Learning English is a challenge to face as an adventure!

Learning English is a challenge to face as an adventure!

By Maria del Mar Hurtado González
Bilingual Coordinator
Liceo Benalcázar

Have you ever wondered why so many people speak English around the world? This may be a tough question to answer, because people’s interests vary as we grow, learn, and live. Nevertheless, some of these interests can be merged in world economics; international affairs and politics; traveling and culture passion; academic purposes and so on.

This means that English is a linking language around the world and its importance has been increasing day by day. Just in case you are one of these inquiring-passionate persons for learning English, but think it’s an aim too difficult to attain, be aware that learning any foreign language is not an easy task, however you can enjoy the path towards your goals by taking into account some tips and strategies that can be improved at your comfy pace.

The main goal is communication

There’s no a unique way to speak English, no perfect accent or rhythm, because all persons do it so in different ways. The prime goal in learning a target language is to communicate, and communication is not only verbal or written; everything you do and see has a message that other people will interpret intentionally or inadvertently. Gestures, images, sounds, landscapes, paintings, are also texts! The most important thing for you is to understand what others express, as well as to make easier for them to comprehend what you mean.

Avoid translating too much

The word-by-word learning system may be the hardest way to learn English. Remember that language use purpose is communication, then separate words don’t communicate by themselves. Having a bunch of vocabulary in your head, all learned by heart doesn’t allow you to know “more” or “less” English. It all depends on how you will employ it to communicate.

Even though translation is a good resource to know what’s the language equivalent in your mother tongue or a foreign language; context will be essential to properly understand the meaning behind words.

Be realistic It is okay to dream about speaking a foreign language perfectly, but before ask yourself if you speak your mother tongue that way; or if you just use all the knowledge on it for effective communication. Don’t pretend to be exactly as native speakers, but inspire in them to improve your English at all levels.

Patience is also the key; children do not grow up overnight, same as we learn to speak over time. Start step by step so you build your knowledge consciously, and results will be more evident.

Hand-on tools

Take advantage of 21st century advances in education, technology, and culture. Nowadays there are more free and accessible resources to make easier your learning process. The Internet, for example, provides access to online dictionaries, international TV and radio programs, podcasts, books, academic papers, and all kinds of information which can be found in English faster and easier than before.

Read and listen authentic material

Don’t confuse authentic to “native speaker” material. Authentic refers to the information produced in English, by English speakers around the world in different fields; which are also used in diverse daily life situations and contexts.

Given that not all the information in English you have access to online is real or accurate, you should know how to filter it. Reliable information in the web is mostly published by academic institutions; TV chains or radio stations; government or non-government organizations; etc.

Ups and downs

Human beings learn succeeding but also mistaking. Feeling frustration or discomfort is part of your process, because learning languages takes time and requires some of our effort, but the key is to persist, be more ambitious at every time and turn your mistakes (many of few) into a learning chance. This will improve your learning capacity, facilitating the ability to explore new horizons and opening the door to new knowledge.

Practice

Don’t give up. As anything in life, you have to face difficulty sometimes, and practicing helps to encourage learners to new discoveries. Be curious, and every time you want to quick, look backwards and see how much you’ve done. Stop, if necessary, reflect, improve, and be better every day.

Last advice: If you have the chance, don’t hesitate in traveling and know new people from different cultures, languages, nationalities and thoughts. This is a trigger for engagement and excitement, as it will widen your sight and allow you to see what’s beyond English.