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Communication Skills-II

notes
Example: People with languages plus IT, law, finance or sales skills are much sought-
after.
In this unit, you will learn to use a foreign language effectively.

2.1 learning foreign languages

Assuming you want to speak more than you want to read that language, perhaps the best way is
the way children learn: first by listening, then by repeating or speaking. Little by little children
learn vocabulary and only much later do they learn reading and grammar. Learning another
language needs to be fun, otherwise, you may it hard to stay devoted. You need to be patient
and celebrate small achievements. Following tips would help you to learn a foreign language in
a systematic manner:

l You should spend required time: By far the most important factor is how much time you
devote to the language. The more time you spend with the language, the faster you will
learn. This means listening, reading, writing, speaking, and studying words and phrases.
This does not mean sitting in class looking out the window, nor listening to other students
who do not speak well, nor getting explanations in your own language about how the
language works. This means spending time enjoyably connected to the language you are
learning.

l You should listen and read every day: Listen to audio tapes wherever you are on your MP3
player. Read what you are listening to. Listen to and read things that you like, things that
you can mostly understand, or even partly understand. If you keep listening and reading
you will get used to the language. One hour of listening or reading is more effective than
many hours of class time.

l You should focus on words and phrases: Build up your vocabulary, you’ll need lots. Start
to notice words and how they come together as phrases. Learn these words and phrases
through your listening and reading. Read online, using online dictionaries, and make
your own vocabulary lists for evaluation. Soon you will run into your new words and
phrases elsewhere. Gradually you will be able to use them. You should not worry about
how accurately you speak until you have accumulated ample words through listening and
reading.

l You should take responsibility for your own learning: If you do not want to learn the
language, you won’t. If you do want to learn the language, take control. Choose content
of interest that you want to listen to and read. Seek out the words and phrases that you
need to understand your listening and reading. Do not wait for someone else to show you
the language, nor to tell you what to do. Discover the language by yourself, like a child
growing up. Talk when you feel like it. Write when you feel like it. A teacher cannot teach
you to become fluent, but you can learn to become fluent if you want to.

l You should relax and enjoy yourself: Do not worry about what you cannot remember,
or cannot yet understand, or cannot yet say. It does not matter. You are learning and
improving. The language will gradually become clearer in your brain, but this will happen
on a schedule that you cannot control. So sit back and enjoy. Just make sure you spend
enough time with the language. That is the greatest guarantee of success.

2.1.1 Speaking a Foreign Language Fluently and Confidently

Although English is spoken by a vast amount of people worldwide, it is still not the number
one spoken language in the world. For those of us who only speak English and find ourselves
in situations where English knowledge is not enough, it is very difficult to find our way around.

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