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Here is the transcript for the latest episode of the Breeze Lingo podcast English is a Breeze!
Sam: Hi everyone! This is Sam, and welcome to the first ever episode of the Breeze Lingo podcast. If you are listening to this episode, you are probably one of the millions of people on the planet learning English, which is awesome! Because being able to communicate in English can open up so many opportunities for you, for working, travelling, even falling in love! But learning English is not easy, really I know. I´m an English teacher and I see how frustrated my students can get. So, here I am with my little podcast series to try and motivate you to keep learning English and not to give up. You can also use these episodes, as part of your listening practice. So, if you have any questions about some of the words or expressions that we use, go ahead and contact me through Instagram or Facebook or email, and I´ll help you out.
So let´s get started. I am really excited about this first episode and today we are going to talk to Demi, who is a veterinary surgeon from Greece, and she is now living in England. So, she´s going to tell us all about how learning English has changed her life.
Sam: Hi Demi! and thank you very much for joining us today.
Demi: Hi Sam! I´m glad to be here.
Sam: That’s great, thank you. So first of all, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself?
Demi: Yes, absolutely. So, I´m Demi, I´m a veterinary surgeon, I´m 29 years old, and I´m currently living in the UK, originate from Greece and yeah, I came here about 5 years ago, took a year off to work in Germany, and back here to work again.
Sam: That´s fantastic, so, you´ve lived in several different countries then, in Germany and now in England.
Demi: Yes, started in England, in Greece to begin with, England and then Germany and back to England again.
Sam: Fantastic, and so, when did you actually start learning English? Did you learn from young age when you were at school? Or when was it?
Demi: So usually at school around 5th grade, I don´t know what is the equivalent in England but around 13 years old we are starting with the English language with just the basics so when we finish school, we are about an A1/A2 level of English, and if you want to go further with it, of course, you can go for a certificate, which I did so around 16 years old I finished with my English language to the proficiency certificate I would say.
Sam: Wow! So at 16 you already had the proficiency level of English, that´s amazing!
Demi: Yeah, it´s quite common in Greece.
Sam: Yeah, I suppose it’s to do with the fact that the Greek Language is not so widely spoken around the world, is it, so, you kind of have to learn English at a young age there.
Demi: Absolutely, and are so exposed to English from a young age, I mean, a lot of words derive from English snacks, and all that stuff so, we are exposed to it quite young.
Sam: Ok, and how did you learn English? Was it all through classes at school? Well, you said you were exposed in general to different words but the English classes, were they at school? Or, for example, did you also watch television in English? How would you say you learnt English?
Demi: I mean a lot of it from school to begin with so the vocabulary the words, just the basics really, and then afterwards, of course, watching movies, hearing songs, listening to English songs, it’s so international that really that everything, if you put on some subtitles, really you can learn that from a very young age.
Sam: Yeah that´s really interesting. For example in Spain, where I live, now, I think more people are starting to watch television in the original version and they are actually putting more films and series in the original version, and then you can put subtitles. But, for a long time, everything was dubbed into Spanish, so people were not, like forced into listening to English and a lot of people say that that´s maybe one of the reasons why maybe it takes longer to learn English. Less exposed to English perhaps in Spain than in Greece.
Demi: Yes indeed but nowadays, even with the internet, if you like it, and I really like the language, the English language, you can find it really anywhere with the internet, movies, with songs, with everything really. So, we don´t get many movies translated to Greek ´cos its not that common, so we are kind of more exposed to the English language with subtitles.
Sam: Yeah, so, it’s like normal there isn´t it, you don´t find it weird watching things in English, it´s how you grew up with that so it´s something you are used to from a young age, and I think it really helps, doesn’t it, to just be surrounded by the language and find it like something normal, not something terrifying.
Demi: Indeed! Indeed, but I have to say the thing that helped the most is actually going to the country and trying to speak to the natives there, to find out the different lingos there, the different slang, it really helps a lot with your confidence as well, ´cos you know if you learn it you have the theory, but it’s going there and experiencing it for yourself it makes you more fluent and I believe in it.
Sam: Yeah, definitely, I completely agree with you there because the confidence is the key, isn´t it, you can have all the theory the vocabulary the grammar, but you have to talk to someone and you kind of go blank and forget everything. Confidence is so important, isn’t it?
Demi: Indeed, indeed!
Sam: That´s great and so, from what you are telling me, I understand that for you, learning English was something that you had to do anyway, but then, in your case because you went to Germany and then, no sorry to England and then to Germany and back to England, I suppose you really kept up the English and continued practicing and learning.
Demi: It just sticks with you really, so going to Germany and learning from the beginning a completely different language, and trying to fit into that, coming back here it just comes back to you directly, its not something you forget really.
Sam: Yeah, so it’s kind of like ingrained isn’t it, in your brain. Like riding a bike! You can just go back to it again. That´s good to know! I think a lot of people worry that they learnt English at school and then didn´t use it for so many years and then they panic that they have forgotten everything but from what you are saying, if you need to use it again, it generally comes back to you with a but if practice so that’s a positive message for everyone listening, that´s fantastic.
And so now, with your, you said you were a veterinary surgeon, based in England and obviously with that you are using English every day with customers and animals of course! But I imagine it’s a very specific kind of English, very scientific and very technical. So, how did you find learning that? Because I imagine at school it was a more general English and now you are using a lot more technical English, so how did you learn the language that you use now for your job?
Demi: So to begin with, at university while I went through my veterinary degree we do learn some specific words in English as well, so like I would say the technical words, they kind of all derive a little bit from Latin and Greek, so it´s not that difficult. So I do have to say that speaking to the client and everyday life, I have to make it a little bit more plain, so I can only really use those words with colleagues, so, making it more plain really is not that difficult because you use everyday language to speak to the clients in simple words really.
Sam: Yeah, that´s a good point. So the technical part is maybe more with your colleagues or reading articles or things like that but, you have to make yourself understood or understandable so the clients can understand you of course. So that´s really interesting too. So it’s all different kinds of language use in your case.
Demi: Yes indeed, but it´s quite simple to learn and it’s very very – because you use it every day – it’s very easy. I would say within a couple of months you´ve got it, it´s not something that would terrify you, to begin with, because it all derives from Latin and Greek as well, so in my case, it wouldn’t be that difficult, to begin with, but, you don´t really use the scientific words unless, you know, it’s very specific.
Sam: Yeah, of course, so, would you say that learning English when you were younger and being immersed in English helped kind of guide your path to where you are today?
Demi: Absolutely, it opened up all the possibilities out there. It opened up the way for me to come and work in a different country, and if I didn´t start young and didn’t you know learn to love the English language from young, I would find it more difficult. In my case, with German, it was more difficult because I had to learn it as I got older, but it’s never too late! Even as an older person, not that old, but yeah, even then it begins to grow on you quite easily with being so exposed to it in everyday life.
Sam: That´s good to know as well that you are never too old to learn English! Or any language really, not only English of course. But of course, it helps that you have an interest in it from a young age and that obviously motivated you to continue learning. And like you say, it can obviously open so many doors and different opportunities. And, just before we finish, do you have any advice you would give to people who are learning English now. To help keep them motivated on their English language learning journey.
Demi: I mean the best kind of advice that I can give is really to just try it, don´t knock until you try it really. If you get your confidence up or at least if you don´t feel that confident then you need to start speaking it in order to. So don´t be afraid that you’re going to say a word a little bit difficult, a little bit more wrong. I still do that and, you know, they laugh at me a little bit! I just laugh on it and that’s it! So it’s really a case of just try it and you´ll get there.
Sam: Definitely yeah. I completely agree. I always say that to my students – «don´t be afraid to make mistakes». It´s a good way of learning I think, making mistakes, isn´t it?
Demi: Absolutely. You have to try it and once you get there you just laugh at yourself for not being able to say something to begin with, and then manage it somehow.
Sam: Exactly, I completely agree. Well Demi, that´s all my questions for you today and I really really appreciate you joining us, and thank you again for taking your time to help people with their English learning, and I think it’s really motivational and inspiring what you´ve told us today.
Demi: Thank you very much, I´m glad I could help, even a little bit and yeah, it was nothing, thank you for having me really.
Sam: Thanks again for listening to the first ever episode of the Breeze Lingo podcast. I hope the interview with Demi has inspired you to keep learning English and to keep trying. ´Cos, like Demi, it can open up so many opportunities for you in the future, maybe in your professional life or even in your personal life. And remember, don´t give up! Keep trying and, if you have any questions at all about this podcast, any of the vocabulary we have used, or any questions about English in general then of course, don´t hesitate to get in touch.
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