Learning English

I was in 7th grade when this incident took place. I had just joined a new school, and on the first day, I was asked to introduce myself in front of the classroom of 40 students.

I started introducing myself in the Nepali language, but the teacher interrupted me mid-sentence and asked me to speak in English. I couldn’t speak well in English, and I became a character to be laughed at.

My confidence to give a presentation in front of the class dropped by half since that incident.

After that, I felt necessary to improve my command over the English language.

I started writing on contemporary issues, without caring much about grammar and sentence structures. I started reading as many books as I could. In my spare time, I used to read novels by different authors, and I would even work on my grammar.

English, as an international language of the world, is a must-learn to compete at a global level. It is an excellent skill to have, but if anyone doesn’t know how to speak or write in English, he should not be made fun of.

English language is just like any other language of the world, and it takes effort to learn. Can we expect an American to explore the meanings of all Nepali words, and speak our language fluently? Of course, they can’t do so.

Likewise, those whose native language is not English may find it problematic to communicate in English. So, what people must know about the English language is, it is just like any other language spoken out in the world, and it improves over time with practice.

In a world full of people exploring new ideas, we should not consider the English language as a parameter for measuring our intelligence.

Many schools and colleges in Nepal instruct their teachers to communicate with each other in English. It is a good initiation from the institutes of Nepal as it will help students if they go abroad for their higher studies.

But those, whose English is not good should face no humiliation as no one is perfect in language.

The English language is the need of the hour. Every person who aspires to compete at the global level must learn it. But the process of learning and the language skill must remain healthy.

We should keep it in mind that learning a second language is a tiresome process. We think in our mother language and tend to translate the thought later, which causes reluctance, delay or incorrect communication.

Everyone must understand this.

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