Universidade Europeia: www.europeia.pt  |  Licenciatura em Secretariado e Comunicação Empresarial: http://bit.ly/sce_ue

segunda-feira, 18 de fevereiro de 2013

ENGLISH – Essential Leverage for Today’s Successful Professionals


Fact – Nowadays the acquisition of foreign languages is mandatory for job seekers;

Fact – A language is acquired over time and frequent practice;
 
Fact – The more languages you know, the more job opportunities you’re bound to get;
 
Fact – English is the Lingua Franca on planet Earth;
 
Fact - English Certification is fundamental when job hunting;
 
Fact – Where your career is concerned, you can go far if you speak a foreign language, but you can do so much more just by being as fluent as you possibly can in English.
 
To help our future Executive Assistants obtain the job opportunity they aspire to, here are 12 WAYS TO LEARN, IMPROVE AND GUARANTEE YOUR FLUENCY IN ENGLISH:
 
1. Do a Placement Test to find out where your knowledge of the language stands;
 
2. Read short articles/texts/stories from reliable English sources (magazines/books/newspapers/Blogs/websites, etc.) on subjects that interest you on a daily basis;
 
3. Don’t look up the meaning of every word you read or hear that you don’t understand – only if it is essential for the overall meaning of the message the author is trying to convey. It’s time consuming and boring;
 
4. Try writing 5 minutes a day in English by copying a paragraph or two of what you read;
 
5. Listen to and/or watch TV programs in English without Portuguese subtitles (better yet – watch the same program two or three times). You’ll be surprised at how well and easily you understand the actors or hosts of these programs after the 3rd time!
 
6. Repeat the story/contents of these programs and read materials to yourself. When alone, try communicating with yourself and thinking in English as often as you possibly can;
 
7. When you speak in English don’t translate from Portuguese. Don’t worry about making mistakes – remember: communicating successfully and politely is more important than being 100% grammatically correct or word perfect;
 
8. Because communication is making yourself understood to others and understanding them in return, use all the communication tools at your disposal: gesticulate, make facial expressions, repeat yourself, smile, draw, write, point, etc. Communicating successfully is fun;
 
9. Listen to English songs you enjoy. Sing along and repeat the lyrics (easy to find online) until you’re able to sing the song on your own. Then move on to another song;
 
10. Look up free English lessons and Exercises on an internet search engine and use them to work on grammar and vocabulary – this works if you’re well-disciplined;
 
11. Use the English classes that are a significant part of your course curriculum, to put this knowledge into practice to add business-specific content to your English language skills;
 
12. Obtain the Cambridge Certificate that best guarantees your knowledge of this key universal language when presented to prospective employers.

Olga Calado
English Coordinator and Lecturer
ISLA Campus Lisboa | Laureate International Universities

1 comentário:

  1. Great tips! Besides, you get the most out of a book or movie if you read/watch it in English, since nuances tend to be lost in translation.

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