How to sound less awkward in English
By Stephanie Oley

Quick – what’s better than private tuition in English studies? That’s easy – a weekly immersion in the topic, surrounded by other keen learners who also bring with them an array of skills and questions.

This is the premise behind CCE’s Enhance Your English Course: Steps Toward Better Writing course. Held weekly over a 7-week period, the course has been offered at CCE for several decades now. It has been presented by many different facilitators in that time.

The course is suited to university students, professionals and others who feel self-conscious about their English. Perhaps it isn’t their native language, or they missed that part of their schooling. Not everyone has skilled colleagues or friends who can answer specific questions that can’t just be Googled. That’s where this course comes in.

We caught up with new course facilitator, Veronica Espin-Diaz, to find out what else you can expect.

How does this course compare to other English language courses at CCE, such as business or content writing?

This course is ideal for people who missed the grammar boat, and need a comfortable environment where they can try new skills and engage in different ways. Having others in the class in similar situations is a great way of overcoming any shyness about the way you speak or write.

The course is about acquiring a range of new tools. The more you learn, the more confident you will be, even if you don’t use the skills every day. It’s like any other skill – whether it’s boxing or numeracy.

What will participants learn?

We look at the way modern English is used in different settings. For example, when should you use formal words? When do you keep it simple, and stick to plain English? For example, often there’s no need to use long, formal words such as ‘utilise’ – you can just say ‘use’. The course will provide tips on how to write various work documents in plain English, pitched correctly at your audience.

What is the hardest thing about learning English?

In my experience, it’s when you haven’t been taught the correct pronunciation from day one. I’m often surprised at how many overseas-born people have fantastic written grammar, but struggle to speak or understand clearly.

Culture and the way languages are structured can also affect an individual’s learning curve. For example, Spanish doesn’t use the words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ as much as English does. Meanwhile, Chinese doesn’t use separate verb conjugations for past, present and future – tense is indicated with words such as ‘yesterday’ or ‘tomorrow’. These differences can impact the way people learn English.

Another issue I observe is that some speakers try to translate everything literally. However, this is not always possible – context is everything. Just search ‘awkward translations’ online, and you’ll come across hilarious examples of this from all over the world.

Outside of class time, how else can participants improve their skills?

We will assign some homework, such as a refresher on the grammar points discussed. For example, a lot of speakers struggle to choose the correct relative pronoun (‘that’ or ‘which’), or the correct verb tense. Depending on the group, we may also analyse the structure of a work document an academic essay, and analyse the language used. We will also discuss how to look out for these English language distinctions outside of class time.

One of the best things anyone can do to improve their English is to read regularly, whether they are native or non-native speakers. Similarly, you should also listen consciously, try to guess people’s meaning through context, and imitate their sounds and intonations. Pay attention to what people are saying on the train. Listen to the news. Put on subtitles if you don’t understand.

In the same way that you don’t become fit by attending gym once a week, you need to develop daily habits to improve your English.

What else should participants know?

As a non-native English speaker myself, I can understand what it’s like to learn from scratch. I’ve been there and I know the bridges that can be built in a learning journey. You just need to be genuinely interested and motivated.

Of course, it helps to have a specific reason for improving, whether it’s to connect with your extended Australian family or get ahead in your career.

I recently delivered some training to a group of overseas-born professionals who are lawyers, dentists or doctors in their home country, but don’t yet have these qualifications here in Australia. They have invested in their careers and are determined to make it pay off. To them, speaking and writing better English is like having a door to a new world of opportunity. Helping them open that door is very fulfilling to me.

Just remember – if I can do it, you can too!