Many Vietnamese have studied English at school for nearly ten years yet still cannot communicate effectively with foreigners. This article will explain the reasons why such learners are “slow” in English communication and how to fix it.
Surely most English learners already comprehend the difference between the sentences they learn in books and the language that native speakers use to communicate in real life. But where did that difference from?
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The difference between English in school and English in real life
That’s because English vocabulary and grammar have a large gap between “academic English”, “formal English” and “street English”.
Academic English is the written language used mainly in thesis and scientific research papers. Writers would use specialized terms, complex vocabulary such as “aspects scrutinization”, “data mining, manipulating and crunching” and complicated sentence structures in the passive voice.
Formal English is used in situations that require high verbal standards such as high-end parties, formal workplaces, and solemn meetings. In fact, sometimes when communicating with strangers, you may also witness British men and women using formal English to show their politeness.
But the most common English is the kind of language used on the street. This is the language in which groups of close friends and acquaintances talk to each other, represented by slang words such as “No cap” (really), “Goat” (great), or short sentences, as “What is your name?” can be converted to “Whatcha name?” So a new learner can be completely stunned when a native speaker lets out a series of slang and shortened sentences.
Not to mention, like Vietnamese, the vocabulary system of the English language develops and extends according to new timelines and events. Ordinary terms like “Karen” (referring to white women who consider themselves superior), “Netflix and chill” (doing adult things) have only been added to the dictionary in the last few years. Meanwhile, textbooks at school often take a long time to update and not to mention only contain a limited vocabulary, resulting in them not being able to tell learners about current slang trends.
The solution in this case is to watch a lot of movies, read foreign news and stories written in the last two years. These information channels can bring learners closer to the current way of speaking. Of course the most optimal method is still talking to some chosen foreign friends, but that would lead to the next problem.
No regular practice environment
English in school is more theory than practice, that’s a well-known fact. This leads to the inevitable consequence that most learners would search for chances to practice speaking with foreigners in other places, such as social networks, or gathering places with a lot of foreigners in real life. But the fact remains that despite the convenience of the 4.0 era, not having a real practice environment is still a problem for many learners.
In terms of objective factors, there are Vietnamese people who have never met a foreigner in their whole life, especially those studying in rural areas or cities with few foreign tourists, or lack of internet access.
In terms of subjective factors, Asians inherently attach great importance to the face, if they do not know something for certain, they will not say it, so they are also shy from practicing. As a matter of fact, making friends with foreigners is not the preferred way of learning for beginners or intermediate. Most of the young people who are brave enough to do this are quite confident and already have good communication skills.
So how to practice for those beginners, or people with lack of confidence in English? Fortunately, the current technological age has presented us with a new solution: practice speaking with artificial intelligence. AI applications allow users to practice communication using available vocabulary, sentence patterns and correct their pronunciation, so learners will have the opportunity to practice speaking skills at home without having to communicate directly with foreigners.
Quitting several times halfway
Although it may last for a decade, it is rare for any learner to maintain a constant learning curve. Most of us would have given up sometimes, studied only theory to pass the test sometimes, leading to interrupted practice patterns. Therefore, every time we talk to a foreigner, we feel like a beginner, because our skills have been down to zero.
In fact, a person who wants to communicate fluently in English will not need ten years, but only one, if they have specific goals and consistency. And once you have fallen into a situation where you have not been able to learn English for nearly a decade, you are most likely missing both: a strong, urgent goal and perseverance. But these objective motivations and subjective personalities are not shared by everyone.
The best solution is to choose an interesting and inspiring English practice solution that you can maintain and practice regularly. An effective method today is Gamification, practicing English through games such as guessing, matching vocabulary, and challenging listening and speaking skills.
GOGA – the solution for beginners and quitters who want to master English communication
Launched in February 2022, GOGA is a communicative English learning application with a combination of AI artificial intelligence technology and Gamification.
GOGA’s learning path is gamified into attractive virtual items hunting missions. In GOGA, each student will have their own journey, where they play the role of a hero who saves the world through a learning mission. Learners will also have the opportunity to interact with each other through the Vocab, Pronunciation and Listening Arena, accumulating more points and treasures, and at the same time scoring their English practice results. AI will grade and point out mistakes to learners, giving them accurate, instant feedback.
In the near future, GOGA will launch two more features, GOGA Enjoy, learning English through movies and songs, and The Real AI Tutor, where learners will have the opportunity to practice multi-skill communication 1-1 with AI.
GOGA – Learn to Earn: Conquering the English Arena
Download GOGA for free now:
iOS: http://apple.co/3HWtxnZ
Android: http://bit.ly/3sOmV4Y