Meet Nareman, a master’s student in Bioinformatics from the Tel-Aviv University who talks about why she decided to improve her English at Say What English Training.

As a public speaker of [important] subject matters, why do you think it is important for you to have clear spoken English for lectures, seminars and networking?

As a master’s student, I have a lot of lectures and seminars in English, but I don’t have enough courage and self-confidence to speak out loud, ask questions or express my opinion. This situation makes me feel stupid and embarrassed. On the other hand, feeling this way has pushed me into making the right decision, and I decided to improve my English to overcome these barriers.

Do you think it is a necessity to speak proper [correct] English to convey your message and be taken seriously as a public speaker?

I think it’s very important to speak proper English, because speaking an international language correctly can give us a lot of new opportunities and make others take us seriously.

With cross-border business communication mostly conducted in English, is having good and clear English a useful tool to reach more people around the world?

As I mentioned, I think having fluent and clear English can create a lot of opportunities, give us a lot of self-confidence and enable us to connect with anyone.

As a public speaker with ESL (English as Second/Third Language), what are some of the challenges you have faced when writing a lecture/speech?

Arabic is my first language. As an Israeli citizen, Hebrew is my second language and English is my third language. I face many challenges when I try to speak English. Sometimes I try to translate from Arabic to English, while other times I try to translate from Hebrew to English. As you might expect every language has different grammar rules and this makes the task of writing [in English] difficult.

Do you think that some important messages are not conveyed because they are not communicated correctly in English? The “lost in translation” effect?

Absolutely. When people don’t understand us and we don’t speak clearly, they even stop listening to us.

Do you think that speaking English well will help you communicate with people from countries all over the world, not just English-speaking ones? If so, in what ways?

Sure. Speaking English properly will help me communicate with people from all over the world. First, English is the third most spoken language in the world. Furthermore, it is the official language of science, and all the articles are published in English.  Many companies around the world interview people in English to make sure their employees can communicate with everyone.

הפוסט Lost in Translation? Communicating Better in English הופיע לראשונה ב-SayWhat English Training.

I recently sat down with businessman Daniel Z. (Co-founder of Powtoon) and asked him about the importance of strong English skills and good business.

As a public speaker of [important] subject matters, why do you think it is important for you to have clear spoken English for seminars and networking?

As a public speaker, it is very important for me to pronounce words correctly and speak clearly so that the audience can understand what I am saying and the message I want to convey.

Do you think it is a necessity to speak proper [correct] English to convey your message and be taken seriously?

Yes. I think it is a necessity to speak correct English to any audience to be taken seriously. If the listener doesn’t understand the speaker because of poor pronunciation, it will make it difficult for them to understand the content.  I think the more I invest, the better I will speak, the more I will be taken seriously. An audience can have “prejudiced ears” when listening to poor English and this directly affects whether I am taken seriously or not.

With cross-border business communication mostly conducted in English, is having good and clear English a useful tool to reach more people around the world?

Yes, definitely. Speaking clearly with correct pronunciation is a great tool to reach more people because more people understand you. As a result, you feel more confident and you can concentrate on what you want to say and how you say it, using more expressions and phrases.

As a speaker with ESL (English as Second Language), what are some of the challenges you have faced when writing a lecture/speech/ networking?

When writing e-mails and articles [and networking], there are a few challenges. The first is finding the right words to express myself in English. Secondly, I have to think about pronunciation and speaking clearly. Thirdly, I find it challenging to come up with content and how I can present the topic in English to different target audiences.   

Do you think that some important messages are not conveyed because they are not communicated correctly in English? The “lost in translation” effect?

Yes, I do. This is mainly due to not knowing certain English expressions, both in British English and American English. Also, some expressions which are literally translated into English(for example from Hebrew), are not correct and the audience can misunderstand you.

Do you think that speaking it [English] helps you communicate with people from countries all over the world, not just English-speaking ones? If so, in what way?

I definitely think that knowing English helps you to communicate internationally, whether you are in a native English speaking country or not. Most business is conducted in English so rather than learning the country’s native language, it is important to have and use English to interact. 

הפוסט Let’s Get Down to Business הופיע לראשונה ב-SayWhat English Training.