How to Improve Your English Skills: Tips from a LATAM Developer
The last decade has seen a huge boom in U.S. companies hiring Latin American developers. Through this, it’s become clear that one of the most important skills LATAM developers can develop to further their careers is a great level of English.
As an Argentinian in the upper quadrant of the millennial generation, my first introduction to English was about 30 years ago: I picked up a Gameboy and a copy of Pokemon Red, only to find that the words didn’t make any sense to me. But hey, I was a boy on a mission to catch ’em all, so I pushed my way through. Somehow, I figured out the meaning behind the game controls, the actions, and even the general Pokemon story on the way.
This approach – learning English playing video games - while unorthodox by every measure, was the driving force that allowed me to learn five languages over time. And learning languages has been paramount to gaining experience working with international companies.
In this article, I want to share some of my favorite techniques for improving language skills.
Table Of Contents
First Things First: What Does “Fluency” Mean?
As developers, many of us share a common goal to reach fluency in English, but defining that goal can be tricky. What does “fluency” even mean? Is it being able to communicate with others through English? Feeling comfortable writing and speaking? Is it sounding like an English native? Or some combination of those?
Most standards for measuring language proficiency will define fluency according to vocabulary (i.e. how many different words you know), using correct grammar, or your ability to understand written and spoken English. Some English Standards even categorize your skills in these areas in an effort to provide a rough estimate of how you stack up against other people.
While this may be useful to get a general understanding of your abilities, it’s also vague and potentially misleading. For instance, you may achieve great results if you have a wide vocabulary, but avoid speaking in English in your day to day because you still feel uncomfortable.
In my opinion, being fluent is a journey more than a destination. It’s not something that happens overnight, but gradually and through years of practice and acquired experience. For me, English fluency is being able to communicate effectively, feeling comfortable enough when doing so, and adopting a mindset of continuous improvement. I found that defining it this way helped me avoid falling into the trap of setting unrealistic goals, then feeling disappointed when I couldn’t reach them.
