On The Radio

I’m enjoying my moment of fame. On Tuesday and again on Saturday I heard someone mention my name on the radio. Yesterday I was at home and managed to record it. You can listen to it at: http://www.myprofe.com/los40.m3u

Good English

I don't know about you but I am fed up with those who claim to know English but then are incapable of carrying on a conversation with a native speaker. Just the day before yesterday I asked a man who supposedly knows a great deal of English what his wife was like and he answered that she enjoyed going to the cinema. In no way was I going to correct him in front of his peers. Had we been alone, I would most likely have said something. It's no wonder so many job applicants are turned down because of poor language skills. Hardly anybody is truly fluent in English nowadays. It seems the more we invest in language studies the less we learn. Could it be that the business of learning has actually turned into a business? If that were the case then learning would indeed be bad for business.

Authentic English

In the past it was only those privileged few who could afford to study abroad or at elite bilingual schools in their home countries that had access to authentic spoken English. Nowadays, thanks to the internet and communications technologies, even the non native English teachers con provide their students with authentic English audiovisual materials to better prepare them for the real world of English speakers.

Such things as regional accents, word stress, pronunciation and the rhythm of the language in addition to phrasal verbs, idioms and common expressions which were next to impossible and boring to teach in a traditional language class have suddenly become easier and more interesting. Having access to material by famous people all but guarantees, with a minimum of preparation, that you will have a successful class.

It is safe to say that the days when students only understood the English spoken by their teachers are long gone.

Foreigner in Madrid

I’ve been hearing my song on the radio more and more lately and it finally dawned on me what this fleeting moment of fame means to me. When you move to a new neighbourhood, or city, or country it takes time to be or to feel accepted. But it’s not only a factor of time. It’s also necessary to take steps to become integrated into the society.

So I’ve come to realize that this song is another one of those events or moments, like when my first child was born or when I became self employed, that makes me feel that I’m really a part of this society and not just another foreigner living away from home.