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Question to people who dosen't speak english fluently

G

Hi for few months i will start my phd, and I am affraid that my english is good to simple conversation but not to discusion and understand Your superviosr. have you got the same feelling?

G

Rasel, although I answered you question partly in another thread, here is some more. I was in similar situation several years ago when I started MBA in Canada. Several months before I went to Canada I studied quite hard learning English. There are lots of sites in Internet that have free English courses. Try http://www.englishtown.com/ for example. Several years back they had a free vioce chat with a teacher where you could have an online lesson and talk to other students in English. Also, my advice would be to get a book or articles in your subject in English and read them and learn all words that are related to your future PhD topic - you have to understand such articles very well. And the last but not the least advice, of course, is to get a radioset with short waves and find BBC World service and listen to their programmes as much as you can - that will help a lot! You can look at their schedule online and find a programme that will be interesting to you. Good luck! And never quit!

G

I read your previous thread Rasel. Your english is clearly not good enough for a Phd and so you will just be wasting your time and your supervisors. No matter how good you are, it is no good if you cannot communicate with your peers. I am sure you are smart enought to realise this

Pp, you're right to suggest that a good standards of oral and written English are needed to complete a PhD in the UK.

However, you should not make the mistake of judging peoples fluency from the posts that they place on this forum. It offers no facility for users to correct any mistakes once they have posted them, consequently most threads on the forum contain any number of mistakes.

Rasel, presumably you have already passed the required English language exams for entrance to a UK university. Once you are living and working in the UK your English will improve considerably.

G

My situation will be a little bit better because this university is not in UK. I am starting Phd in Netherlands. And the lab is very international so I am sure that for many person English language is not native language. How You say me English skills will be growing with time which I spend with people and books. I hope that I will be understand more then only “thanks”, and “goodbye”. for two month I will see how my English is good and is it enough or not?
Thanks for all advise

G

Dear Rasel,
Don't worry about your English, it will become better as you will practice!
The Dutch are also very understanding and will make no problem about it, really (I'm Ducth).
Just don't be afraid to speak it, even when you make mistakes. Just tell your colleagues that you want to become better in it so that they should have a little patience with you.

You'll be just fine!

G

Whoops....a little typo there.
I am Dutch (not Ducth, whatever that is...)

G

to small black flower I see that Duch people are nice and friendly:) Tell me from which city in NL are You? :) maybe I will have occasion to met You and drink Heineken in nice place?:)Big thanks

G

I did my undergraduate final thesis in Utrecht and I can say it was till now the best experience of my life...really loved it! Dutch are reaaally nice people and speek very well english!! for sure is will be a matter of time till you improve your english!don't be affraid!

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