Language barrier Hello everyone! I hope all the italki members are staying healthy and safe during this challenging time due to coronovirus. Guys, can someone give me some tips on how to improve my s

Language barrier

Hello everyone! I hope all the italki members are staying healthy and safe during this challenging time due to coronovirus.

Guys, can someone give me some tips on how to improve my speaking and become more fluent without actually speaking to a real person? I know it might sound awkward; however, I am really having a hard ~~ship~~ time trying to fight my fear of speaking in public. I am constantly thinking that others are going to judge my pronunciation and mistakes that I am making. Has anyone experienced such a thing and if so, how did you overcome it? Maybe someone has any thoughts on this [jeje] This is not a word in English.

Bu the way, I would really appreciate if someone could check my writing as well. Thank you very much in advance!

Your fear is a common one. Few adults want to speak like a pre-schooler or uneducated person, so we are reluctant to attempt to speak in a foreign language.

I speak Spanish at an intermediate level; I'm certainly not fluent. However, I have traveled to 12 different Spanish-speaking countries totally solo. English is rarely spoken in any of them, so I was forced to speak Spanish.

When I first started traveling to Latin America and Spain, I felt awkward and embarrassed, and often couldn't understand what people were saying when they spoke to me because of how rapidly they spoke or my limited vocabulary. I talked anyway, and the more I spoke, the easier it became.

Now, when I travel to Spanish-speaking countries I talk to anyone I can --Uber drivers, hotel clerks, cashiers, people in the lobby of my hotel --you name it. Sometimes they correct me, which I appreciate. Sometimes I can't think of the word I want to say, so I choose another one. I'm no longer embarrassed at not speaking Spanish perfectly.

One thing I do that helps me speak is to read out loud and to watch videos on YouTube. I also talk to myself in Spanish. I practice scenarios that I may encounter in real life such as checking into a hotel, shopping for clothes, exchanging small talk about my job or where I live, etc. It helps me to be more relaxed when I am actually in that situation.

From the way you wrote this paragraph, your English is very good. Most people will understand you even though you have an accent and your English is not perfect. (Frankly, most Americans don't speak perfect English either). So my advice is to act like a Nike commercial, and "Just do it!" Most people aren't going to judge you. The ones that do are jerks, so ignore them. I guarantee that it will get easier and your confidence will increase the more often you speak.

Good luck to you!

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