10 “rules” for Successful in Learning English

Tidak dapat dibantah lagi bahwa bahasa Inggris merupakan bahasa internasional. Kitapun sebagai bangsa Indonesia dipaksa harus bisa menggunakan bahasa Inggris. Bahkan dalam penerimaan mahasiswa S2 atau dalam mencari kerjapun bahasa Inggris menjadi syarat untuk memasukinya. Tetapi masih banyak mahasiswa kita yang masih takut belajar dan “ogah” menggunakan bahasa Inggris. Padahal sebenarnya bagi yang masih belum mahir dalam menggunakan bahasa Inggris, pada saat kuliah inilah kesempatan baginya untuk belajar sehingga nanti jika telah menamatkan kuliah tidak perlu lagi direpotkan dengan mengambil kursus bahasa Inggris.

Berikut ini ada sedikit tips untuk bisa sukses dalam belajar bahasa Inggris. Tips ini disadur dari sebuah buku berjudul: A conversation book 1: English in everyday life, karangan: Tina Kasloff Carver and Sandra Douglas Fotinos. Di sana dituliskan ada 10 aturan (rules) untuk bisa sukses belajar bahasa Inggris. Saya tidak menterjemahkannya dalam bahasa Indonesia karena rules-nya cukup mudah untuk dimengerti.

1. Don’t be afraid!

Sometimes we are afraid to speak a foreign language because we think we are going to make terrible mistakes and people will laugh at us. Well, the best learners of foreign languages try not to be afraid. They make a ”game” of learning. They are not anxious about making mistakes. And they sometimes share their fears with friends. You can do that, too, and you will then feel better about yourself.

2. Dive in!

Try to speak out! Try to say things in English! The best way to learn English is to speak it yourself. Don’t worry about perfect pronunciation or grammar; other people usually will not criticize you.

3. Believe in yourself.

You have lots of strengths. You have already learned some English. You must believe that you can do it! Compliment your fellow learners on their effort. Then maybe they will return the favor.

4. Develop motivation.

Why are you learning English? Make a list of your reasons for studying English. Those reasons can be your individual goals for this course. If you have your own reasons for learning English, you will have better success.

5. Cooperate with your classmates.

You are learning language in order to communicate with other people. So, practice with other people and you will be more successful. Create your own conversation group outside of class. Try out new ways to communicate in those groups. And, in class, remember your classmates are your “team” members, not your opponents.

6. Get the “big” picture!

Sometimes learners look too closely at the details of language (words, pronunciation, grammar, usage). It’s OK to pay attention to those details, but it is also important to understand general meanings (the “big” picture). Maybe you don’t know all the right words or grammar, but you can say things, anyway. See movies in English. Read books and magazines for pleasure.

7. Don’t worry if you’re confused.

Learning English is a big task! Sometimes you will feel confused about all the things you have to learn in a foreign language. Try not to worry about everything all at once. Don’t try to learn all the rules right now. Ask your teacher questions about English. And try a little every day.

8. Trust your “hunches.”

Sometimes people think they should analyze everything in their new language (grammar rules, word definitions). The best learners do some analyzing, but they follow their “hunches” (their best guesses, their intuitions) about the new language. If they have an intuition that something sounds right, they will try it. So, the next time you “feel” that something is right, say it. You probably be right, and, if you aren’t, someone will give you some feedback.

9. Make your mistakes work FOR you.

A mistake is not always “bad.” We all make mistakes learning anything new. Successful learners don’t worry about mistakes; they learn from them. They take note of their errors and try to correct them the next time. Some things you can do:

• Make a list of your most common mistakes.
• Select grammar points to watch for.
• Tape-record yourself and listen for errors.

10. Set your own goals.

Teachers usually set goals (assignment, homework, classwork) for you. But you need to set your own goals, too. You can do that by doing the following:

• Set aside a certain number of hours a week for extra study.
• Learn a certain number of words a day/week.
• Read a certain number of extra pages a day/week.

Jadi silahkan mulai belajar dan GOOD LUCK!