I moved to the U.S. permanently when I was 10 years old. As a newcomer in America, it was distressing to see how others perceived me—as less intelligent or less capable just because I couldn’t speak English. I remember being laughed at because I couldn’t properly enunciate my words and because my accent made it difficult for others to understand me. I remember not doing well academically because I couldn’t make out what the instructions were telling me to do and because I didn’t know how to ask questions to help me with my classwork. I couldn’t put it together then, but I realized something later on: Not speaking English well will limit you from sharing your gifts and talents with the world.
So, don’t limit yourself from sharing your gifts and talents with the world.
I look at my parents—two intelligent and competent people— who’ve been held back by their lack of English language skills. They’ve said to me on multiple occasions, if only I spoke English well….
What they’re really saying is, if I spoke English proficiently:
- I could get the job I want
- I could achieve more
- I could fulfill my potential
Once I realized that speaking English well could take me places, I started to look beyond school. I experimented with non-traditional methods to improve my English language skills and committed to improving how I spoke and how others understood me. One of my favorite shows at that time was Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I liked the show for several reasons: it was funny; it was engaging; it was instructive, and most of all, it had a ton of expressions that I didn’t know. I could follow the story well enough to make sense of the dialogue. I took a notepad and scribbled almost every word and phrase that I didn’t know using the closed caption option in the tv settings. I figured if I wanted to learn English, learning only what was taught in school alone wouldn’t be enough. I realized that: Vocabulary and grammar are not enough to gain fluency and proficiency in any language.
In addition to watching tv shows, I wasn’t afraid to make mistakes when I spoke. I spoke whenever and to whomeverI could so that I could practice my English. I got my hands on as many books as I could find, I watched documentaries and movies. I asked teachers and friends for feedback. I wrote whenever I could. I believed that I would eventually speak like a native speaker. It would just be a matter of time. I still have essays I wrote in my English as a second language class with misspellings, missing words, and bad grammar. To get better, I knew I needed to keep going. I realized that: Learning another language requires a variety of immersive actions and a high degree of intense effort.
Just how much immersion is needed to learn a language varies, but for me I was learning English in class, learning it at home, learning it by speaking with friends, learning it as I was teaching others to speak it. I was reading children’s books that were below comprehension level, watching the news, listening to the radio, listening to music. In other words, I did everything I could think of to expose myself to the language. What I learned is: The more ways you can expose yourself to a language, the quicker you’ll become proficient.
Once I started feeling more comfortable speaking English, I started volunteering in school activities where I was given responsibilities. I signed up to do morning announcements in my video production class. I went way outside of my comfort zone to do something I knew would push me to improve my English language skills. I practiced and practiced and worked hard on enunciating my words in addition to working on my accent. That period helped me understand: To accelerate your ability to speak English, participate in an activity or work on a project that requires you to communicate solely in English.
I went from being a timid student in middle school to being the master of ceremonies at my high school graduation where I was in the top 1% of my class. I graduated from two of the most prestigious universities in the world—Harvard University and Columbia University. I earned a masters’ degree in instructional technology and media, published articles in newspapers and scientific journals, worked in the corporate world, and worked as a consultant on some significant research projects.
Language is powerful. It forms the basis of reading, listening, speaking, and writing. If you can do those things well in English, then I believe you can achieve anything you set out to achieve in an increasingly English-speaking world.
