Don't Fear for English

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American Institute for English Proficiency, Makati, Philippines on Facebook

[Denmark Pilongo]

Denmark Pilongo
Customer Service Specialist

"I am glad I found The American Institute because they helped me in improving my conversation fluency and developing my confidence. At first, I was very intimidated when speaking in English, but I became more and more comfortable. I am currently working as customer service specialist in the BPO/Call Center industry, and I have The American Institute to thank for. I am still a part of the institute through their English Club called Universal Pro-English Club. We've done many activities including trips to Baguio, Lucena, interview strategies, and many more so that we can use English in a natural setting."

Alice Anod
Accountant and Auditor

"The English language Specialists are very different from all the teachers I've had in high school or college. Most teachers I've had in the past were very strict and distanced themselves from the students, but these guys will make you feel like you're one of them. In fact, we call them by their first names, not "sir" or ma'am." They respect us as students with individuality, and at the same time, we respect them for their knowledge and expertise. I used to work for a relatively small local bank, but now I work for a major international firm after developing my speech and communication skills through them."

Elaine Villafuerte
Hotel Operations Specialist

"Before I came to The American Institute, I was already somewhat confident with my English; I simply wanted to polish my speech and communication skills. What I found was that I had so much more to learn. They really taught me how not to just speak English, but how to speak WELL. I was able to improve my critical thinking skills and became a more organized speaker. Now, I work for a five-star hotel, and I am so much more confident when dealing with local executives as well as foreign business professionals. I would highly recommend their services."

To view more testimonials, click on the blue "Testimonials" button above.

[ANC, the News Channel of ABS-CBN, partners with The American Institute.]

ANC, the News Channel of ABS-CBN, partners with The American Institute.  On October 3, 2007, The American Institute became the official consultant for the Philippine Debate Championship which is co-sponsored by ABS-CBN/ANC and Philippine Graphics.  The debate tournament uses the parliamentary debate format, in which two university students compete against two others.  General Manager and English Language Specialist Christopher Delacruz, an Impromptu Speaking Champion in the US and Canada and Finalist in several  parliamentary debate events in the Northwest Public Debate Association has and will be helping the teams to prepare for the nationally televised debates and help lead them to the world championships which will be held in Thailand.  The debates air live on ANC every Wednesday at 8 pm.

[Christopher]

Don't Fear for English, The Big Idea

To all those who fear the invasion of our shores by foreign languages - I'm speaking to you, stalwarts of the "English Only" movement - seriously, you need to travel more.

Perhaps they simply have not experienced signage such as these doozies from China: Deformed man toilet (disabled-access restroom).

Airline pulp (airline food).

The slippery are very crafty (slippery when wet).

If you are stolen, call the police.

Do not climb the rocketry (rock wall).

These are examples of "Chinglish" provided by the Global Language Monitor, an Austin, Texas-based group that monitors the use of English worldwide. Fluency is obviously lacking in these phrasings, culled in honor of the Olympics to showcase how English is abused in China. The upshot is English is spreading worldwide - albeit imperfectly - at an astonishing rate.

Twenty-five percent of the world's population speaks English, according to the Language Monitor. In Beijing alone, nearly 5 million people speak English. That is more than one-third of the city's population. Apparently, this trend is lost on those trying to eliminate various government efforts in the United States to aid non-English speakers here through translators, bilingual ballots and, yes, the ever-unpopular "Press 1 for English" automated telephone options.

The debate about language inside the United States obviously is a manifestation of public dissatisfaction with immigration policy, especially the persistence of illegal immigration.

It's a simple fact that we're all better off when non-native speakers can get the basic information they need when on the bus, in a courtroom, on an emergency hotline or in countless other everyday situations. Yet for some ultra-patriots, to deny them that information is a handy way to punish immigrants, legal or illegal.

Consider that in recent years, virtually every state has considered efforts to enforce English-only laws, which are an attempt to force non-native speakers toward English as their primary language (without the understanding of how long it takes to become truly fluent).

Some polls show as many as 85 percent of Americans think this is fine idea. It's not always clear what American nativists feel they have at stake in the issue of foreign language signage and telephone messages.

Many seem to believe that foreigners in our country are "refusing" to learn English, or that the value of our mother tongue is somehow diminished by the presence of an immigrant who stammers through attempts at communicating.

This is absurd, as is the equally widespread belief that immigrants adamantly are adhering to their native language out of some sort of disrespect to the United States. Also lost on the English-only crowd is the dynamism of their language.

English, as it's spoken on both sides of the Atlantic, has, over the centuries, grown richer and more supple with every "invasion" of non-native speakers, be they immigrants or colonial subjects. Youth subcultures and technology, too, have left an indelible mark on the way we speak. No one ever heard of Google, much less used it or "text" as a verb, prior to the virtual explosion of the Internet (another new word) and cell phones.

English the world over is the language of commerce, science and technology. It is the compulsory second language that most students must learn from China to Chad to Chile. In India and the Philippines and countless other places, learning English is one of the surest ways to get ahead. Why would anyone suppose it's any different among the immigrant children of America?

If we have a language problem in this country, it is that most Americans show little interest in learning one other than English. Trying to express oneself in an unfamiliar language is humbling. Maybe some Americans don't like to feel vulnerable, so they like the idea that everybody speaks their language. But I don't think that describes most Americans. We love words. How else to explain the popularity of crossword puzzles and that perennial favorite, Scrabble? To put up walls around language is to risk losing our creativity and curiosity, our readiness to incorporate and assimilate new things. The experience of gaining new words to convey meanings not covered by English opens the mind.

I'm working toward my own bilingual future and I await the day this old joke no longer has the same punchline: What do you call someone who speaks three languages? A trilingual. What do you call someone who speaks two languages? A bilingual. What do you call someone who speaks one language? An American.

? Mary Sanchez is an opinion-page columnist for The Kansas City Star. Send e-mail to msanchez@kcstar.com.
Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Sunday, September 07, 2008

 

[quellemontano]

im not afraid in EngLish

im just afraid of getting judge by the people arounds me

quelle

[maricel]

Me too...Im not afraid of English...

But Im just afraid of expressing it.....cos, i felt that my English was wrong...or they might laughing at me if I commit mistake of  conveying my word using English.That's why i prepared not to speak at all,...i was really offended if someone Laughing at me because my grammar was not good.and of course.Am intimidating  of someone who was trying to impress other people that they are really good in English,my self esteem is getting low...and low and low.....and thanks god i found this school,it really helped me a lots...am more vocal but not too much,they built my self confidence.and my self esteem was not just like before.But still am learning new things.

[joh]

I am not afraid of English...

Honestly, I love English.  But the problem with me is that I could hardly express myself when I am writing or speaking in English.  Most of the time, I got disorganized words, making my composition a joke.  I find difficulty in choosing the right words, putting the topics in order and ending the paragraph with the correct tone.  When I speak, I am always lost for words, I stammer.  I am too conscious with what I say, I am afraid that people will critize me as well as laugh at me.  More often than not, I translate my thoughts from Filipino to English.

An one more thing, I have a slow reading comprehension that it takes me 2 to 3 times re-reading an article/composition/instructions/procedures before finally understand it.

English really is a challenge for me...   

[Christopher]

Practice makes perfect.

One cannot become skilled in something without practice.

It's just like playing any sport.  The more you try, the harder you try, and the more willing your try, the better you will be.

[minamibayo]

  I am not afraid of the english language itself, but i am afraid, people who are really fluent in english judge me by the way i deliver a statement. I am not that confident to use english in any conversation. I hope someday, i will.

I want to enroll, but i couldnt afford the tuition fees. T_T

[MGH]

English is very frightening on my part, Im not good in it but i am doing my best to overcome it. Like on what I have experienced I was failed during my interview for promotion the reason is my poor communication skills. I get easily intimidated with the interviewer, I cant focused that much and I get nervous thats why I cant concentrate that much.

[minamibayo]

  I am shy-type or quiet type... maybe this is why my communication skills is not really good. I hope someday i could enroll at AIEP, so that i will be more confident and assertive. I am hoping that people at AIEP are not discriminating, because most of the people i saw who are really fluent in English are boastful.

[claudyn]

I agree with you, some of them are very boastful..that is why I am planning to enroll at aiepro maybe next month. I would like to improve my english and be more comfortable with it...I hope to see you there.

[minamibayo]

 :badair:i am excited to enroll...

[madaldoll]

People who are good in english are not boastful. Some of them are just confident.

And people in AIEP don't discriminate people, they help each and everyone to succeed.

If someone laughs at you, shame on him, pity he doesn't realize his mistakes too.

We all know that nobody's perfect and so no one should judge nor discriminate another only because his/her english skills are poor.

People in AIEP motivate you. They build you, not destroy you. That's why I love AIEP so much!!! 

[bebekoh]

People who are good in english are not boastful. Some of them are just confident.

And people in AIEP don't discriminate people, they help each and everyone to succeed.

If someone laughs at you, shame on him, pity he doesn't realize his mistakes too.

We all know that nobody's perfect and so no one should judge nor discriminate another only because his/her english skills are poor.

People in AIEP motivate you. They build you, not destroy you. That's why I love AIEP so much!!! 

Actually, Filipinos in general are conscious about their English for fear of embarassment, considering most of us are well-versed English conversationalist.  We are very critical about our pronunciation, diction, grammar, spelling, etc.  Foreigners, however, do not really care about it.  as long as they can understand you, that's fine with them.  although, of course, it wouldn't hurt to use the correct grammar.  it's for our own good anyway! 

[iAMHE]

I do not fear English but sometimes, i get intimidated when speaking with someone who i think is more versed in the language than I do :D:D:D:D or rather, more confident in speaking the English language.

its funny though that i could find flaws in his/her grammars while gauging how he speaks, but im still intimated. :P:P (im no perfect with the language, and i as well commit mistakes, probably, more mistakes)

sometimes, i hardly express my self in English coz im used to thinking in my native language. I try many times translating it to English but the syntax and semantic of my language is just too different from  english so i ended up with ahhhh,, annnnnd... ahhh.. :DD:D:D:D filler, filler and more filler

 

[hyperonin]

English is a challenging language yet so interesting.

[chelle]

I am not good in English but because of AIEP i learned a lot.. i develop my confidence because when i was in high school I'm very shy and i really felt nervous..

Thank you for all the specialist in the AIEP.

 

[alucard]

i'm not really that good in english, i just bluffed my way when i write. honestly, i am not that good, i just learned it from watching too many movies and reading too many comic books. i was a product of provincial public schools and i don't hide that fact. i don't think people who speaks the english language are that boastful, but i'd agree that some are full of hot air.

i'm a mediocre pupil and a failing student in grade school and high-school respectively. and i was worse when i got into college, i drowned in my sudden realized liberty and i did what every collegiate hello does, drink booze around the u-belt. i practiced a lot of drinking and got enough mastery of it that i could drink all night and still have the gall to go to class the next day smelling like a septic tank. but i digress...

i wasn't even a good oral english speaker, i stammer a lot and exhibit a lot of "ahh"s while speaking. and i don't know what people see on my writing, i don't have that wide a vocabulary, i just write what i read during my freetime, well, an eanglish teacher told me to write down novel words that i come across when reading anything, that was in high school and i tried it a couple times and it worked for me, and it had been a habit to remember new words that i come across with, then look it up so i can understand it more.

usually, i come across people who speak english as a status symbol. i hate the coniotic bastards that messes up the language, that's why i hated kris aquino and gretchen barreto eversince, and ruffa gutierez is really forgettable since she's as dumb as a doorknob eversince she went public. those coniotic bastards think that if you speak guttertrash language like they do you'd automatically become the sons of god, or so they believe. well, in a way they are, since their families are well to do and filthy stinking rich that they think they own the world. well look at hubert and company, all them alabang coniotic speaking stoned dead rapists got what they deserve. they'd often intimidate people making them think they're sophisticated and profound by their coniotic manners in speaking, but everyone can see how shallow those people can be. but, they become lawyers and politicians because of their family's money and influence, now that's another factor why this country is going to the dogs.

confidence on speaking it is an altogether different animal, well it can help us express ourselves more if we are confident in everything else that we undertake. but i think the main idea on speaking any other language is for us to communicate basic ideas and opinions so that other people can relate and comprehend what we wish to relay to them, otherwise, i think we fail in the very premise of speaking the language and we fail in the simplest terms of communication.

[hyperonin]

i'm not really that good in english, i just bluffed my way when i write. honestly, i am not that good, i just learned it from watching too many movies and reading too many comic books. i was a product of provincial public schools and i don't hide that fact. i don't think people who speaks the english language are that boastful, but i'd agree that some are full of hot air.

i'm a mediocre pupil and a failing student in grade school and high-school respectively. and i was worse when i got into college, i drowned in my sudden realized liberty and i did what every collegiate hello does, drink booze around the u-belt. i practiced a lot of drinking and got enough mastery of it that i could drink all night and still have the gall to go to class the next day smelling like a septic tank. but i digress...

i wasn't even a good oral english speaker, i stammer a lot and exhibit a lot of "ahh"s while speaking. and i don't know what people see on my writing, i don't have that wide a vocabulary, i just write what i read during my freetime, well, an eanglish teacher told me to write down novel words that i come across when reading anything, that was in high school and i tried it a couple times and it worked for me, and it had been a habit to remember new words that i come across with, then look it up so i can understand it more.

usually, i come across people who speak english as a status symbol. i hate the coniotic bastards that messes up the language, that's why i hated kris aquino and gretchen barreto eversince, and ruffa gutierez is really forgettable since she's as dumb as a doorknob eversince she went public. those coniotic bastards think that if you speak guttertrash language like they do you'd automatically become the sons of god, or so they believe. well, in a way they are, since their families are well to do and filthy stinking rich that they think they own the world. well look at hubert and company, all them alabang coniotic speaking stoned dead rapists got what they deserve. they'd often intimidate people making them think they're sophisticated and profound by their coniotic manners in speaking, but everyone can see how shallow those people can be. but, they become lawyers and politicians because of their family's money and influence, now that's another factor why this country is going to the dogs.

confidence on speaking it is an altogether different animal, well it can help us express ourselves more if we are confident in everything else that we undertake. but i think the main idea on speaking any other language is for us to communicate basic ideas and opinions so that other people can relate and comprehend what we wish to relay to them, otherwise, i think we fail in the very premise of speaking the language and we fail in the simplest terms of communication.

I really admire your idea and the way you deliver thoughts. Every posts and comments you make really catches my attention. I never felt bored reading every lines you write. Interesting indeed!

[bread_stix]

I know that I understand English well enough, but when it is my time to speak up, I always feel like I just can?t find the right words to say...

[alucard]

I really admire your idea and the way you deliver thoughts. Every posts and comments you make really catches my attention. I never felt bored reading every lines you write. Interesting indeed!

that's what you think. better ask around how stupid and senseless i am, i mean, i'm only good with helloty materials, i don't know if i was just born like a clown that i make people laugh and get entertained by what i do, i'm not even trying to be entertaining. if you'd get to know me you'd curse me to hell like all my friends does, heck i don't even have friends that doesn't even betray me or screw my wife. well, who needs friend you can't trust anyway. so what ever good thoughts you think of me, you may get real disappointed when you really get to know me.

[Wednesday]

I really admire your idea and the way you deliver thoughts. Every posts and comments you make really catches my attention. I never felt bored reading every lines you write. Interesting indeed!

that's what you think. better ask around how stupid and senseless i am, i mean, i'm only good with helloty materials, i don't know if i was just born like a clown that i make people laugh and get entertained by what i do, i'm not even trying to be entertaining. if you'd get to know me you'd curse me to hell like all my friends does, heck i don't even have friends that doesn't even betray me or screw my wife. well, who needs friend you can't trust anyway. so what ever good thoughts you think of me, you may get real disappointed when you really get to know me.

Don't listen to him Hyperonin. I agree with you,he does have a lot of interesting to say. I'm a big fan of his . I just hope sometimes he's not so hard on himself. He's a  real nice guy when you get to know him. He just have a lot of crazy ideas but it doesnt make him a bad guy. Not everyone is perfect and that's what I love about him

[alucard]

you listen to betchie and you've doomed us all. betchie is a nerd but sometimes she doesn't know what she's talking about  she says she's a dork, but i don't think so. she's the most sensible and lovely person i have ever met, but like all of us, she can make mistakes too, and she's badly mistaken on her assessment of me. trust me, you wouldn't want to think that i am what you think i am, if you know who i really am, you'd curse me and damn me to hell, heck you'd even throw stones at me and stone me to death if you really knew who i am. so take betchie's word when she says crazy, that one she got right on the money. i might not be too proud because i am insane, and betchie knows that, but i really am crazy. and i'm a bad guy, i'm the baddest one there is out there, if i were you, i wouldn't even trust me with your grandma alone in a private room. and that's just the preliminaries...

[Wednesday]

I didnt say you were crazy. I said you have some crazy ideas. Dont not fear English and definetely not fear Alucard!

[alucard]

honey, it's the same thing. what's behind the crazy ideas is a crazy man, a looney tuned man. it's ok, i don't deny it anyway. but only you can call me that, other wise, i'd rip their throats out.

[Christopher]

I enjoy reading his posts too. Haha.

I love it when alucard and ribozyme get into it.

[dhellevel99]

I've admit that since grade school up to college, English subject always giving me a head ache. 
but recently after i failed to pass the final interview for a good position in call center company and that's the time i realized the importance of english language in finding a job.
In addition,BEING PROFICIENT IN ENGLISH is a wonderful experience and how the people see you as a better person  :bluesbrother:with respect.

[iAMHE]

trust me, you wouldn't want to think that i am what you think i am, if you know who i really am, you'd curse me and damn me to hell, heck you'd even throw stones at me and stone me to death if you really knew who i am. so take betchie's word when she says crazy, that one she got right on the money. i might not be too proud because i am insane, and betchie knows that, but i really am crazy. and i'm a bad guy, i'm the baddest one there is out there, if i were you, i wouldn't even trust me with your grandma alone in a private room. and that's just the preliminaries...

you seem to be fun to stay and befriended with :D:D

[alucard]

you seem to be fun to stay and befriended with :D:D

that's what everybody thinks you people just don't know what kind of a heartless monster i am. i already told everyone that i'm a shameless adulterer

[iAMHE]

why do you think that despite your being "morally decadenced" as you claim you are, many still think you are good to befriended and to stay with?

simply because some can relate to your situation and some are intrigue by your personality.  its not because they pity you and that sort, but because youre being you...the you, i bet.

[Wednesday]

Your exactly right Sam. He's a great guy!

[marc_pogi]

Me, I am not afraid of English, I just get conscious every time I speak the language and my confidence is a bit low that is why I enrolled here at AIEP. More power to you guys