Learning the English Language for Me - Essay Example

Placement Essay No one is born in this world blessed with skills. All of us have to go through a process to learn the skills that shape and improve the character and the personality. Like many skills, learning any other language which is not the mother tongue of an individual is quite a task. People all over the world, belong to various cultures and countries and speak different languages. That is the beauty of human civilization; diversity is no doubt a blessing. Without various cultures and languages, life would have been dull and colorless; variety adds color to life. My native language is Arabic and I come from the Middle East. I had to go through a long journey to be able to communicate through my words uttered and written in the English language. Although the journey hasn’t been easy but the reward of communicating with so many people from the international community is more than I could have asked for. Learning the English language for me was a very difficult thing in the beginning. Arabic language has almost no similarity with the English language. Even the accent is so different that when I speak in English, people immediately recognize that Arabic must be my mother tongue. The first experience of learning English language was through reading small poems. I like the way poets communicate so much through such a small number of beautiful words. The first thing I used to look for in an English newspaper was the editorial because usually I found small poems on that page. I used to get dizzy reading the front page because there were so many words I didn’t understand. I could barely understand one paragraph in an hour – an Oxford dictionary was always with me while reading the newspaper. After the newspaper, watching TV and movies taught me a lot about the English language. I always had a small notebook besides me when I watched television or a movie to note down any new words and phrases that I didn’t understand. I still have that notebook and its filled right to end. I’m not a chatty fellow but I used to force myself to have a conversation with my friends whenever I had time, just to work on my English skills. I used to ask them about phrases I couldn’t find in the dictionary. One day I was asking my friend about the meaning of the phrase, ‘burn your bridges’ and he suggested that I should start reading novels. Before I started reading novels, I used to convert my thoughts from the Arabic language into English and then put them down on paper but after I started reading, thoughts started shaping in my mind in the English language. I started having less trouble conveying my thoughts, words from English language started coming naturally to me. The first book I read was Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and I still recall it vividly. I was inspired by the fiction that Mary explained with beautifully constructed words. I was truly inspired by her work. After reading that book, I realized that literature knows no boundaries. It is an infinite dimension. And the great thing about the English language is that more words are being added into it. I believe that literature especially fiction can best be illustrated in the English language because there are so many words for an emotion - when there is a slight variation in emotion, there is an word present for it. The more words a language has the better is the communication. The greatest difficulty I had with the English language was when I had to make a presentation and go in front of an audience to present what I had written. It was very tough. I knew I had written the words down and I had the confidence in my abilities that people will not laugh at my English language skills but I was fearful. I rechecked my notes and went on the stage and faced my stage fright. I told myself, ‘this is it!’ and that was it. I gave and excellent presentation and people who were anticipating that I would choke or fumble my words had to bite the dust. I even pronounced the difficult words eloquently and I owe it all to reading books. After listening to my presentation a teacher approached me and congratulated me on a fine presentation. He also encouraged me to participate in school debates. He probably thought that it would be a great example for the rest of the school if people from other countries would excel at things that are difficult for them. I didn’t feel up to the task at that point but my teacher was really excited for me and really wanted me to perform. I knew it was a big thing for me and I had to prepare a lot for it but I agreed to have my name included in the list. The topic was easy, ‘Female Participation in Sports’, but it was no less easy than to present. Debates require a lot of hard work, first, the content of the debate needs to be of really good academic quality and then the delivery of those words with vocal variation is another task. Many times before the debate competition, I regretted taking part in the competition and many a times I wished the debates were in Arabic language. I was choking under pressure. Then one of my friends told me to watch the movie, the Great Debaters by Denzel Washington. As I sat there watching the movie and taking notes, I realized that it’s not all about the words and the delivery of speech; it’s also about the passion and believing in something and presenting it in a convincing way. Watching that movie gave me a new spirit, a new light to follow that I could do it and it didn’t matter if English was my first language or not, I was passionate about the subject and I wanted to say something about it and that’s all that mattered. I didn’t have to face much stage fright on the day of debates. I walked up to stage and delivered what I had to say. I didn’t shake or tumble - I only concentrated on the idea that I had to present. I did very well in the end pocketing a third prize for the debates. It was one of the happiest moments of my life which showed me a new gateway that English language was never a hindrance for me, it was an opportunity. I was a little late to embrace this fact but I got it right in the end. That debate competition changed my approach towards English language. Instead of overcoming resistance in the flow of my writing, I realized why not excel in it? Why not be among the best authors and writers and editors of the English language? There is nothing to stop me but my own fears. I have come a long way in overcoming fears of learning the English language. Now it only takes me half the time to read the whole newspaper than it took me to read one page. I have started contributing in some magazines and newspapers. To me this is the first step towards excelling in English language. I have dreams of becoming a great author or a copywriter and I know that this is the perfect age for me to start. I am also planning to start my own blog in English to help those individuals like me who had difficulties in learning a new language. I want to inspire them with my example that an Arab like me can achieve so much through hard work and dedication so can they. To me, English language has been a great blessing. I have been able to gain so much knowledge by learning it that otherwise probably wouldn’t have been possible. Stephen King, one of the greatest authors of all times, said that if one cannot dedicate 4-6 hours daily to reading and writing, he should forget about becoming a great writer. I have taken his advice to heart. I make sure that every day I spend a considerable portion of my time with books – doesn’t matter if it’s fiction or academic, the point is to read and absorb knowledge in English language. Proficiency can only be gained by communicating with the gurus and my contributions to various magazines and newspapers allow me to interact with them. Every day is a learning experience for me. Whatever I contribute with my writing, I always look for feedback; whether it is an email to a teacher or a short story in a magazine. To me, learning from the mistakes is the only way forward. I believe that my hard work has given me the confidence to possess the language skills I have now and it will also put me among the greats of the English literature. Read More