Speaking fluent English involves practice, exposure, and patience. Here are some tips to help you improve your English speaking skills:
Immerse Yourself: Surround yourself with English as much as possible. Watch English movies, TV shows, and videos, listen to English music and podcasts, and try to read English books, articles, and newspapers.
Practice Regularly: Practice speaking English regularly, even if it's just by yourself. You can talk to yourself in English, describe things around you, or even record yourself speaking and listen to it later for improvement.
Find Conversation Partners: Engage in conversations with native English speakers or other learners. Join language exchange groups, find a language partner online, or participate in English-speaking communities or forums.
Learn Vocabulary and Phrases: Expand your vocabulary and learn common phrases and expressions used in everyday conversation. Practice using them in context to become more comfortable with them.
Focus on Pronunciation: Pay attention to pronunciation and practice speaking clearly. Mimic native speakers, listen to how they pronounce words, and try to imitate them. There are also pronunciation guides and resources available online to help you improve.
Don't Be Afraid to Make Mistakes: Remember that making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process. Don't let fear of making mistakes hold you back from speaking. Instead, view mistakes as opportunities for learning and improvement.
Seek Feedback: Ask for feedback from others on your speaking skills. Whether it's from a teacher, a language partner, or a friend, constructive feedback can help you identify areas for improvement and focus your efforts.
Practice Speaking in Different Situations: Practice speaking English in various situations, such as ordering food at a restaurant, making small talk with strangers, or giving presentations. This will help you become more confident and versatile in your speaking abilities.
Set Realistic Goals: Set achievable goals for yourself to track your progress and stay motivated. Whether it's mastering a specific aspect of English pronunciation or being able to hold a conversation for a certain amount of time, setting goals can help keep you focused on your learning journey.
Remember, becoming fluent in English takes time and dedication, so be patient with yourself and celebrate your progress along the way!
3 English-Speaking Countries To Retire To
The view of Bacuit archipelago islands from El Nido, Philippines
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For many people considering a move overseas, one of the biggest barriers they face is the language barrier.
They may not feel able to master a new language… not have time to… or simply not want to… but the fear of not being able to communicate in your adopted homeland can be off-putting.
Happily, there are plenty of destinations around the world where English is widely-spoken meaning fluency in a new language doesn’t have to be a requirement for a new adventure overseas.
Here are some of your best options for destinations where you’ll find English-speaking locals and an easy route to expat life…
Belize
Paradise beach in Placencia, Belize
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Formerly a British colony, Belize’s official language is English. Indeed, it’s the only English-language-official country in Central America.
About 83% of the country speaks English as their first language, while many also speak Creole and Spanish.
Leases and legal contracts are in English… English-speaking staff are available at clinics… Media and the news are delivered in English. The average person you come into contact with, whether it’s a cashier or a government official, speaks English.
This ease of language is a big reason why many American and Canadian expats choose to move to Belize.
Plus, the people are welcoming, open-minded, and eclectic—and the country has excellent residency programs.
In addition, Belize offers Caribbean living at a much lower cost than elsewhere in the region—around $1,500 a month is a good guide as a start point for your costs here.
When it comes to residency options things are straightforward. There’s the Qualified Retirement Program (QRP) which is open to applicants over 40 who can prove a monthly income from a source outside of the country (such as a pension or Social Security) of $2,000.
Alternatively, you can just go to Belize and stay there for 12 months continually renewing your tourist visa. After that time you can then apply for permanent residency.
For many expats the easy-going lifestyle and live and let live attitude of the locals here is a big selling point.
Malta
View of Lady of Mount Carmel church, St.Paul's Cathedral in Valletta city, Malta
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Malta, a former British colony, has two official languages: English and Maltese. About 88% of the population is fluent in English, and laws are enacted in both languages so you shouldn’t have any trouble being understood or understanding the locals.
Your residency options here include Citizenship by Investment, a Permanent Residence Scheme, a Family Visa and the Ordinary Residence Scheme.
The Ordinary Residence Scheme is the most popular with the key requirements being able to show a net worth of €14,000 for a single or €23,000 for a couple, that you spend a minimum of 183 days per calendar year in Malta, and evidence of a physical address in the country which can be through a real estate purchase or rental agreement.
Once you’ve been a legal resident in Malta for five years, you can apply for permanent residency.
Malta also offers excellent health care, a beautiful natural landscape, fantastic climate,—the year-round daytime temperature hovers around 73°F—rich history, large expat communities, and friendly locals.
As regards downsides, Malta is both small and popular so beaches can get crowded and traffic congested, particularly in the capital, Valletta.
The Philippines
Puka beach in Boracay Island, Western Visayas, Philippines
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Lying about 500 miles off the southeast coast of China and to the northeast of Borneo, the Philippines is a breathtakingly beautiful archipelago of over 7,000 islands.
Colonized by the Spanish in 1521, their influence remains today in architecture, names, food, and more. Indeed, Spanish was the official language of the Philippines for over three centuries and was the lingua franca up until the 21st century. Today, Filipino and English are the official languages.
English has official status because the Philippines was a U.S. Colony from 1898 to 1946 and today it’s recognized as one of the world’s largest English-speaking nations. English is the language of business and law, and more than half of the country’s population—which totals around 118 million people—speak it.
The Philippine Retirement Authority offers several options for those looking to move to the country. The most popular and well-known of which is the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa.
To qualify, applicants need to be aged 50 or older, show a pension of $800 per month ($1,000 per month for couples), and deposit a minimum of $10,000 in a Philippine bank account. If you can’t prove a monthly pension, you can opt to make a $20,000 deposit in a local bank account, instead.
The Philippines also offers top-notch health care and is home to the only overseas VA hospital in the world—the Manila Regional Office and Outpatient Clinic. Add to that, world-class beaches, a tropical climate, and a low-cost of living—on $2,000 a month a couple could live very well here—and it adds up to a great option for an overseas retirement.
These are just some of your options for an overseas retirement without having to learn a new language but the fact is in a host of countries you’ll find areas where you can settle in easily and get by in English.
Other Options Around The World
In Europe, consider Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Germany, Norway, Slovenia, and France where you’ll find either a large number of English-speaking locals, areas with large expat populations and healthy tourism trades, or a combination of both meaning getting by in English poses no problem.
In Mexico, Lake Chapala, Puerto Vallarta, Puerto del Carmen, Cancun, Guadalajara, San Miguel de Allende, and beyond would work for those who only speak English, and the same applies in Panama’s expat havens of Boquete and Coronado.
Of course, it’s always a good idea to pick up as much of the local language anywhere you go, the locals will appreciate it and it will broaden your social circle, but it’s by no means essential to be fluent before you pack your bags for pastures new.
Taxi Driver Becomes Fluent In English, But Few Around To Chat Now
A Tokyo taxi driver taught himself to become fluent in English from scratch over four years, ahead of the Olympic Games.
But since the new coronavirus outbreak has devastated the taxi industry and delayed the Tokyo Olympics by a year, he is left with few foreigners to drive around.
“I regret that I have little opportunity to speak English at work now,” said Tetsunari Nakayama, 36. “I hope that the infection will be contained soon.”
Right after the Tokyo Olympics bidding was successful, his company, Yayoi Kotsu Co., urged its drivers to improve their English skills.
He began studying English right away, at 30, thinking he could be ready in time for the Olympics. Knowing the meter was running, he buckled in and proved himself right. He will have to wait another year before ferrying foreigners to matches, with the Olympics pushed off until 2021.
The studious cabbie does not regret his hard work and has even recently published teaching materials to help others follow in his footsteps.
With only a high school education and having never studied abroad, he acquired an entire language over the course of just a few years.
“The last time I went abroad was for a family trip, when I was a junior high school student,” he said.
Despite that, he taught himself to become fluent enough to speak with his passengers in English without hesitation.
“You can speak English better than my bilingual colleague,” one of his passengers remarked.
Language learning is a recent passion for Nakayama.
After graduating from the high school, he worked as a part-time worker with an aim to become a musician. But he had no chance to become a professional one, and then he tried to become a novelist. But he realized that he had no talent for it.
Then he started his job as a taxi driver at 29, and at that point had “no English-speaking skills at all.”
Nakayama said he found a few things to be the most effective for learning English.
They include reading interviews aloud from articles in magazines and reciting lines from films and dramas.
He would jot down important expressions in his notebook. He made recordings of himself speaking in English and listened to them repeatedly. While doing so, he would echo the words aloud.A“Listening is the most difficult because English speakers do not care if you understand what they are saying,” he said.
“There are two reasons why you can’t understand fluent English: Maybe you don’t know the meaning of the words, or you don’t understand the continuous sounds of the words,” he added.
“If you learn many expressions and can speak English, your listening skill will also improve.”
Nakayama thinks he dramatically improved after using a free website where he taught Japanese to native English speakers and, in return, he learned English from them.
Every time he finished an online lesson, he reflected on how to use better expressions, and then reviewed the lessons in full.
“Every day I enjoyed the lessons and, naturally, I improved my skills greatly.”
The quick learner put his advice into writing, publishing an instructional book in September on his experiences and methods for studying English.
In October 2018, he competed in the “English Omotenashi (hospitality) Contest,” held by an industry group, where contestants were judged on how hospitable they were in providing taxi services to foreigners.
Nakayama won the top award, beating licensed interpreters and people who have studied abroad.
“Many Japanese hesitate to make mistakes because they are ashamed of it. But I don’t care,” he said, explaining how his care-free attitude helped him perform so well.
The contest Nakayama participated in can be watched at the following YouTube site (https://youtu.Be/13vUs7TNnto).
Sagar Parekh: I Was Offered Quite A Few Gujarati Films But I Can't Speak It Fluently
May 02, 2024, 09:17PM ISTSource: etimes.In
Sagar Parekh played Samar in Anupamaa and even left the audience stunned with his dancing skills in Jhalak. The actor gets candid about being keen on doing reality shows especially Bigg Boss. Sagar revealed that he was offered Gujarati films after Anupamaa, but couldn't do as he cannot speak fluently in gujarati.#anupamaa #sagarparekh #rupaliganguly #sudhanshupandey #gauravkhanna