Difficult Languages

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Struggles of Teaching Difficult English Language Patterns There are many different types of peculiarities when concerning the English language, and this essay is aimed at the difficulties in teaching those peculiarities to learners that are not fluent in the English language. It can be difficult for native English speakers to progressively learn the subtle nuances as children graduating to young adults and navigating complexities of the language as adults; deciphering whether or not these peculiarities warrant further investigation or retention based on usage and context. These oddities of the English language can be exponentially more difficult for those attempting to learn the English language as a second language, having fully...  [Read more]

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas "Has the Cat Got Your Tongue?": Teaching Slang and Idioms When studying a new language, a student needs to learn more than what vocabulary can be found in a dictionary. To have a better grasp of the new language, a student must be exposed to other aspects of that language as well, such as the use of slang and idioms in that new language. This is because languages, especially English, are particularly fluid with regards to the use of slang and metaphorical language. Teaching students of English some common colloquialisms would thus be useful, especially in providing students a more cohesive understanding of the language. Providing students with this knowledge is especially important if the student intends to seek opportunities in...  [Read more]

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How to Motivate Students to Learn a Foreign Language The study of a foreign language is not an easy road, it is determined by a set of factors, such as previous knowledge in this field, skills, ways of learning, exposure to the target language, etc. However, in my opinion, the most important role in this process is played by people's MOTIVATION to learn a new language, because it is the key element that makes students persevere through tough moments and it keeps alive the desire to discover and know new things. Every student who steps for the first time into an EFL classroom comes already with a certain degree of motivation, either because they need it for their jobs or because they want to study or work abroad, the reasons are...  [Read more]

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 Kavinna Batra Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas 6 Tips on How to Learn English Quickly English is a fun language to learn; however, it can even throw off the most professional learner with complex spelling rules and difficult grammar. Learning English quickly could seem difficult, even though it is considered to be accessible and reasonably easy for many to learn. I'm here to tell you that as long as you have the right plan, you can learn English quickly and easily. Table of Contents Here are 6 tips on how to learn English quickly: 1. Don't get annoyed when you're down 2. Begin with what you truly need 4. Situate yourself in an English environment 5. Whatever Floats Your Boat 6. When you're in doubt, just ask! Are you ready to teach English to speakers of other...  [Read more]

Archives for August 2023 Is getting a TEFL or TESOL certificate difficult? Federico Riva TEFL Information The qualifications required to start teaching ESL are typically a minimum of a TEFL or TESOL certification of 120-hours and having a good knowledge and use of the English language. Here we outline the process. Krashen's Hypotheses and Second Language Acquisition Sara Stojanovic TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Dive into Krashen's Hypotheses for Second Language Acquisition. Explore nature vs. nurture, the input hypothesis, and more. Discover the enduring impact on language learning. Harmonizing Education: The Transformative Influence of Music in the Classroom Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Discover the power of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Liza is a translator, freelancer and ESL teacher from Russia. She had been teaching in a Chinese bilingual school for more than two years and recently moved to Thiland to run her blog about teaching and freelance job. Read my articles Pronunciation Mistakes Made by Russian Speakers | ITTT | TEFL Blog Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on issues Russian speakers have when they learn English pronunciation. Teaching Job: How Do People See it? | ITTT | TEFL Blog Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this blog post, our recent TEFL graduate shares their thoughts on teaching job and its importance for society. Reasons Why Pronunciation is More Difficult for Adults than Children in El Salvador |...  [Read more]

Iceland Travel Phrases SOURCE: www . pinterest . de/search/pins/?q=travel&rs=typed&term_meta%5B%5D=travel%7Ctyped Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How to Approach Lesson Planning to Develop Independent Problem Solving Abstraction is in essence, the formation of broader, and more difficult and subjective systems from inputs. It is a concept that can be applied to the four language skills: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. As an idea becomes more abstract and subjective, it requires more information and becomes more difficult to answer. Some of the easiest and least abstract pieces of language are simple Yes/No statements and questions. "Do you like ice-cream?" "Yes, I do." "No, I don't." A more difficult question might be, "Who likes ice-cream?" More difficult still would be, "Why do you like ice-cream?" A simple, but by no means an exhaustive list of abstraction moving...  [Read more]

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching English Pronunciation to Students from Japan In my experience teaching elementary and junior high school level English in Japan, several different pronunciation problems appear frequently. The Japanese phonemic inventory is smaller than English's phonemic inventory, and the sounds present in each language differ from each other quite dramatically. Because of this, it can be difficult for native Japanese speakers to learn and master English pronunciation, but there are a few teaching techniques that can help students overcome this difficulty. Table of Contents Consonants Challenge Non-Existent Sounds in the Native Language Vowel Challenge 3 Methods to Work on Problems 1. Visual Representation 2. IPA Phonetics 3. Pronunciation...  [Read more]

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences 3 Common Pronunciation Problems for Students in Peru Difficulty with pronunciation is likely something that every EFL teacher will face at one point or another in their career. Every language in the world has different ways of pronouncing different words/ letters. In addition to this, most speakers of other languages have heavy accents that can make pronouncing English words very difficult. This can be a challenge when teaching English as a foreign language. It can be especially challenging because not all learners around the world will face the same problems. Students in Vietnam will likely have different pronunciation problems than students in Kenya and students in Brazil will likely have different pronunciation problems than students...  [Read more]

Cheapest TEFL Certificate Check out tefl tesol about Cheapest TEFL Certificate and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: Check out ITTT's Blog Posts A.L. - Korea said: korean Pronunciation ProblemsIn korea, English has become an important language to learn. English is a required course in schools and parents spend hundreds of dollars a month on afterschool English classes and tutors for their children. Though English is important, koreans still have many difficulties learning it. The biggest problem with korean speakers learning English is its pronunciation. English pronunciation can be difficult for any language...  [Read more]

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Commonly Mispronounced Sounds by Chinese Native Speakers Throughout the world, different countries have difficulty pronouncing other sounds from different languages. For many native English speakers learning Mandarin, pronouncing the "x", "sh", "q", "ch", and "z" sounds are not easy obstacles to overcome. Based on my own experience it takes plenty of repetition to master how to pronounce each of these sounds. Chinese students have a similar problem when trying to pronounce certain sounds in English. The three sounds that come to mind are "th", "v" and the difference between "r" and "l". Table of Contents Difficult Sounds Replacing the /v/ sound with the /w/ sound Replacing the /l/ sound with the /r/ sound Do you want to teach...  [Read more]

How hard is the TEFL exam? Many prospective English teachers wonder about the difficulty of a TEFL exam. At ITTT, our focus is on delivering top-tier teacher training complemented by thorough pre- and post-course support. This comprehensive approach ensures that our students are well-prepared for any tests their course requires. As evidence of our program's efficacy, we boast a pass rate of over 90% - among the highest in the TEFL industry. Thus, while our TEFL courses require dedication and effort, with the right preparation and commitment, a pass is highly achievable. Table of Contents Is a TEFL certification course difficult? How difficult is the TEFL exam? Is a TEFL certification course difficult? Comparable to a university-level program, a rigorous TEFL course demands dedication and...  [Read more]

Rate TEFL Courses Check out tefl tesol about Rate TEFL Courses and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: Check out ITTT's Blog Posts H.K - Korea said: Pronunciation problems for KoreansMost EFL students find pronunciation the most difficult aspect of English language; pronunciation of English is very versatile because depending on stress, rhythm, and intonation, the meaning of a sentence can totally change. Majority of language students share problems pronouncing s endings, ed endings, stress, timing, articulation, intonation, rhythm through use of contractions, blends, flaps, pitch, inflections, linking(3)....  [Read more]

Tue, 14 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences What You Need to Know About Japanese Students' Challenges Before Teaching in Japan Japan is a country with a long history, deep tradition, and vibrant culture. Within this culture sits the Japanese language. At first, being a spoken language and then adopting the Chinese Writing System, Japanese has grown and changed into what it is today. If you look at all languages, most Western languages originate from a set family, such as Romance Languages (which became today's Spanish, French, Italian, etc). But Japanese (as most Asian languages) was formed from entirely different roots. These fundamental differences mean that the method of learning these languages has a lot to do with memorization and repetitive practice of the Chinese...  [Read more]

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences What You Need To Know When Teaching Beginner Students From the 60-year-old successful businessman who has never studied English to the third grader who is learning it for the first time in a school setting, each student has their own motivation and background. Their unique experiences will dictate what they bring to the table and be a factor in their success or difficulty in learning English. Understanding what brought the learners to the classroom, will help a teacher tailor the lessons to be most beneficial to her students. This includes understanding their culture to a certain extent, specifically as it relates to faux pas or misunderstandings that could arise in the classroom setting. Table of Contents Defining the Difficulties...  [Read more]

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Easy Solutions for Problems Faced by Japanese Students in English Learning a second language can be difficult and depending on the learner's mother tongue, it can present challenges unique to a certain group of people. More specifically, there are several unique challenges for Japanese native speakers who are learning English and vice versa. English can be difficult for Japanese native speakers for various reasons such as difficulty distinguishing certain sounds, the use of katakana to teach English words, and drastically different sentence structure. Table of Contents Difficult Sounds Vocabulary Typical to Japanese Only Sentence Structure Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was...  [Read more]

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How to Teach the Correct Pronunciation of L, R, V, and F Many students of English as a Second Language (ESL) find that, of the many struggles they have with the language, pronunciation is the most difficult to master. Table of Contents Working on Fluency Difficult Sounds: Part 1 How to Teach? Difficult Sounds: Part 2 How to Teach? Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Listen to this blog post Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sophie M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Working on Fluency Pronunciation is an extremely important ability to have to sound more fluent in English. By gaining the knowledge and skill of...  [Read more]

Fri, 18 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences There Is No L (And Other Differences Between Japanese and English) Throughout high school and college, I mainly focused on learning how to speak Japanese as my second language. Unlike English, Japanese is a fairly phonetic language. Two of its three writing systems, hiragana and katakana, are phonetic. This makes it easy for foreigners to learn because each syllable, also known as sound clusters in some circles, is almost always said exactly how it is spelled. The third writing system, kanji, is not and, as such, is much more difficult for foreigners to learn because kanji are essentially pictures that describe their meaning. They are much more difficult to learn and use in everyday speech. Table of Contents Differences in...  [Read more]

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Main Problems of ESL Learners From Japan Regardless of the Japanese government's efforts to increase the number of foreign tourists to be a tourism-oriented country and to have been retaining compulsory English education for decades, Japanese people still have a reputation of being bad at English. The average TOEIC and TOEFL scores for Japanese are one of the worst among advanced nations. South Korea was also one of the worst in the past, but they are getting better and better these days. However, there are still some obstacles for many Japanese English learners to get over. Table of Contents 1. First, there are very few teachers in Japan who can teach students how to speak and write English with confidence. 2. Secondly, the...  [Read more]

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Readers Are Leaders: How to Instill a Love for Reading in Children? Children usually prioritize their joy and prefer rewarding activities. They are more interested in reading when it is rewarding and beneficial to them. Interestingly, children learning a second language find it easier to learn reading compared to those who are learning to read for the first time. This is because young second language (L2) learners have already experienced that reading can be interesting and entertaining. By making reading in a second language interesting, students are likely to be motivated. Table of Contents Text Difficulty and Vocabulary Support Setting Achievable Reading Goals Tailoring Reading Material to Children's Interests...  [Read more]

Fri, 29 May 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Common Learning Difficulties Faced in ESL Settings Learning is always hard especially learning something new such as English learning. English is a different new language compared with Chinese, so when we are learning, definitely we will meet all kinds of difficulties in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Table of Contents Most beginners think listening is the most difficult part of English learning. Speaking can be improved dramatically from zero in a short time but it's quite difficult to speak accurately. For most Chinese people, English reading is not as difficult as listening or speaking. Writing is always the hardest part of English for Chinese students. Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today!...  [Read more]

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Common Difficulties in Teaching English to Native Mandarin Speakers Learning a second language can be difficult, and this is especially true when the learners L1 and their target language are completely different in structure, sound, and tones. An English as a second language student who speaks French, German, or any other European language will have an easier task than one who speaks a language that is not of European origins. One such language is Mandarin Chinese. Table of Contents State of The Problem The Chinese Language Structure Tenses Sentence Structure Do you want to teach English in China? Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ashley L. Please note that this blog post might not...  [Read more]

Fri, 09 Aug 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Several Pronunciations Troubles Faced by The Japanese Native Speakers The differences between many Asiatic languages' pronunciation and that of English form the basis for a multitude of miscommunications between international interlocutors. My experience living in Japan provides plentiful evidence to support this assertion. When my Japanese associates and I communicate in English, I notice three significant pronunciation struggles for my conversation partners. For the Japanese who are learning English, the clear enunciation of the /th/ sound, the fricative quality of the /v/ consonant, and the distinction of /l/ versus /r/ formation of the tongue. Table of Contents Language Structure Difficult sounds Do you want to teach English...  [Read more]

Achieve TEFL certificate Check out tefl tesol about Achieve TEFL certificate and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: Check out ITTT's Blog Posts T.H. - U.S.A. said: Problems for English students in Mexic?Quiero hablar Englés. Puedes enceñarme?? (I want to speak English. Can you teach me?) Living in a small tourist town in the northern part of Mexico, I have been asked this question many times. For the people living in a state that borders the united states, speaking English becomes a valued asset. Here in Creel, business owners want to be able to communicate with the tourists that come into their...  [Read more]

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The World Status of The English Language A global language is a language spoken internationally, the most popular one being English. It is learned by many people as a second language. Table of Contents Word Origin Global Communication Language Structure Cultural Importance Challenges For Learners Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Damian B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Word Origin A big part of the lexical units in the English language was taken from German, Latin, French, and other European countries. People think that languages have a strong relation between...  [Read more]

Sat, 15 Jun 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences It Can’t Be Stressed Enough: English Is Stressful Experiencing stress in a classroom can be inhibitory to the learning process of a student; however, stress can originate from many causes and cannot always be avoided as the cause may be an integral part of learning, especially in the case of new languages. Students learning English will have to learn to accept and overcome stress as part of the process if they hope to not allow stress to inhibit their learning. Understanding when and why difficulty is being experienced may help a student overcome these issues, and it can help a teacher support his or her students through difficulty. Table of Contents Fear of Failure Miscommunication Presentation Do you want to help your...  [Read more]

Wed, 29 May 2019 Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences The Problem of Pronunciation for Russians Learning English As a native Russian speaker I was worried about pronunciation from the very beginning of my English studies in primary school. It so happened that in my family my grandmother was an English teacher in high school who had worked in this position for more than 50 years. Naturally, I began my acquaintance with English much earlier than most of my peers. And the first step in the work of my grandmother in teaching me a foreign language was the formulation of pronunciation, something that most Russians have problems with. Table of Contents The Main Issues That Cause Problems for Russian Students The Problem With Vowels Looking on the Bright Side If I Can Do It, So Can Any Russian...  [Read more]

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Common Struggles of the Chinese Native Speakers Learning English Most researchers agree that the learner's first language influences the pronunciation of the target language and is a significant factor in accounting for foreign accents. So-called interference or interference from the first language is likely to cause errors in aspiration, stress, and intonation in the target language. Table of Contents Phonetics Unusual Sounds Language Structure Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Vesna A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Phonetics Some Chinese students tend to have...  [Read more]

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Ways to Encourage ESL Students: Common Fears and Challenges This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Michela C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Table of Contents I'm afraid of making a mistake But it's too difficult/easy I'm very shy/insecure How will I know if I'm getting better? What can I do to be a good student? Do you want to teach English abroad or online? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! I'm afraid of making a mistake You are in a classroom with people that have the same level of linguistic skills as you and your teacher is there to help you, not to judge you. Mistakes...  [Read more]