- #1
omoplata
- 327
- 2
Hi,
I'm an international student in the United States and a non-native English speaker. Needless to say, I have an accent. Also, when speaking, I have trouble converting ideas in my head into English sentences. This is not a problem when writing, because I have enough time to think. But when speaking, it is necessary to 'think on my feet', and identify the correct vocabulary and the correct way of stringing together a sentence in a very short time, and I just can't do it.
I've had to do several presentations, and the audience just looks dumbfounded. From the apparent strain in their faces I can see that they are making an effort to understand what I'm saying, but because of my accent and the poor choice of words, they have trouble doing so.
I've joined a toastmasters club. It's too soon to tell whether it'll help me improve.
What else should I do? How do I improve my accent and make my ability to convert my ideas to English faster? But I can't spend too much time on it because I also have a lot of academic work.
Whether I get employed here, or go back to my own country, learning to communicate in English is very important, because English is the de facto language in industry/science. Since I'm surrounded by English speakers right now, I intend to make the best of the situation. Has anyone else faced this kind of problem? Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks.
I'm an international student in the United States and a non-native English speaker. Needless to say, I have an accent. Also, when speaking, I have trouble converting ideas in my head into English sentences. This is not a problem when writing, because I have enough time to think. But when speaking, it is necessary to 'think on my feet', and identify the correct vocabulary and the correct way of stringing together a sentence in a very short time, and I just can't do it.
I've had to do several presentations, and the audience just looks dumbfounded. From the apparent strain in their faces I can see that they are making an effort to understand what I'm saying, but because of my accent and the poor choice of words, they have trouble doing so.
I've joined a toastmasters club. It's too soon to tell whether it'll help me improve.
What else should I do? How do I improve my accent and make my ability to convert my ideas to English faster? But I can't spend too much time on it because I also have a lot of academic work.
Whether I get employed here, or go back to my own country, learning to communicate in English is very important, because English is the de facto language in industry/science. Since I'm surrounded by English speakers right now, I intend to make the best of the situation. Has anyone else faced this kind of problem? Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks.