Introduction

[Ssab]

Hi

My name is S

I feel depressed mainly because of my English.

I am not able to build relationship with my peers at work. When they talk about casual things, I barely could understand them. Hence, I tend to keep silent. Help me

[Peppermintbach]

Hi S,

Sorry, I think that I wrote a post but I’m not sure if I hit “post” (or not).

I need to go now but I just wanted to say hello and to say you’re heard 🙂

Hope to hear from you again.

Pepper

[geoff]

Hi Ssab, and a warm welcome to you.

Language barriers are difficult to overcome, however, I know a few Hungarian people who came to Australia during the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, who couldn't speak a word of English, as I've been told, and the way they learned how to overcome this was for two reasons.

One chap learned by reading comic books and back then it was Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse etc. and another chap went to the library, picked out books he had read in the Hungarian language, then read them over and over again, because he knew what was going to happen and could replace English words by Hungarian words.

Read a book from a movie that's been on TV, tape it if you can then have it in front of you and follow what's been said.

Pick out easy books you've read and not a long complicated 3 volume book.

Watch how we say simple words from the mouth like 'how much will this cost'.

Good luck.

Geoff.

[smallwolf]

Hi. Welcome to beyond blue. The users on the forum here will support you, help you anyway we can. Please know that you will not be judged here.

So... A problem with English. What I will say, and not as a joke, there are some people with English as their first language who struggle also. English can be hard to learn.

I would work for customers in UK and USA. I am Australian. People in the US would frequently tell me to slow down because they could not understand me. Do you think you could do the same? I am unsure if they are intentionally trying to exclude you?

Could I also ask a couple of questions...

Is there someone at work you could confide in? So they can understand where you are coming from with respect to the conversations?

Can you please tell me where you are from? County that is, originally.

How long have you been here?

Are there some things that you can understand? Without knowing what the people at your workplace talk about, maybe you could relate something of your life to the conversation.

Hope you have a good day,

Tim

[Hayfa]

Hi S

Welcome to the forums! It is great that you found your way to these forums and I want you to know that you will receive some great support here from many wonderful people who will read your posts and they are passionate about helping others.
This is a great space for engaging and receiving ideas and support.

Sometimes the English language, especially the Australian accent can be hard to hear and understand at times. I have been in Australia all my life and there have been many times where I couldn't catch everything that was being said.
I am not assuming that this is what is going on for you, this is just a bit of insight about the experiences I have had in the past.
Can I ask you, how are your work colleagues speaking? Are they conversing about things they have done or experienced and you don't understand the full story? Or do they speak too fast and unclear?

Grasping a new language is not easy and it is a process if English is not your first language, it can take months and years to become really good at it.
Are you able to ask your colleagues to slow down or elaborate if you are not understanding what they are saying? I am sure they would be glad to do this if they knew you were sad about not understanding what they are saying.
My husband experienced this problem when he first came to Australia, he started watching a lot of TV so that he can improve his English and I tried to speak English to him most of the time so that his language and understanding improved.

Would getting involved in some social groups and events outside of work perhaps help? This could be emotionally uplifting and helpful because you would be engaging with people in a relaxed environment.

These are just a couple of thoughts, I hope it helps.
Please S keep talking to us on this forum so that we can see how you are doing and support you.

Hayfa

[Donte]

Hello S,

Welcome to the Multicultural Experiences forum.

It's good that you could search the internet and find Beyondblue and navigate yourself through to this online forum! This is an amazing skill and shows that you are able to communicate your needs and navigate support systems, so well done!

Speaking is a different story of course. And understanding oral language.

I have been here for more than three decades and still have a very strong accent and many times I do not understand what people are saying and they can't understand what I am about! The other day I asked my neighbor for a spanner and he gave me a sponge!

I don't want to discourage you, but rather show you that you are not alone and that this is a common issue for the millions of people who are migrants here and have been born in an non-English speaking country. It takes lots of time, years even to master a new language. It's good that you are mingling with your coworkers and being physically there in the conversations. Don't get sad and don't isolate yourself. Just ask and I am sure they'll explain.

I hope the things the other people in here have said already, are helpful to you and encourage you to start doing some things to improve your situation.

I'd like to suggest also the free conversation English sessions that take place in libraries. I am not sure if you know about them?

These are easy-to follow, fun, friendly conversation classes in small groups and there is no cost or booking needed to attend. Many are on weekends or after hours to encourage people who work to attend.

Check out if they run in your area. Sometimes they can be at Community Centres or various churches too. No booking needed and you can just pop in anytime it suits you and for as many sessions as you need to.

Good luck and let us know how you go.