Video transcript
Hi, it’s Alfredo. For language learning, motivation is extremely important. Without motivation, there will be no progress. Some of you have been trying to learn English for a long time. Months ago or years ago, you thought that by now, you would be fluent. You may be tired; you may be frustrated; you may have lost a lot of your motivation. Today, I want to tell you, don’t give up. Don’t quit!
I’m excited to present another part of my interview with Matthew Weathers, an English teacher in Asia. In the first part of the interview, Matthew and I talked about getting the confidence to talk with a native English speaker. As you watch this video, write down the reasons that Matthew and I give for not giving up. Watch the entire video, because at the end, I have a question for you to answer.
Interview
Alfredo: Many of these English learners have spent years studying English. And it may be that there at the point that they’re just frustrated. They’re perhaps tired of studying English. They’ve been doing it all their lives, or as much of their lives and they can remember. And so the motivation might get lower and lower. What do you recommend for someone who needs to be reminded about why they’re studying English? What can help to increase their motivation?
Matthew: For students–and both of us have been students in the past, and we realized a long hard process of going to class, of studying, of working hard–sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the details of learning and keep our focus off of the end goal.
1. Learning English for a Job
And I would encourage my students with learning English that one day they will need to stop being a student and to join the workforce in whatever country that may be. Usually, that will be in China for my students who are Chinese. But many of them desire to go abroad or to work in an international company. And so even English is a very useful and valuable tool for them to find a job. I know today studying grammar is not very fun, but tomorrow speaking English on the job is very beneficial.
Alfredo: Do you have any other suggestions for someone to increase his or her motivation for learning English?
2. Learning English for Relationships
Matthew: I did mention about jobs and how learning English will help you usually find a better job, whether in your native country or abroad, but learning English also helps you to expand your friendships and your relationships. I have many friends who are Chinese, but if they did not know English and I did not know a little bit of Chinese, we could not be friends very easily. But since they have learned English relatively well, we can be friends. And if I need something or if they need something, we can communicate, and we’re able to help one another. And with a student who knows English, when they help me or if they help another native English speaker, who does not know Chinese very well, that gives them a big feeling of satisfaction and joy in helping other people.
So I would say that learning English is good not only to have a job but also to help other people in whatever field or in whatever location you are.
3. Learning English for Pleasure
Alfredo: Yeah, and I think that there’s a difference between internal motivation and external motivation. A lot of times when we do something for a job or we do something for some kind of reward, some kind of external reward like a pay increase or a better job, that might not actually be as motivating as something that’s coming from internal motivation. We do it because we want it, we see the value of it, we love it, and it just becomes a passion for us.
Why Are You Learning English?
In this part of the interview, you heard Matthew and I give some reasons for not giving up, reasons for not quitting.
Why are you learning English?
- Are you learning English because it’s part of your academics?
- Because you need it for your current job or your future job?
- Because you want to improve relationships or make new relationships?
- Or are you learning English because you just enjoy learning English? Is learning the English language a hobby for you?
Add a comment below this video, and give us your motivation, your main reason for wanting to improve your English skills. I look forward to reading your comment.
