of nostalgia. My method for learning Chinese was quite rigorous--each day, I would memorize one or two pages of text verbatim. I would continue doing homework late into the night.

My Study Abroad Dream Became Reality Thanks to My Constant Companion: A Personal Bible

I came to realize that my life was my own to shape. I discovered that when I pour my heart and soul into something, results follow. I set my sights on studying in Japan. My fascination with Japanese anime and other media led me to believe that studying in Japan's highly principled society would further cultivate my own moral compass.

For my high school education, I enrolled in Shine Mongol High School , an institution that follows the Japanese educational system. It was a highly competitive school, but more importantly, it was my dream school, offering the prospect of sponsor scholarships upon graduation. My efforts paid off when, after completing high school, I secured admission to a Japanese university with a non-repayable scholarship, allowing me to study abroad.

The period leading up to my departure for Japan was a whirlwind of exam preparations, leaving little room for creating lasting memories. However, a few experiences stand out vividly in my mind: participating in a Japanese speech contest during summer break, the Japanese coach from my futsal club, and, most notably, achieving the world's top score in Mathematics I on the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students that year.

The key to these achievements was not just hard work, but having a constant companion--a personal Bible of sorts that I created for myself. I procured a thick notebook and began filling its pages with words to live by, gleaned from self-help books, lectures by successful individuals, and my own discoveries. I made it a ritual to review this personal Bible every morning and to add new lines before bed each night. By the time I graduated high school, it had grown to 100 pages.

From Studying in Japan to a Wealth of Experiences: A Journey of Extensive Learning

I had my own unique approach to learning Japanese. Having studied Chinese throughout elementary and middle school, Japanese wasn't overwhelmingly difficult for me. Many kanji were the same, and their on'yomi pronunciations were often similar. Fortunately, the sentence structure also closely resembled that of Mongolian. Despite these advantages, studying in Japan meant competing on a global level. A proficiency equivalent to JLPT N2 was necessary.

I frequently employed three key methods:

1. 1. I would collect new vocabulary, create sentences I might use in daily life, and intentionally use these sentences the following day.
2. 2. I would deconstruct kanji characters as much as possible, using the components within each character to either imagine their origin or create a new story.
3. 3. I would perfectly replicate anime dialogues and songs to hone my pronunciation and listening comprehension skills.

I came to believe in the importance of T-shaped learning. My pre-study abroad learning was I-shaped, focused solely on one path. However, once in Japan, I embraced a wide range of experiences and learned a multitude of things.

I arrived in Japan on February 1, 2011. After university interviews and so on, I was staying in Sendai city to prepare for my studies. It was there that I experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake. The sheer magnitude of this event, my first earthquake experience, left me shocked.

In May, I successfully enrolled in university. I entered the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Fukushima University, specializing in Business Management. Through the English Speaking Society (ESS) and other activities, I made my first Japanese friends, and many of them. At our annual English drama presentation, we performed Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice," where I played one of the lead roles, Bassanio. In my second year, I developed an interest in national English speech contests for university students, managing to secure second place nationally. By my third year, I utilized a university program to intern at Houston City Hall in Texas. Aiming for experience relevant to my future, I worked part-time as an English conversation instructor. I successfully graduated from university, with the added achievement of a minor in English.

"Giving Back to Japan": Devoting My Energy to Language Education

I'm grateful I seized every opportunity to learn while I could. Although I considered entering the workforce, I ultimately decided to pursue graduate studies. During my time at university, I had the chance to study abroad briefly at the University of Queensland in Australia, allowing me to experience and research world-class English instruction firsthand.

Following this, I embarked on an entrepreneurial journey, establishing a language school where I taught English to Japanese students. I adapted the memorization techniques I had learned in high school to create a method for memorizing English vocabulary. For grammar and speaking, I employed a military-style approach originally used in spy training.

My driving force was a desire to give back to Japan. Having received scholarships for both my undergraduate and graduate studies, I wanted to use my English proficiency to benefit Japanese people and elevate the language proficiency standards in regional areas. A year after graduation, in 2018, I was offered a position as a part-time English conversation and language instructor at a university. The opportunity to impact hundreds of students' English education simultaneously filled me with immense joy.

Launching My Own Channel to Assist Japanese Language Learners

At the same time, I became acutely aware of the struggles faced by foreign nationals living in Japan. A large number of international residents found it challenging to make Japanese friends or integrate into local communities. Even those who came on five-year contracts often returned home after just one year due to loneliness. To counter this, I collaborated with a close Japanese friend to create "Meet-up Events" for language exchange between Japanese and foreign participants. These monthly gatherings brought together about 30 people, including 10 foreign nationals, divided into five or six groups. The two-hour event was structured with 30-minute group rotations, alternating between 15 minutes of Japanese and 15 minutes of English conversation. We also included tables dedicated solely to English or Japanese. To keep conversations flowing, we placed quiz games and such on the tables. The events concluded with a group photo, exchanges of contact information between the new acquaintances, and sometimes followed by tea at a nearby cafe. Over several years, we welcomed a total of 2,000 participants from 35 countries.

I participated in the nationwide International Speech Contest in Japanese , delivering a speech titled "Japan, My Esteemed Teacher ." I spoke about my personal growth through studying in Japan. The video of my speech, posted on the organizers' YouTube channel, went viral, leading to an influx of questions from fellow Mongolians.

Inspired by my Japanese speech at the contest surpassing 10,000 views, I decided to create my own channel to assist others in learning Japanese. Currently, the channel has grown to 27,000 followers and has received 350,000 views. I produce videos about learning Japanese and English. Initially, I shared content on language learning techniques for English and Japanese, pronunciation tips, commonly used everyday words, proverbs, effective study methods, and introductions to free learning materials. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with 350,000 viewers leaving mostly favorable comments. Among these 350,000 views, only three or four negative comments have been posted. I frequently receive requests to create online courses specifically for Mongolian learners. The 350,000 figure represents about 10% of Mongolia's population, and I've even been greeted by people on the street. I'm delighted to have found a hobby that benefits others.

I have a life plan that extends to my final days. Currently, I'm at the midpoint of my career, working as a simultaneous interpreter and university instructor. Looking ahead, I aim to expand my reach and deliver education to more people through entertainment activities. Ultimately, my goal is to work for an organization like the United Nations, fighting global poverty and inequality of opportunity.