イギリス英会話ブログ

It’s important to be honest with yourself about your progress in learning English. You shouldn’t judge your ability only by comparing yourself with other students in your school. What you need is to set your own standards… - you already speak at least one language fluently, which means you know what it means to ‘be able to speak a language’… - and realistic goals that challenge you but are achievable in your daily life.

honest - 正直 / progress - 前進
judge your ability only by ~ - 〜だけで自分の能力を判断する
comparing yourself with other students - 自分を他の生徒に比べる
what you need is… - 必要なのは〜です

So many students I meet in Japan are always putting themselves down - ‘I can’t do it’, ‘I don’t understand’, ‘I’ll never be able to speak English’, ‘It’s just not possible for me’ - and that negative voice in their minds becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. It’s time for a bit of positivity, so here’s my New Year ‘pep-talk‘ for everyone who wants to make a fresh start with their English this year.

putting themselves down - 自分をけなす
negative voice in their minds - （彼らの）頭の中の否定的な声
a self-fulfilling prophesy - 事故達成的な予言（要するに、予言されたために実現してしまう）
pep-talk - 激励演説・激励のことば
make a fresh start - やりなおす

You’re not going to get anywhere by being too negative, but at the same time, it is quite important to keep some pressure on yourself to get better. If you often try to start conversations with people, you will often feel the limits of your English ability and probably feel quite frustrated as well. This is a very important feeling and should not be ignored - you need this frustration at the limits of your English and you need to channel it into positive energy. That frustration at not being able to express yourself clearly, or at not being able to understand what other people are saying, THAT is like fuel for your engine - it is the single most important feeling to have when you are learning a language. Don’t let it get you down! Just work out what you need to do so that you can avoid that same feeling of frustration the next time you speak English.

not going to get anywhere - どこにも進歩しない
feel the limits of your English ability - 自分の英語力の制限を感じる
probably - おそらく / feel frustrated - 頓挫・挫折した気持ち
should not be ignored - 無視してはいけない
channel it into positive energy - それをポジチヴエネルギーに導く
That frustration at not being able to express yourself clearly - 自分の言いたいことを通じさせることができない挫折した気持ち
fuel - 燃料 / the single most important feeling - なによりも第一の感情
Don’t let it get you down - 絶望してはいけない
work out - 知ろうとする・理解しようとする / avoid - 避ける

If you’re really overweight, but don’t care about it, you’re never going to get thin. If you couldn’t care less about not being good at English, then you will never get good at English. So, you need that pressure and that frustration inside you - it just means that you care.

overweight - 太っている・太りすぎている
don’t care about it - それを気にしない・平気である
you’re never going to get thin - やせる分けない
couldn’t care less about - （のことを）どうでもいいと思っている

Just don’t let it overwhelm you - channel it into positive energy by asking yourself these questions :

• What can I do to stop feeling this way?
• What do I need to learn in order to feel more happy about my English?
• How long is it going to take me to get to a level I can feel happy with?

This last question is really important. There are a few geniuses out there who can pick up a language in a few months, but for most of us it takes many years… and we have to keep ourselves motivated during that time. Be realistic about your goals - unless you’re a genius, or have an amazing memory, it is going to take a long time to get really good at English. You can spend your whole life learning English, but as long as you are happy doing it, that is all that matters.

overwhelm - 圧倒する / geniuses - 天才の人々
pick up a language - 外国語を身につける / realistic - 現実的
unless - 〜じゃない場合
that is all that matters - それだけが大事だ

So, channel your frustration, judge yourself honestly and fairly and take your time. That’s my advice to all those who really want to improve their English this year.