What’s the difference between someone who is just good at speaking a second language, and being fluent/native?
Maybe a hard distinction to draw sometimes but you know it when you see it.
The Triple JJJ Hottest 100 #1 song from 2018 sums it up nicely.
Features
Let’s think about some features of a skillful user of a language. They should have good diction, speak fluidly and at a native speed, use appropriate vocabulary, understand idioms and the like, apply grammar rules effortlessly while being mindful of exceptions, understand nuance and cultural references …
The list is long, and how would you know you ever reached such a level? Japan is a very insular country and this is made all the more so by the fact that Japanese is for all intents and purposes solely concentrated in Japan. Many people don’t like to watch dubbed or subbed movies or TV shows, and so Japan produces a lot of domestic content to consume. It’s very hard to watch Japanese media without knowing famous actors, songs etc which can only really come about through a lot of immersion in Japan and Japanese culture.
Strategies
So what can be done? A comment I came across recently is a good way to start
Let me put it to you this way: rather than insisting on translation, it’s better to find out how Japanese people would express their thoughts
There’s little point sticking your nose in a dictionary and looking up words or phrases you use in English and then wholesale copying them to Japanese.
Instead, you want to try immersion. I have a link to some websites where you can learn more about this in the Resources tab, mainly AJATT. Some newer versions of this include refold.
What do you think?
