I find it suprising how many young chinese still have problems with speaking english, though their writing is very good, elocution allways is embarrassing to them/you. it should not be. a good effort is worth it and should be encouraged. never put down or mocked.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/2009 04:17AM by Olive.

How do u find out this? Are u from english speaking country??im a chinese girl,,actually i'd always like to make a friend wz someone from english speaking country to practice a litte big my english,,cuz its been years that i havent spoken english,,,im in paris now..

Where r these young chinese who don't speak good english ? Are they from China or those born & bred in the States or Britain ? If they are from english speaking countries , then they don't have an excuse for not speaking proper english. But those from China, really, are trying hard to improve their language skills. I have to say they are trying harder than the japanese and the Koreans.The problem is the lack of practice with native english speakers.Don't be surprise to bump into people who want to practise their english with you aggresively in China !
Even though they are proud of their language, they are opening up to learning other languages. Mastering more languages can lead to more and better job opportunities in life.

Here is what the problem is when it comes to Chinese kids learning English. I've come to find that a lot of English teachers in China come from Russia and India. When I was out there I had offers to teach from both of my wife's parents' universities. Now there are a good amount of British teachers, but I guess what the schools are really looking for are US teachers.

Anyway, the problem is the Russian and Indian teachers. As these people do speak English well, I've come to find a lot of them have strong accents that muddle the English language for the Chinese student. Imagine it as you are drinking watered down Pepsi, or Coke that has too much lime in it. It causes them to have improper pronunciation.

Also, with the way the Internet is they have lots of practice reading and writing in English, but speaking it they may not have a lot of chances.

Also another thing that causes them to have problems is being timid or shy about using the language as they want to be as perfect as all of us who were born into the language, so their nervousness causes them to stutter, mumble, and make mistakes.

Still once you find them immersed into the US, Canada, or the UK...you find that they speak well. Of course they make plenty of mistakes, but so does most people who speak a second language.

Anyway, I Know these things from being an ESL teacher, and of course being with my wife.

Hi all

My name is Herbert Lee. I'm the Director of Research at the English Research Institute. I've been a professional speaker and trainer (in English) for over 30 years. I've been a coach to CEO's, public relations executives, politicians, and high level executives. I've written four books on presentation skills.

I have been researching English fluency for over six years. I have seen so many students try to become better speakers, spend lost of money on books, courses and training and get very little result. Instead they wind up frustrated and upset and eventually give up.

I am almost finished my first draft of the "Fluent English Research Report." If you want a copy send me an email at englishresearchinstitute@gmail with the subject line "Free Report CT." I think it may put you on the right track.

Oh, I'm very busy doing research so don't have time to answer your personal questions. So please no emails for "chatting." My research will help lots of people improve their fluency so I can't spend a lot of time with chatting. Sorry about that.

Herbert Lee
Director of Research
English Research Institute