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Gideon2017's avatar

How can I communicate fluently with a foreigner who speaks English?

Asked by Gideon2017 (649points) August 2nd, 2017

My job is to make proposals and CAD drawings about reciprocating compressor and natural gas engine, and all the information and clients are in English. So, I have to practice to write and speak English. It is a little hard.

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14 Answers

RedDeerGuy1's avatar

My writing skills have improved from writing on Fluther. Maybe you can do the same. Or you can skype an English speaker for oral practice.

Stinley's avatar

Take English language lessons. Does your company offer them? If you are expected to communicate in English as part of your job, they may offer help.

What you have written here is good English so maybe communicating by writing emails and reports might be easier for you, if speaking English is hard for you.

snowberry's avatar

Agreed with communication by email until your speaking improves. Find someone to help you proofread your emails before you send them out. I bet after a while you’ll have several paragraphs that you can simply copy and paste because you will use them so much.

JLeslie's avatar

Pay an interpreter/translator for the very important parts of communication with the English speakers.

For most communications little mistakes won’t matter, unless you are trying to pass yourself off as a native English speaker. So far your English looks pretty good.

Stay here and you can practice English. We can help you now and then with tricky sentences.

PullMyFinger's avatar

Many years ago I became friends with a guy who had moved to the U.S. from (the former) Yugoslavia as a teenager, and could not speak a word of English when he got here. He was in his early 20s when I met him, and spoke flawless English, with only the slightest hint of a Slavic accent.

He said that what helped him learn the most very quickly was to watch American TV shows during every chance that he got, even if a show was lousy.

Side note: Once I played golf with him at the Inverrary Resort in Ft. Lauderdale. As we walked off the 18th green, Jackie Gleason rode by in his custom-made golf cart (the front had a Cadillac grille on it). I was pretty excited…..“Do you know who that WAS ??....JACKIE GLEASON !!” My (former) Yugoslavian friend just said…..“Yeah…...Wow….”

On the drive home, he turned to me and said:

“Let me ask you something…....Who the hell is Jackie Gleason…..?”

Response moderated (Spam)
Patty_Melt's avatar

I purchase goods from China regularly on ebay.
Sometimes I giggle about the mistakes of English in the listings, but always I am impressed by the willingness to face the difficulties. Some do try very hard.
I understand the difficulties.
Sometimes a small subtle difference in definition of words can be complicated to sort which word is most correct.
We Americans do tend to use the wrong words because they have a broad definition and cover many different needs.
For instance, I used the word correct above, but many would have said right. Right has a broad definition, and would have worked, but correct has a more exact definition, and is less complicated for people who struggle with English.

If you would like to make use of the private message option here on Fluther, I would be happy to help you with some of those hurdles.
You are doing very well.
It is obvious you have some difficulties, but your attempts are quite good.

Gideon2017's avatar

@Patty_Melt I will keep on trying.

Patty_Melt's avatar

I respect your enthusiasm. Let me know if I can help.

Gideon2017's avatar

@Patty_Melt Just a simple response will help a lot. I make English Technical Proposals everyday so I really want to know how people talk In daily life.

Patty_Melt's avatar

That requires observation. It isn’t something which can be understood with a few tips.
One thing I have noticed is the use of conjunctions. We throw them around like confetti.
In regards to slang, that is not a consistent quality. There are words and terms of slang which is commonly used, but there are also regional identifiers. Some words, expressions, dialects involve very specific locations. I would point out the fad which began with Valley Girls. Not only was the vocabulary unique to them, it involved the attitude with which things were said.

snowberry's avatar

Keep coming back here @Gideon2017 We think you’re great!

Gideon2017's avatar

@Patty_Melt @snowberry
Thank you for the advice and I will keep on trying.

snowberry's avatar

Here on Fluther we can’t help you much with pronunciation, but we can help you with grammar and spelling, idioms and culture. So hang out with us!

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