给外语学习者的6项须知

6 THINGS MUST KNOWN BY FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNERS

给外语学习者的6项须知

It is the 13th year that I get involved with English, and I guess it is the same with you if you had English class since the third grade of primary school, and keep having it as part of learning schedule through the life of middle school, high school and college, and then get a job with English as working language. To be honest, I can't say that I am good at English at my early age although I get all the exams done well and get CET6 certificate as most college students do. I have ever been too nervous to hear the other side on the phone call clear enough to make judgment, got panic to see the letters keep flashing rapidly across the screen before I could type a single phrase via wechat, and I don't feel like talking to the foreign guests when we are out for dinner after meeting, etc., so how could I say that I am skillful in English which takes oral expression as important as the written one, and requires quick response as naturally as a daily communication in native language. When it comes to language, it takes the abilities in listening and comprehension, speaking and making yourself understood, reading and accumulating, writing and expression to make it excellent in a complete way, and you need to apply it in a naturally effective and efficient way to make it more like a language.

I was well aware of my deficiency in English the first month I stepped into my career as a salesman. And I have been witnessing my improvement in it bit by bit throughout these years. And here are the 6 aspects I deem necessarily significant in English learning. And I wish that I had known them well back in 13 years to make the rest of the years taken count.

It only takes a year to get a substantial progress in English. Learning language is not about spending a lot of time aimlessly or pointlessly, but spending adequate time effectively and efficiently. I can see a lot of foreigners speaking fluent Chinese and typing like a flash via chatting platform, and it doesn't take long before they could do so 50% well as a native speaker does.

1 BE WITH A GOAL AS MOTIVATION SPECIFICALLY CLEAR ENOUGH

A goal is more than a slogan that you would learn English well in six months. It is about what you are learning English for, and how could you judge whether you are at the level as you wish. And break it into daily target reflected by tasks, figuring out the time in need. For me, l learn English to maintain barrier free communication with my customers, and make them see my professional literacy as a specialist in foreign trade. And I make picking up and answering phone calls naturally, talking to foreigners confidently face to face, writing commercial emails efficiently and reading English commercial materials speedily as my standard to check if I am on the way of progress. I have broken the goal into tasks of speaking and recording, news paper reading, and English diary keeping, etc.

2 INCLUDE THE LEARNING TASKS AS PART OF DAILY SCHEDULE AND DO IT IN TIME FIXED

It is not enough to know how many time it takes but when you would like to do it during a day. It does matter to put it in a certain period of your schedule, and make it a ritual duration of your daily life. Say, I need to listen to English radio for 15 mins a day. Well I would find that the 15 mins after getting up will do and turn on the radio every morning at 5：45.

3 SEE WHAT KIND OF COURSE YOU TAKE TO MASTER NATIVE LANGUAGE, AND FIND THE CORRESPONDING WAY TO LEARN FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Learn foreign language the way you do when you learn Chinese. Think about what we have done back in primary school when we start to learn Chinese. We learn to pronounce, spell, to read, to refer to a dictionary, etc. It is necessary to do the same to English, learn the pronunciation well to sound right, shadow more to speak fluently, practice reading and apply the dictionary in the right way and right time.

4 TAKE THE LEARNING MATERIALS TAKEN BY FOREIGNERS WHEN THEY LEARN CHINESE

Learning language is not about translating foreign language into native language, or putting native language in a foreign one. It is about both. So reading the teaching materials for foreigners to learn Chinese will help, since it provide a way for you to take a look of Chinese from the perspective of a foreign speaker. Become a bilingual able to make double way translation is the ultimate goal for a language learner.

5 MAKE YOUR INPUT MORE OUTPUT ORIENTED

Know what you would like to do with your input may motivate an effective and efficient input. If you are reading a book on how to write English commercial letter, make writing emails with the wording and expression you take from the book as your target, then you can read it intentionally to make what you get applicable at once.

6 BE A VIGILANT CORRECTOR FOR YOUR OWN MISTAKE

Always be well aware of the mistakes you will probably make. And correct it right away once you see it. I will download Youdao dictionary and check the spelling with a click each time I am not so sure. And the grammar checking in Word also acts as a monitor of your mistake in grammar.