Last Updated on 2020-10-12 by ppcguybklyn

If we want to study and work in the U.S.A., there are some levels of requirements for our English. What kind of level is enough if we want to work in the U.S.A.? If we are currently preparing to study abroad, how can we prepare to improve our English? In this article, I’ll answer these two questions based on my personal experience.

The requirements of English when working in the U.S.A. 

Before introducing how to improve our English, we should understand the requirements. In this article, I’ll answer this question from the aspects of reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and further discuss what level of English is enough for the American job market for each category. 

Reading and Listening: Respond to emails and internal messages 

No matter what kind of jobs it is, we usually apply our reading and writing abilities to responding to emails and messages from supervisors and coworkers. Most of the times a formal email should have 3 parts: “Say hello”, “the goal of this email”, and “things to do.” Different people have different writing habits. Some like to use formal words, while some prefer simpler and more casual phrasing. Internal messages tend to be short, and we can usually ask what information we need to provide to others or what kind of things we can help directly.

Whether it’s an email or internal messages, we need to understand the meanings in a very short period of time and know what our coworkers need from us. The quicker we are able to read and comprehend, the better the communication between us and our coworkers will be. 

When we reply to the emails or messages, we need to express our opinions clearly. In my previous article abouthow to write an email,I have mentioned that lots of people like to use long sentences while writing in English. However, most of the time we can use sections as well as shorten sentences to let others know our thoughts more easily and faster.Using sections and blanksanddeleting redundant words, and writing conciselyare 3 things international students need to improve, especially when we are used to writing essays in TOFEL, GRE or GMAT.

English writing is definitely a skill that international students have fewer opportunities to practice and improve. Even when we’re preparing for English exams, writing is not the top priority for students. That’s why when we need to use English to reply to all emails and messages for the first time , we might not be that used to the task. Therefore, if we can practice writing in advance, it will be extremely helpful in our career.

Writing: Writing Ad Copies, Performance Reports, and Proposals 

The most demanding part for one’s English writing skill is definitely writing reports and proposals. We’ll need to write these in excellent English unless we’re an engineer who spends most of our time coding. If we want to find a paid-search related opportunity, we’ll also need to write ad copies. For this part you can see more details in my previousarticle regarding copywriting.When writing these documents, we don’t need to write lots of words like what we do on TOEFL. The most important things are using correct grammar, and writing concisely to express our opinions. 

We should check to ensure the grammar is correct on reports and copywriting. Using improper grammar will make customers or target audiences think we’re not professional enough. Although checking grammar is cumbersome, it is still worth the efforts.

We should use positive and active words to write performance reports and proposals. Also, using “we” instead of ‘you” could create a sense of unity among us and our clients or other department.

When it comes to phrasing in copywriting, we should consider the brand and product image. For example, we should avoid mentioning “good deal or “cheap” if we are promoting luxury goods. On the other hand, we can emphasize the extra value compared to other brands if we are promoting convenience goods.

For international students, it is difficult for us to choose the right words when it comes to writing professional documents. Most of us are not familiar with the American job market. Using improper words may leave a negative impression even if the grammar is correct. That’s why choosing the most suitable words while writing in English is probably the most important thing when we are working professionally in the United States.

Listening and Speaking: Communicate with Supervisors and Coworkers 

Listening and speaking are the most difficult things for international students. After sparing all efforts to finally get an offer, we might be frustrated when we don’t know how to communicate with supervisors and coworkers. In order to be prepared to enter the US job market, it is essential to understand the common daily-used words and phrases as well as expressing our opinions fluently when discussing with coworkers. In another article:How to start a small talk - Part 1I introduce some skills to talk and reply to others.

Oral communication is especially important in marketing roles. In the marketing department, we need to discuss with each other frequently. Capturing the keywords in one’s sentence in a short time and responding with our opinions, is a crucial skill when it comes to communicating in English in a professional space. Some international students may need to put more efforts into improving this skill because they lack the experience of talking to natvie English speakers due to their environment.

Listening and Speaking: Talking on the phone or face to face 

If we need to communicate with customers or clients, the demand for listening and speaking will be higher. When we talk to the supervisors and coworkers, they would be more patient to listen to us, and more tolerant of our talking pace and choice of words. However, if we’re talking to clients, they may not be as patient as our coworkers. We should be more careful in choosing the phrase and express our opinions without offending them. At the same time, don’t let them wait for too long. These would be quite challenging for one’s English listening and speaking skills. 

To sum up, the requirement for the four skills to be able to work professionally in The US are the following: 

ReadingWe shall be able to read email and internal messages efficiently and confirm what we need to do with others. Also, we need to be familiar with formal and informal usages and use them in different places. 

WritingWe shall be able to reply to emails and internal messages clearly. If they need our help, we can reply how we can help and how long we can finish it. If the role is related to paid search or needs to contact customers, writing ad copies and sales performance reports with correct grammar and phrases are important. 

Listening:We shall be able to capture keywords and be familiar with common words and phrases when talking on the phone or face to face. Adapting to listening to different accents is also a plus. 

Speaking:We shall be able to think of how to answer when others are talking, and change different phrasing depending on who they are. We have to clearly express our opinions as well as don’t let others repeat too many times or wait for too long. 

How to improve our English? 

Now we know what we need to communicate effectively in English, how can we prepare in advance before studying or working abroad? Below we discuss the strategies. 

Reading 

Cultivating a reading habit is important. Some may have good command on English, but still feel hard to adapt because of lack of reading. If we don’t use English in the office, we seldom have a chance to practice English. However, if we plan to study and work abroad, we should find chances to read regularly. 

How to choose suitable contents to read? Some people may recommend Times or CNN News. However, in my opinions, if the content is above our level, we may give up easily. We can find blogs, articles, novels with moderate difficulty with the topics we are interested in. As time goes by, we can read and understand faster. 

Writing 

Most people are concerned about grammar when they want to polish their English ability. However, in my opinion, if we decide to study or work abroad and prepare for TOFEL, GMAT, or GRE at the same time, our grammar should not be a big problem. Also, there are some tools for us to check our grammar. Unless the mistakes are really obvious, we don’t need to put lots of effort on grammar. 
  

What we really need to improve is our writing habit. Unless it’s a formal report or copywriting, we should use modern and casual words and sentences. By doing so our emails and messages would not be so stiff. Some phrases and usages we have learned at school in Taiwan are not common in daily life any more. When we’re reading, we should observe the usages the author writes, memorize and further practice in life. 

Listening and Speaking 

I believe speaking and listening skills are completely separated from writing and reading skills. A person good at reading and writing, without enough practice, would not always be able to communicate fluently while speaking. There is no shortcut to improve listening and speaking. We must practice with others all the time, whether they are Taiwanese or native speakers. Like improving reading ability, the most important thing is to immerse ourselves in an English speaking environment. Only by listening and speaking more can we know how to improve. 

If we cannot find a person to practice with, then we must try to expose ourselves with English contents everyday. We can listen to English podcasts or watch English videos on Youtube for 10 minutes to an hour every day. As time goes by, we’ll get used to the pace of speaking in English and be more confident. 

Conclusion 

It’s impossible to improve English in a short period of time. If we want to improve listening, speaking, reading and writing at the same time, we must be willing to put effort and time into making using English a part of our daily life. Once it becomes our habit, our skills will grow and we can eventually achieve our goals. 

(Original Post inShelly's Adventure)