English learning is a continuous process, but some students want to learn it as quickly as possible. Therefore, they pursue short courses and materials that promise to polish their skills within days. I also offer English courses, but I clearly tell my students that my courses can provide a good roadmap that gives the right direction to learn English, but they will not make them fluent in English speaking overnight. I would like to share my own story of how I learned English and achieved fluency. Before I share my journey, I would like to tell you how I became interested in the English language. There was a language learning program in our school at the matriculation level called the ‘American Access – Language Learning Program’. I was curious to join those classes, and although I attended a few, my school teacher was not happy with that, thinking it would be an extra burden on students. So, I quit, but I was determined to learn this language at any cost.
I was in 12th grade; I had no interest in science books like chemistry or physics, but I remained fascinated with college English books. However, this was a limited resource for learning English, as college books never teach you language as a skill, but rather help you study English as a subject. I purchased some books, such as ‘Step up to IELTS’ and ‘Insight into IELTS Extra’, which really helped me construct phrases and sentences. More importantly, I received CDs with those books and saved the audio files on my phone, listening to them day and night. After two years, I was able to speak a little, but I still lacked fluency because I hadn’t started practicing in a real-life environment.
In order to start speaking practice, I made friends with people from other countries and tried to discuss various topics with them. I had the opportunity to meet individuals from Algeria, the United States, Spain, and Italy. I found these people through Facebook and Yahoo Messenger. Initially, I struggled to convince them to practice with me, so I pretended to be an English teacher, leveraging my knowledge of language structures like Can, Could, Will, and Would. The learners who were in the early stages of learning were impressed with my English skills, and I recall that two of them even paid me $80 for online classes. I thought I could continue this as a part-time job, as I was a college student at the time. Although I taught English for free for many years, I eventually started getting paid as time passed.
Meanwhile, I earned a Master’s in Communication Studies (MSc), an MA in English Language Teaching and Linguistics (ELTL), and two additional master’s degrees: an MA in Urdu and an MA in English. Then, I decided to pursue an MPhil in English Linguistics, and now I am pursuing my PhD in English Linguistics. These English degrees may not directly help many learners because, in these programs, we don’t learn English as a language, but rather conduct a scientific study of language or languages, focusing on how to teach, learn, and analyze language as a tool of power. I am also a visiting lecturer at the University of the Punjab, and delivering lectures has certainly helped polish my speaking skills. Additionally, I have recorded over 600 videos for my social media channels, which has greatly contributed to my command of English. You might not believe that I am still learning this language! Learning a language as a skill relies entirely on self-effort. You must engage in language practice beyond your school subjects, speaking outside the classroom, and chatting with English-speaking friends. Avoid those who shake your confidence and make fun of you! Best of luck!