Juggling languages can be challenging, especially at the workplace or when talking to a client. With English being one of the most commonly spoken languages amongst Dubai expats, most property seekers would expect you to converse in English while discussing the market, a property’s features, advice on making decisions, and more.
Translating your native language into English in your head is highly likely to slow your speech, reduce fluency, and prevent you from feeling the ‘pulse’ of the language.
The goal of learning English is to express yourself to your clients – however, being aware of grammatical structures and having a good vocabulary can help you communicate more effectively. In this article, former Cambridge examiner and Bayut Academy trainer Ioanna Karadima shares her proven tips to improve your English speaking skills so that you can sound more confident when speaking to your next client.
Building A Strong Foundation
Building your vocabulary
Learning words based on context is better than as individual words. This technique can help you memorise them better.
We would recommend the ‘MPF approach’ to build on your vocabulary.
The MPF (which stands for Meaning – Pronunciation – Form) approach involves defining the word’s meaning, its different grammatical forms (singular/plural/collocations/spelling, etc) and how it’s pronounced.
Experts suggest learning words in categories or themes while following the MPF approach. Also, it would be a great practice to use a personalised example to memorise the word better during this exercise.
Let’s take a look at an example of how you can apply this approach while learning words related to different types of houses:
Some resources to learn commonly used English words and phrases are books, movies and TV shows.
We suggest watching television shows based on real estate to recycle the vocabulary you need and learn useful expressions. In addition, you can learn the language you should use in different scenarios (such as during negotiations or viewings) and common phrases used by other real estate professionals.
Mastering your pronunciation
Learning the pronunciation of words goes hand in hand with building your vocabulary.
We recommend the Cambridge English Learner Dictionary’s website, an English learning resource that offers multiple tools, including audio in British and American accents, to learn how a word is pronounced correctly. This website also gives you the option to look up a word’s meaning in your native language.
A great mobile app with similar tools that you can refer to on the go is WordReference. This app offers a wider variety of different English accents (standard, British, Irish, Standard American, and so on), synonyms, examples of the word in sentences and more.
Learning to sound natural
In addition, knowing certain collocations, or words that go together, is vital to improving your speaking skills. For example, “do mistakes” is incorrect; the correct collocation would be “make mistakes”.
It is also advisable to grasp expressions, or colloquial phrases, used by English speakers. Some examples of these are “beats me”, “jolly good”, “that’s rich”, and so on. Understanding these phrases requires practice – a great activity is to use the expression at least once in a sentence during the week.
English learners may find themselves translating their thoughts into English word by word. It can make your speech sound unnatural, or sometimes not make sense to a listener.
Bringing English into your daily life by surrounding yourself with the language through podcasts or TV series can help you overcome this.
Tip: Contractions: Contractions are shortened forms of two words, used quite commonly when speaking. For example:
- I + am = I’m
- do + not = don’t
- he + will = he’ll
- they + are = they’re
- Going + to = gonna
- Let + me = lemme
- Because = ‘cause
Building your English-speaking confidence
One of the most significant barriers when learning English speaking skills is a lack of confidence. Keep in mind that the goal of learning spoken English is to communicate, not to become an English linguist.
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Even in an examination setting, there is also a big focus on the effectiveness of your communication, rather than just how concise your grammar is. Language is like every other skill; the more you practice, the more confidence you build, says Ioanna.
Improving Your English Speaking Skills
Now that you have a strong foundation, here are some techniques to help you hone your English speaking skills:
Speech Shadowing
Speech shadowing is a technique that involves imitation; you listen to how a native speaker says something and try to copy them. Choose an English audiobook* with subtitles and follow these steps:
(* We recommend choosing an audiobook rather than a movie or television show, as movie subtitles tend to be altered from dialogues to fit the screen. Also, make sure to pick audiobooks with a standard English accent to start with.)
- Listen: Begin by listening to a sentence in English.
- Repeat: Pause the audio and repeat the sentence out loud. Copy the speech pattern as best as you can.
- Record: Record yourself when repeating the sentences.
- Compare: Listen to the original audio, then listen to your recording and compare the two.
Then move on to listening and repeating a whole paragraph. This can help you improve your flow between sentences.
Doing this exercise can help you understand which words you might be mispronouncing, where you need to stress your words, and how to improve the rise and fall in the pitch of your voice (intonation). With enough shadowing, you’ll naturally get closer to sounding like a confident English speaker.
Tip: Keep your recordings and listen to them after a few months to assess how far along you have come in your learning journey.
Self – conversations
Speak to yourself in English out loud. It can be anything from a suggestion like, “Should I buy lunch?” or a reminder, “I should submit my report today.”
English Thinking
As you start thinking in English, responding to everyday conversations without hesitation will be much easier.
One excellent way to start thinking in English is by keeping a journal or diary, where you write your daily thoughts in English. It does not have to be perfect; it is more about working on your English skills.
Practising Your English Speaking Skills
Practising English is key to mastering the language. If you feel like you don’t have enough opportunities to speak, here are some things you can do to improve your English speaking skills further:
Participating in English-speaking groups
These are places in Dubai where you can mingle with like-minded people and practice speaking English. These are also great networking opportunities for real estate agents in the UAE.
For example, Toastmasters UAE is an educational organisation that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through its clubs. Find the Toastmasters club closest to you, or one that matches your interests, and join them at their next meeting to practice your English public speaking skills.
You can also look up English language cafes on Meetup, a social app for discovering events and groups near you. These cafes create a friendly and relaxing atmosphere for people who want to practice a new language.
Using Apps
Using apps is a great way to practise English at home. Some popular apps for learning English are HelloTalk, Duolingo, Elsa and Tandem.
Unlike Duolingo and Elsa (great tools to improve your vocabulary), HelloTalk and Tandem let you practice English with native-level English speakers.
After registering (by introducing yourself, your native language and your hobbies), the app connects you with native-level English speakers who want to learn your native language. You can converse in English with your language partners via text, voice messages, video or audio calls.
Just like learning skills to stay ahead in the real estate industry, learning to speak English fluently can take time and is not something that you can achieve in a day. Consistent practice and commitment to learning, along with taking any opportunity to speak that comes your way can propel your learning journey ahead.
If you’re looking for more resources to advance your real estate career in the UAE, explore the Content Corner, our library of educational resources for real estate professionals. You can also join us at Bayut Academy, our in-house series of workshops to help you excel in UAE real estate.