Are you fluent? - {Part 2}
First of all, I invite you to read Are you fluent? - {Part 1}
Now, leaving aside all the impertinent comments you may have received about your level of English, let's talk about another point of view.
Practicing a new language not only opens our minds to the new, but also expands our minds to other practices that we often forget in our daily lives.
One of the ways to be good at a new language is to be totally present in who you see and listen to. This is called active listening, which is being present, absorbing, understanding and being empathetic.
As well as learning to write and speak, it should be compulsory to learn to listen!
“We love not the person who speaks beautifully, but the person who listens beautifully”, Rubem Alves (psychoanalyst, educator, theologian and Brazilian writer).
Are you a good listener?
There are some ways of practicing active listening that can also help you when practicing a new language:
And that's it for today, I'll end with this reflection to how active listening can help you practice a new language. As well as improving your state of presence, bringing active listening to your native language too.
Solution Architect and QA Advocate || A QA Portuguesa? || ISTQB? CTFL, CTAL-TA
3 个月For the bullet points you've share, I would add "Do not feel afraid to ask, if you do not understand". There are situations in which you're the only non-native person and the group might use some local expressions and proverbs or even mention some happening that you're not aware of. And to not take the risk of being set aside because you don't know what's being talked, you remain quiet and just nod your head and smile, like if have been understanding everything. Just stop. It's good for you to ask for the things you don't understand or know. And you'll feel more integrated, as you are showing interest in something that is part of the others life.