English Environment II
So what’s the ideal English environment?
Well, I’d have to say, a job or school where most of the people use English, most of the time. Then add in English-speaking friends. An English-only girlfriend or boyfriend is a huge help. Hmm, what else? Maybe living in an English speaking country.
All of these things would be great, but we can’t have them all. We have to do the best we can with the opportunities we have. There are many foreign exchange students in my country (Canada) who stay together in groups, speak their native language, and spend years in Canada and do not become fluent (or even close in many cases)… sounds like the subject for another blog.
What I’m saying is that some of these people are not taking advantage of the opportunities they have to learn English. So let’s take a short look at the average person in Hanoi, Vietnam or Munich, Germany. How can they improve their English?
First, they can take language courses at a local school (community programs tend to be cheaper but not as high in quality, whereas private schools have higher tuitions but better instruction). However, we all have problems with time and money - both are limited.
Second, they can try to get a job where they can use the English skills they have and learn more. So, multinational companies can be helpful, but not always. There are many offices of large American and British companies in non-English speaking countries where almost no English is used, everyone is local. I have many students who have jobs where they only use English in company emails… well, this is a start, but of course it is better to need English for face-to-face communication or over the telephone.
Third, make friends. Now, a big warning here. Many foreigners in non-English speaking countries absolutely HATE getting asked for free English lessons or to be someone’s friend only for the purpose of practicing English. Make friends just for friends, the English learning is in the background, and is something that happens naturally. Don’t force it.
Fourth, use your time wisely. How much time do you waste in a day sitting on a bus or in a subway, waiting for people, etc. That’s where EnglishPod comes in. You can spend 20-40 minutes sitting at your computer listening to the audio, doing the exercises, listening (and speaking back) to the sample sentences for new vocabulary. However, an even better option is to download the mp3 podcasts on to your mp3 player and listen to the lessons as you go to work, work out in the gym, wherever and whenever you want.
Fifth, as mentioned in yesterday’s blog, think in English. After you use English, reflect on the conversation and think about how you could have said something different, what could you have said better. A frequent observation of mine when teaching English and working with ESL colleagues is that they use the easy words that they’re very comfortable with, but don’t often try to use more complex vocabulary that might really force them to upgrade and improve their speech (though they may do this when they write).
Not one of these steps will teach you English on its own. You need to try all of them and find out what combination works for you.
Good luck,
a lot of ppl told me that finding a english speaking bf(or gf i suppose,hehe) can help a lot.(same thing was said about foreigners learning chinese). this is true,but there’s still some misunderstanding. its not becuz u got a english speaking bf, it’s just that u have someone who u can always practise english with.sometimes,if they dont speak chinese,u dont even have a choice but catching more english, and mostly spoken english and a lot of slangs and very useful expression.so,its just u learn faster when ur in a situation which u must.it can be in ur office with your foreign boss, a foreign coworker. or your foreign friend.and if u want to,try to talk more with ur english teacher.why not be shy?
u gotta create enviornment for urself.the thing is nowadays,since many students go aboard, even if u go to english speaking countries,you won’t get a good english neviornment if u dont want to.(most chinese students hang out with only chinese students).
all i am saying is, you gotta do it urself.
Comment by Evans — July 27, 2006 @ 10:35 pm
I would like to join the discussion.
regards
Comment by muazzez — November 1, 2006 @ 7:53 am
Welcome Muazzez,
Can you tell us where and when you speak English. What’s your English environment? What works best for you?
Comment by Kris — November 1, 2006 @ 11:28 pm
One of my friends told me talking to yourself in English and thinking with English is a good way to build English environment. She’s succeeded while I haven’t executed.
Comment by lilyelf — November 30, 2006 @ 5:40 am
I would agree that thinking in English is the key to success. Be careful about talking out loud to yourself - other people may think you’re going mad/crazy! : ) But definitely when you learn new words you should repeat them out loud - in phrases or collocations preferably. This is the same method many people use to remember names when they first meet someone - repeat the person’s name out loud when they tell you it the first time, and try to mention their name again sometime during the conversation (when saying goodbye is a good place).
Thinking in English is a difficult thing to learn how to do. The basic idea is that you should not always translate back to your native language all the time. Why?
1) Your mind will form connections between English words and words from your native language - this is not ideal, you need to form connections between different English words. That’s why we study related words: i.e. for sports you learn words like run, jump, ball, throw, hit, kick, shoot, etc. together. Then you start to remember words and phrases based on context and association with other English words. Connections between English words and pictures, sounds and smells help too!
2) In the long run, it’s faster to think in English when you speak, listen, read or write. If you’re always translating, it’s much slower.
3) Cultural concepts, idioms and slang don’t translate well. You “lose” some meaning when you translate.
4) Speaking and writing in English will start to feel more ‘natural’.
Thinking in English is a tough task, but in the end, it’s the best way to improve fluency.
Kris
Comment by ODE Academic Team — November 30, 2006 @ 5:46 pm
Of course, talking out loud should be practised at home. LOL
Thinking in English is so tough! No wonder I can’t execute it up to now.
Comment by lilyelf — November 30, 2006 @ 7:04 pm