A path to perfection: How much I've come so far

     Since a year-long exchange program, three years have passed. I kept studying English during this period, though I didn't enjoy the same amount of exposure to English. I've been learning English for many years, and this is a perfect time to reflect on my language journey. As I became an advanced learner, my English studies had to change accordingly.

Having a clear goal is crucial before beginning your language journey. Many people desire to speak the most natural English. In contrast, others believe it's good enough if they can communicate in English. This article is written for those who strive to achieve native-like fluency.

Reading

     Reading: I practice my reading comprehension primarily by reading a newspaper. However, if newspaper articles are too difficult for you, you can start with easy readings like textbooks. I personally didn't use newspapers until recently, and there're still some articles I don't fully understand due to their content. If I feel some articles are too difficult, I skip that article and try to read other articles because there're many articles a typical reader doesn't finish. Practising reading includes learning new words. However, we're not going to dig deep in it today because I wrote another article on vocabulary. Four language skills often overlap. Therefore practising reading skills, for instance, helps improve other skills, such as speaking. I believe there's a somehow strong correlation between reading and speaking from my personal experience. Therefore, reading a lot of good news materials is key to natural speech. Reading a newspaper is good because it enables you to relate to other people through the latest world issues. A common mistake is to try to memorize every new word because it takes time. So, please don't spend hours to finish one article, if you read newspaper.

Listening

     Listening: Listening is the most critical language skill, and anyone should spend the most time practising listening skills. A newborn baby will be able to understand other people by the time they're three, and all they've done by the time they're three is listen to other people for thousands of hours. While systematic grammar study is promising, practising listening is more powerful because people's speech is a hundred times richer in information. If you want to become the most natural English speaker, the ideal way of learning is to do the same as a newborn baby. Any effort to save time can lead to a gap between you and native speakers. So don't be lazy; your effort will pay off. I listen to the BBC global news podcast and other podcast channels while commuting daily. It's two hours of listening practice in total. We're the privileged generation because all these quality contents are free. Podcasts brought about a revolution in how we study English. We no longer have to pay for audio materials. They're now free.

Speaking

     Speaking: we can practice speaking English online. Another significant change in how we study English is the advent of online platforms such as Native Camp. People had to pay a good deal of money to study abroad. However, that is no longer the case. Therefore, it's possible to perfect your English without leaving Japan. I'm personally using Native Camp to practice my spoken English. I take two to five lessons a day on a typical holiday. I feel more than five lessons are unnecessary at the moment. Speaking English is the most challenging skill because speaking requires a simultaneous reply. If you've never had a conversation in English, you'll at first find it challenging, but, there's no other way to improve your English than facing the moment of awkward silence a thousand times. How you practice speaking is less important; what matters is to keep practising every day. Unless you don't give up entirely, you will get there eventually.