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Even though some EFL learners achieve high score in a certain standard English test such as IELTS or TOFEL, they still have some problems concerning the learning of English. Today I’d like to talk about some of the problems that students face when they follow a course of study through the medium of English—if English is not their mother tongue. The purpose is to show that we’re aware of students’ problems, and that by analyzing them perhaps it’ll be possible to suggest how some of them may be overcome.
    The problems can be divided into three broad categories: psychological, cultural and linguistic. Some of the common psychological problems really involve fear of the unknown: for example, whether one’s academic studies will be too difficult, whether one will fail the exams, and so on. All students share these apprehensions. It’s probably best for a student not to look too far ahead but to concentrate day-by-day on increasing his knowledge and developing his ability. The overseas student in Britain may also suffer from separation from his family and possible homesickness; enjoyment of his activities in Britain and the passage of time are the only real help here.
    Looking now at tile cultural problems, we can see that some of them are of a very practical nature, for example, arranging satisfactory accommodation, getting used to British money (or the lack of it), British food and weather. Some of the cultural difficulties are less easy to define: they are bound up with the whole range of alien customs, habits and traditions—in other words, the British way of life. Such difficulties include: settling into a strange environment and a new academic routine; learning a new set of social habits, ranging from the times of meals to the meanings of gestures; expressing appropriate greetings; understanding a different kind of humor; and learning how to make friends. Being open-minded and adaptable is the best approach to some of the difficulties listed here.
    The largest category is probably linguistic. Let’s look at this in some detail.
    Most students have learnt English at school, but they have had little everyday opportunity to practice using English. When foreign learners first have the opportunity to speak to all English-speaking person they may have a shock: they often have great difficulty in understanding! There are a number of reasons for this. I’ll just mention three of them.
    Firstly, it seems to students that English people speak very quickly. Secondly, they speak with a variety of accents. Thirdly, different styles of speech are used in different situations, for example, everyday spoken English, which is colloquial and idiomatic, is different from the English used for academic purposes. Don’t forget, by the way, that if students have difficulty in understanding English-speaking people, these people may also have difficulty in understanding the students!
    What can a student do then to overcome these difficulties? Well, obviously, he can benefit from attending English classes and if a language laboratory is available use it as much as possible. He should also listen to programmes in English on the radio and TV. Perhaps the most important of all, he should take every available opportunity to meet and speak with native English-speaking people. He should be aware, however, that English people are, by temperament, often reserved and may be unwilling to start a conversation. Nevertheless, if he has the courage to take the initiative, however difficult it may seem to be, most English people will respond. He will need patience and perseverance.
    In addition to these problems regarding listening and understanding, the student probably has difficulty in speaking English fluently. He has the ideas, he knows what to say but he doesn’t know how to say it in English. The advice here will seem difficult to follow but it’s necessary. Firstly, he must simplify his language so that he can express himself reasonably clearly; for example, short sentences will be better than long ones. Secondly, he must try to think in English, not translate from his mother tongue. That’ll only begin to take place when his use of English becomes automatic; using a language laboratory and listening to as much English as possible will help. In general, he should practice speaking as much as possible. He should also notice the kind of English, and its structure, that educated people use, and try to imitate it.
    The problem with learning English as a foreign language is that all English learners want to speak English well; however, most learners don’t want to spend time on learning English on their own. Learning English requires action. You may know all the learning tips, but if you don’t start doing things, you will achieve nothing. The fact is, if you want to learn to speak English well, you must change your life.
    Thank you for your attention.