Can anyone give me advice on upgrading / learning English?

Question

I recently defended my doctoral thesis in management science and I realize that English is the key to the job market and research field. During my primary and secondary education, I was good at English and in the meantime I have become a little rusty. My university studies resulted in a total break with this language for more than 10 years. When I started my doctoral thesis in 2011, I got into the habit of studying English: (watching movies in English, phone and computer set in English etc). I also read at lot of papers in English, and I managed to exploit their content satisfactorily, but in practical terms, it's a language that I don't practise (and that I never actually practised). So, I have regained a lot of vocabulary and basic grammar rules in recent years, so I read easily, I understand whole conversations, TV news, movies etc., but being a perfectionist, I consider my level very below average and I have a lot of hesitation to talk to people. Today I am unable to write an email without the help of Google, and even less to teach in English, so my questions are: - Do I have to look for an English business training? - Or, do I have to upgrade first and look for training in common English later? - Is there a way to reliably and objectively measure my level of English in order to choose the right training? - Finally, can I really train myself through websites, tutorials, apps, watching videos of conferences, etc.?

Answer 1

Hi!

It seems to me that you have a solid foundation of English, at least, though I'm aware that it's easy nowadays to simply plug in what you want to say to a program like Google and let it help you with things like syntax and grammar, so this post may not be entirely reflective of your skills if you used a program like that. Regardless, everyone who's ever learned a second language later in life feels some degree of embarrassment and hesitation and need to apologize about their speech--it's a perfectly normal reaction.

That said, it sounds like you want to be able to a) feel confident enough to not have to rely on technology, and b) to teach an undergraduate course in management science or a related topic.

Given those goals, I would say that online courses may be a good place to start, but you'll probably want to practice in an offline setting, as well. You'll want to find a conversation partner, either online or offline, with whom you feel comfortable--someone you don't feel self-conscious around about your speech. You'll probably also want to tailor the speech to the subject you'll be teaching--there are specific terms in academia that you'll want to feel comfortable not only saying, but also explaining.

Regarding objective measure of your training, I might suggest giving yourself a measurable goal on a program. Something like, say, "I want to be able to answer at least 95% of grammar questions correctly on the WyzAnt subject test." Or, "I want to be able to write 90% of my emails without technological help, and I only want to use technology for vocabulary words in the other 10%." Or, "I want to be able to explain this list of 25 terms to every student." Teaching is trial and error--and not every student is the same, so some students may understand when you explain something one way while others don't, and then you'll need to find another way to explain it to those who didn't understand it the first way. For emails, you might try going old-school with a pen pal who can send you corrections as well as a response.

I will leave you with this last piece of critical advice: ask questions! Tons of them! Never be afraid to ask someone to clarify something, or to explain why they say something one way and not another. You may also ask someone to sit in and listen to your speech patterns, so that they can point out consistent grammar or pronunciation mistakes and help you correct them. But always make sure to understand the reason why something is said or written the way it's said or written, not just simply that it is that way.

Good luck!

Answer 2

It seems to me that you have a pretty good grasp of the language and syntax. If you feel that training in conversational English is needed, then I encourage you. English is a difficult language with a lot of nuance in both the spoken and the written word. The reliable method I use is vocabulary and context. To what end are you seeking to strengthen your skills? Professional or personal? Both will benefit, but the focus will be on either formal usage or informal usage. Formal usage is far easier than trying to keep up with all the slang terms of the day.

If you are comfortable enough with English in a business meeting pitching an idea that will either make or break your business, then I would say you are at a satisfactory level. If you find that you cannot communicate your brilliance adequately, then it time to delve into vocabulary and speaking structure. However, the communication of ideas is more subjective than objective.

The objective stuff is done...verbs, nouns, syntax, structure. You got that down pat. Those are the rules of language. The subjective is in word choice and idea formation. These things usually come in the spur of the moment. Think of it this way...Knowing both WHAT to say and HOW to say it. Different situations require different words.

As long as the source material that you are using as audio example is good English...then yes. Academic lectures in subjects you are interested in would be an excellent submersion source...as would (obligatory self-marketing) speaking with an English tutor and working out some of the more difficult nuances.

Finally, allow me to address confidence. Have some. You're bloody brilliant. You have skills and knowledge and a PhD pedigree. You have many of the tools of success. So...one of the tools in your toolbox needs some polish. That doesn't mean you don't use it...you just use it more until the rust falls off from wear. You have the ideas. All we're working on is -another- way of fully expressing them.