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Unlocking Your Language Skills: The Journey to Fluent Output

In our previous blog post, we looked at some tips to get you started (and to keep you going) on your immersion learning journey. This time, we’ll be focusing on your journey to fluid output.

1. Start Speaking and Writing

As you’ve been absorbing English by listening and reading, it’s now time to actively use the language. Begin your output journey by writing simple texts about your daily activities or thoughts, and start having real conversations, even if they’re just short exchanges in a café or online. This practice helps build confidence and comfort in using English in various real-life situations.

2. Ease Anxiety

Feeling nervous about making mistakes when using a new language is completely normal. Remember, every mistake is an opportunity to learn and improve. Focus on making progress, however small, and not on being perfect right from the start.

3. Feedback and Practice

After you engage in writing or speaking, use apps like HelloTalk and Tandem to get real-time feedback from native speakers. This allows you not only to practice English but also to immediately apply corrections and tips to improve. Regular feedback, whether from friends, teachers, or online interactions, is crucial for learning effectively and reducing mistakes over time.

4. Listening and Shadowing

Choose a ‘language parent’—someone whose English is very good and who you enjoy listening to, like a YouTuber or a character from an English TV show. Spend significant time listening to them and try to mimic their way of speaking. This shadowing technique improves pronunciation and helps you sound more natural.

5. Practice Regularly

Keep practicing your writing and speaking as much as you can. The more you use English, the more comfortable you’ll become in everyday situations. Use your experiences and the feedback you receive to continually improve and confidently move forward in your language learning journey.

Core Areas: Accuracy

Here at Connect, we believe in the importance of all of the key skills, or core areas, of language proficiency. In this series of blog posts, we will be looking at each core area in turn, and giving you some tips for how you can improve your skills in that area. Our first core area is Accuracy. 

What is accuracy?

When it comes to language learning, accuracy is generally thought of as the ability to use a language correctly. This not only includes the correct use of grammar, but of vocabulary and pronunciation as well. 

Why is accuracy important?

Accuracy is important because it affects communication. While some small inaccuracies can be overlooked, a lack of accuracy can cause confusion and misunderstanding for the listener. What’s more, the average native English speaker outside of the English classroom may not be as patient or understanding as your English teacher, and misunderstandings caused by inaccuracies can often lead to frustration and breakdowns in communication.

OK, now I’m worried about my accuracy…

While it is true that accuracy is important, you shouldn’t worry about it too much. One problem that many English learners here in Japan have is that they worry about their accuracy so much that they often don’t say anything at all. Does that sound familiar to you? Although you should try to be accurate, the important thing to remember is that it’s OK to make mistakes! Making mistakes is often how we learn, especially when they are pointed out to us and we are given the chance to correct them. So, don’t be afraid of making mistakes – try to say something! Your accuracy will improve over time. 

Ways to improve your accuracy

Here are some ways you can improve your accuracy:

• Grammar and pronunciation drills – While they may seem boring to most people, grammar exercises in the classroom or at home can be a great way to improve your basic understanding of grammatical structures and how to use them, especially for lower level learners.

• Learning vocabulary in context – When learning a new word, it’s important to learn not just the meaning, but how that word is used. Are there any common word combinations (collocations)? Is it formal or informal? Take note of any example sentences that you see.

• Making a note of any repeated mistakes – As language learners, we all have certain mistakes that we make again and again. If you don’t know which mistakes you make, your teacher or native-speaking friend will be happy to tell you if you ask them. Listen out for these mistakes when you speak or write and correct yourself.

• Correction – Being corrected is one of the ways we learn to fix our accuracy mistakes, and is one of the main reasons why we believe going to a language school like Connect can be so beneficial! English-speaking friends can also help to correct you, but friends will often not correct you out of politeness.

• Real English – One of the best ways to improve your accuracy is to immerse yourself in correct English. If you read, watch and listen to as much English as you can, you will begin to understand what is correct and what isn’t. You will hear words used in the correct context. You will hear correct pronunciation and intonation. If you want to read more about immersion learning and how to do it you can read our blog post on immersion learning here.

To sum up, improving accuracy is an important part of learning any language. You shouldn’t, however, be so worried about it that you never say anything in conversation. If you use some of the tips in this blog post and work hard at correcting your most common mistakes, your accuracy will improve over time. 

If you’d like some help improving your accuracy, an English conversation school like Connect is a great place to start! You can book a free level check and trial lesson here, or find out more about the school and the courses we offer here.

Vocabulary

• proficiency (n) – ability – 能力
• beneficial (adj) – producing good results – 有益な
• context (n) – situation, the parts of a sentence or conversation before and after a word – 文脈