I am asian , i leant english sincei was young. Only simple lesson in the school. i am now grow up and i know many western people. But i am not confidence to say or give the comment. I knew my english is weak. Nobody complain but i feel bad to myself. I sometime i tell western people that i am not good at english. But they are kind and still wellcome me to join. How can i make confidence to mysef. I can understand the english movie if they talk slowly but sometime I cannot understand.This is one problem i feel embarassed to go join with westernners. or embaresed while there is someone in a group who speaks very well english because they grown up there.
2006-12-01 02:52:58 · 35 answers · asked by boathouse 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Bravo to you for having the courage to speak up! The only way you're going to get better is by practicing with those who speak English well. So, join your friends! Never be afraid to say, "Sorry can you repeat that?" If they are your friends, they will understand and will be willing to help you! Good Luck!
2006-12-01 02:56:37 · answer #1 · answered by willow_raevynwood 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
The best way to improve your English is to continue what you are doing, spending time with native speakers, and watching English movies. You can also listen to talk radio. The more you hear and practise, the better you will become. I know it is very hard to overcome your shyness, but it really is the only way to improve your communication skills. As you said, most people don't mind that you have an accent. One thing you should know about a lot of Westerners is that they were raised to believe it's rude to correct a speaker when he makes a mistake. Just tell the people you are with that you are practicing and would appreciate it if when you make a mistake they could correct you. That way, they won't feel bad and will be helping you.
If you ever have the opportunity to go to an English-speaking country and immerse yourself for a couple of weeks, you will find your English improves dramatically.
Good luck, and keep practicing.
2006-12-01 03:02:37 · answer #2 · answered by Gallifrey's Gone 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Just keep trying! English is one of the hardest languages to master! It's okay to ask someone to slow down when speaking so that you can understand them better. The more you are exposed to the language, the more you will pick up on!
Maybe you should look into a class at a community college. Lots of schools offer Conversational English as a Second Language. Then you would be around a lot of people with the same issue!
Good Luck and don't feel embaressed, just keep trying!!!
2006-12-01 02:58:05 · answer #3 · answered by Jackson 3 · 5⤊ 1⤋
I'm French Canadian and I used to hate English when I was in school. I learned the basics there and the rest by reading, listening to English songs and conversation whenever I could.
My suggestion to you is, not to despair, practise makes perfect. Read, if you do not understand a word, look it up in the dictionary, pay attention to sentence construction, when you have a conversation, do not hesitate to ask for explanations, most people will be happy to help. Without taking further English lessons, this is the best you can do. Have a nice day. Cheers!
2006-12-01 03:05:45 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
I am 70 years old and have traveled the world many times over in my business. In each country I tried to learn a little about the language and would always try it.
I was respected for the effort. I also respect you for trying, and I believe most Americans will be tolerant with you until you have had more opportunity o practice.
Also sometimes misstatements in English are very amusing, yet never ridiculed...you are doing fine. Good Luck
2006-12-01 03:00:36 · answer #5 · answered by john m 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think the best way is to just practise as much as possible having conversations with people. I know how it is feeling self conscious but most people can understand that it's not your first language and will cut you some slack. (anyone who doesn't isn't really worth talking to in my opinion) My second language is French and I find the more I speak with French people the easier it gets and the more comfortable I am. But if I haven't spoken French for a few weeks that's when I tend to stumble over my words. Good Luck and you're doing good because I understood everything you said :)
2006-12-01 03:00:36 · answer #6 · answered by ♪ ♫Jin_Jur♫ ♥ 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Hi, this is the comman problem many pepole facing , those who completed their college life and freshers who wants to join in reputated companies(foriegn collabaration) some pepole speaks good english because their parents r educated,the society around him may be western , he or she watches english movies from childhood, etc...
even though u dont know good english no need to worry, now a days a lot of ways r there to improve u r english fluency like communicating with much pepole in english , joining in personalty development class, by watching english movies, the best way is go to foriegn countries like us, because there every one speaks english.
by doing these things, i am confident that u can gain the confidence of speaking good english and easily understand and when they r speaking fast also.
2006-12-01 03:22:57 · answer #7 · answered by kittu 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you are able to understand all these answers this will be already a good start for you. I'm Italian, I can write quite good English but I cannot speak it fluently, Me too I've problems with the complete understanding of moovies when actors are speaking too quickly but I don't mind too much for it.
I know other 3 languages besides English (and obviously Italian) but I'm not at all ashamed to stay speaking with somebody in a different language from my mother tongue. If I'm not speaking Italian with them this means they don't know my homeland language and therefore I'm feeling myself on an upper position. However I've read a good suggestion in an answer here above namely making questions and give answers on this site could be for you a good school. Attend it and don't worry any longer.
Good luck !!
2006-12-01 03:16:12 · answer #8 · answered by martox45 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes, your English isn't perfect, but I understood your comments and questions easily. Even if your English isn't perfect most people will appreciate your effort, and you will get better with practice. Keep up the good work.
I don't speak any any Asian language, so you have a major advantage. I do speak a little Spanish, but I'm sure I sound terrible to native Spanish speakers. Even so, it's a pleasure to be able to understand menus, simple conversations, and exchange greetings.
2006-12-01 03:09:45 · answer #9 · answered by DavidNH 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
find a school near you that offers adult classes in English as a second language or some English language audio tapes
and practice
in time you will learn and become more confident
2006-12-01 03:02:48 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋