Unlocking Communication: How International Students at Taylor's University Master Their English Skills

If someone were to ask me, "What was the most challenging aspect for you during the early stages of your study abroad journey? Was it the food? The culture? Or the climate?" I would most likely answer, "Language." As a Chinese student whose native language is Mandarin, I inevitably encountered some communication and reading barriers during the early stages of my journey at Taylor's University. In certain situations, I couldn't comprehend the emails sent to me by Campus Central, struggled to grasp the knowledge imparted by lecturers, and found it challenging to engage in effective and meaningful conversations with local students. In other words, I relied heavily on real-time translation to navigate through my daily life. Once someone took away my phone or spoke to me face-to-face, my vulnerabilities were exposed. Among the vast community of Chinese students at our university, what happened to me is not an isolated incident. In fact, compared to some, my situation wasn't even as dire. Yes, you heard that right. I can confidently say that my English proficiency upon entering was higher than that of most Chinese students. At least my IELTS score at the time was already 6.5, while our entry requirement was 5, which is an absurdly low standard. A score of 5 would barely suffice for survival in an English-speaking country. So, how does one reach a competent level of English proficiency within the limited span of two and a half years in university? Drawing from my own experience and examples of other Chinese students at our university, I will provide effective advice. Note: This guide is specifically tailored for undergraduate students and does not apply to one-year master's programs.

1. Courage to communicate

Don't underestimate the value of communication. Conversation is one of the best ways to improve your language skills. Many Chinese students encounter the same bottleneck when they are overseas. They grow up in a Chinese-speaking environment and receive a passive English education from an early age. In this environment, having a conversation in English is a weird thing to do and can even be seen as showboating. As a result of the weak oral English foundation, Chinese students are destined to be the ones to be accommodated when talking with others, and the fear of English communication comes from this. The personal experience of my two roommates proves the importance of communication. The first roommate An's English level is very poor, very standard IELTS 5. However, he is different from other Chinese students in that he likes the local culture of Kuala Lumpur and is willing to communicate with local students and residents. In less than half a year, his oral English improved a lot. From the beginning, he needed me to accompany him to the International Office, and later he was able to go to the Australian Consulate alone to apply for a visa. I witnessed his progress with my own eyes. During this period, he did not devote much effort to memorizing words or preparing for any language exams, but just talked frequently. I wonder if this can enlighten you who are struggling with the difficulty of speaking English? A bad example is my second roommate Jie, who is too shy. Subconsciously identifying himself as having a language disability, he told me, "My English is so poor that I can't talk to these people. I feel like I'm a joke when I open my mouth." Jie has been at Taylor's University for two years and he is still at the stage where he needs to find Malaysian Chinese employees to go to a pharmacy. Remember that spoken English is a pain point for most Chinese students, and you are not alone. But escape will only make your situation worse. Only by speaking up bravely can you gradually adapt to the overseas study environment.

2. A lot of reading and reciting words

Apart from conversation, all you need to do is read suitable articles and memorize vocabulary. An's method isn't sufficient to help you complete university courses and achieve satisfactory grades. The university's curriculum requires not only various assignments but also a lot of offline exams. Without enough vocabulary and writing skills, you can't ensure passing these exams. I remember last year there was a final examination for MBA, and several students didn't understand the questions, so naturally, they had to retake the subject. Reading and memorizing vocabulary can help you smoothly avoid these risks. Based on the author's experience, all you need to do is buy an IELTS or TOEFL vocabulary book, memorize 50 new words and review them every day, and in less than half a year, your English proficiency will improve by one level. The trick to reading lies in selection. I recommend choosing articles of moderate length that are related to your profession. Too long articles will make you lose patience and lead to incomplete reading. Whereas professionally related articles can compensate for your lack of academic vocabulary, after all, vocabulary books won't list all medical or philosophical terms.

3. Try to prepare for a language test.

The period when my English improved the most was during the two months when I was preparing for IELTS. I spent at least 6 hours a day doing questions and reciting. Two months of hard work not only improved my score from 6.5 to 7, but the most important progress was my sensitivity to English. I recommend that Chinese students who don't have a busy academic schedule also try to prepare themselves for a language test, whether it's IELTS, TOEFL, or PTE. Set yourself a short-term development goal, ignore the entrance requirements of the school, and focus on the process of progress. Here, Taylor's University also offers IELTS speaking classes every weekend, if you want, you can audition.

4. Get out of your comfort zone and try international social media

In China, excellent English learners usually have one characteristic, which is their enthusiasm for English literature or film and television works. In my opinion, this is the biggest variable that distinguishes active learners from passive learners. You don't have to imitate them by immersing yourself in a two-hour art film. What you need to do is find some short videos or vlogs on YouTube, click on the English subtitles, and figure out what the video is about. Instagram and Twitter are also great platforms, as the text of each post is relatively short, not stressful for beginners, and you can even get a bit of knowledge about idioms and fixed collocations from the comments section.

The above suggestions are based on my personal experience and observation of Chinese students of different levels. They may not be the best methods, but their core elements are important for all students with language barriers. These suggestions have priority in order. Communication, recitation and reading are the links for international students to improve their language level. Please be sure to spend enough time on them. The other two tips may not directly help your academic career, but they will definitely make a qualitative leap in your language skills.