Improving Your Spoken English as an Adult
Do you think that you are too old to learn English or improve your spoken English? We can confidently say that the answer is no! The truth is, it is entirely possible to learn English at any age.
In fact, it can be argued that older people have certain advantages over younger people when it comes to English language learning. This is because older people already know how to learn as compared to younger people, and are capable of adapting and self-directing themselves in order to achieve their goals.
Let us now look at the story of one of the most famous people in the world, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and how he learned to speak English as an adult.
Arnold Schwarzenegger could barely speak English at all before he made the decision to move to America. This barrier did not stop him as he took several steps to ensure that he would learn English, as well as greatly improve his spoken English. He took many different classes including spoken English lessons, writing lessons, accent improvement classes, and English grammar lessons.
It can not be denied that he stumbled along the way and came across difficulties, but through hard work and dedication he persevered and became one of the most respected and influential men in the country!
To most, he is admired as a famous bodybuilder, Hollywood actor, and politician. For us however, he is an English language learning hero who has the ability to inspire several generations of language learners because of his inspirational story.
From having no English skills, his journey to learn English can teach many people what is needed not only to achieve their language learning goals, but also excel!
Let us now try to analyze the road to success during his English language learning experience.
Hard work and determination
Just as he worked tirelessly to become a title winning bodybuilder, Arnold Schwarzenegger worked just as hard to learn English when he moved to America. The challenges were different but despite the hurdles he came across, he never lost sight of his goal. He never let anyone discourage him, especially when his accent was made fun of. In fact, it was moments like this that encouraged him to keep working hard to improve his accent and spoken English.
Sense of purpose
Arnold Schwarzenegger never lost sight of what he aimed to accomplish and knew what he wanted from a very young age. Knowing what he wanted was a small part of his journey, it is what he did in order to get there that makes his story truly inspirational. He said, “to make it in business and Hollywood, I knew I had to take English lessons, speech lessons, accent-removal lessons – anything to improve my chances of success.” From this quote we can see that it is clear why he started learning English even though it was at a much later stage in his life.
Focused on culture
Arnold Schwarzenegger realized that an important part of learning English is to be surrounded by it. When he was trying to learn English, he made a conscious effort to read as much as possible, and learn about what was happening in America. He used to read newspapers and focus on his English lessons so he could take classes in other disciplines. For him, in order to able to learn English, he also needed to learn about American culture.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was able to learn and improve his spoken English drastically because he grabbed any opportunity that came his way that would help him learn. This in turn allowed him to create his own opportunities and become the man that he is today!
Improve your spoken English with EnglishHelper
Learning English takes time and effort, and you must try your best to stay motivated and work towards achieving your language learning goals. Learn from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s experience! Taking steps like these to improve your English can make a big difference in your language learning journey. Try our free English speaking course. Start at the beginning, or take a placement test to find your level and start from there. Sign up and start learning English today by clicking on the link below!